Squatting is occupying someone else's property without their permission. It is not usually a criminal offence so in most cases the police are not prepared to get involved. If the squatters refuse to leave the owner will generally have to commence civil proceedings in the Courts to remove the squatters.

There is a special Court procedure in place for dealing with squatters.

The usual process is to obtain a Court Order to evict the squatters which is then enforced by Court officers. Squatters can be removed quite easily and we can advise on the most effective solutions. However, it is important that the owner acts quickly as otherwise the problem can escalate and can quickly mushroom into a major headache.

Often the squatter initially had the owner's permission to occupy the property but then remained in the property without permission e.g. where an employer allows an employee to occupy staff accommodation e.g. a caretaker's flat. In those cases the process for removing the occupier is the same as if the squatter had initially gone in to occupation without permission, but there are some additional restrictions in place where the property is residential.

In some cases the squatter can acquire ownership of the property, under what is known as "squatters' rights" provided that they have occupied the property for at least 12 years without the true owner's permission. The law changed in 2003 when the old 12-year rule was abolished if the land was registered at HM Land Registry. In that case squatters can still acquire squatters' rights but there is a "warning off" procedure in place and the true owner is in a much stronger position. The old rule still applies to unregistered land (i.e. where a title is not registered)

We have extensive experience and expertise in dealing with squatters claims and have the ability and expertise to move quickly and to achieve a quick, decisive result. We are also conveniently situated near to Chancery Lane in Central London, close to the Courts, and Counsel's chambers if more specialist advocacy is required.

We do offer (other than government funding) a full range of funding options which include fixed fees, after the event insurance and third party funding. We also always provide cost estimates as soon as practicable and remain within those limits or where (for good reason) this is not possible we agree a revised estimate before the previous one is exceeded. This, together with our regular billing policy and transparency on costs, means that you retain a degree of control and certainly over your legal spend.

Your case will initially be referred to a partner, Mark Davies to assess who is the most suitable fee-earner in the department to assume day to day responsibility for your case. This assessment will be based upon experience, expertise and availability to enable us to deliver a legal solution that you require in the most cost-effective way. It may be that he will retain all the responsibility for the case but where delegated to an assistant Mark will retain overall responsibility for the matter.