Squatters not a problem now but could be in future

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Landlords need not worry too much about squatters at the current time, according to the editor of Landlordzone.co.uk.

Tom Entwistle said that squatting was a problem more likely to be faced in harder times: "I don't think squatting is a major problem at the moment. It is an issue and it does arise from time to time and if you go about it in the right way then you can go about it fairly quickly."

However, he did note that "maybe the hard times are coming back", which could mean squatting becomes a growing problem in the future.

Squatting is defined as when someone occupies a vacant property without the owner's permissions, and without any legal right to do so.

Mr Entwistle added that it is not just residential properties that squatters target.

"It is also a problem in commercial markets, especially at Christmas," he said.

"Shops aretaken over as temporary pitches for sales at Christmas time. It is a similar thing. It can take a little while to get rid of squatters and usually all they want is a couple of weeks anyway."

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