Property Barrister Simon Sinnatt was interviewed on the BBC Radio Sussex Breakfast Show, today 30 March 2011, to explain how squatters could be legally evicted. Simon represents a number of local authorities in the South East on property and public law issues.
Squatters are in the press at the moment following the call by Hove MP Mike Weatherley to criminalise squatting.
Simon explained how the procedure to evict squatters was quite straightforward, and in the case of private landlords, the court had to grant an order. However, it was difficult, if not impossible, to enforce any costs orders against the squatters. Where a local authority was the landlord the situation was more complicated because they had to take into account the Human Rights of the squatters before deciding to evict, and that could end up in a lengthy and costly court process.
