Man leaves home for a week - 15 squatters move in

[MercutioUK]

I think I saw a better one than this a few years ago. Part of squatters rights says if you occupy a property (or piece of land) for more than X years (10 I think) then it defaults to your possession.

Was a chap in one of the London boroughs squatted a council house, the council forgot about it and X years later he inherited a 200k semi by default

[Whiternoise]

*speechless* - rifle through the mail ?

That particular point is interesting. Opening someone else's mail (as note in Matty's thread a while back) is pretty illegal, isn't it? This is probably one of the few situations that being petty would be of great advantage.


Oh - and forgive my legal ignorance - what defines an occupier?

[Terbinator]

That particular point is interesting. Opening someone else's mail (as note in Matty's thread a while back) is pretty illegal, isn't it? This is probably one of the few situations that being petty would be of great advantage.


Oh - and forgive my legal ignorance - what defines an occupier?

A contingent of Italians apparently.

[Saracen]

....


Oh - and forgive my legal ignorance - what defines an occupier?

Depending on the precise context, either the relevant Act or Common law.

The generic definition under common law would be (paraphrasing it) whoever exercises adequate control over who can enter the premises. The precise interpretation of that in any given case would be a determination of facts by the judge.

It confers some rights in the context of the squatter discussion, but conversely, it confers duties and responsibilities in terms of, for example, the Occupier's Liability Act.

In the context of specific types of occupier, like the displaced residential occupier I referred to, and the protected intending occupier that I didn't but whom also gets specific protections, and those are defined by s.12 and s.12A of Criminal Law Act 1977 respectively.

[Kumagoro]

Are squatters liable for council tax? if not maybe i should go squat in my mates place
and he can squat in mine.

[badass]

Are squatters liable for council tax? if not maybe i should go squat in my mates place
and he can squat in mine.

Interesting.....
I like
Not sure on the legalities though

[Saracen]

Are squatters liable for council tax? if not maybe i should go squat in my mates place
and he can squat in mine.

Yes, they absolutely are liable. In theory. In practice, well, that's another matter, not least because keeping up with them, or sometimes even identifying who they are, is .... erm .... problematic. But there's a defined order of priority for who is liable, and it most definitely includes squatters.