Squatting now a criminal offence

[crusse]

Get real..whist I agree with you that people with mental health issues should be helped the vast majority of squatters are tossers who have no respect for peoples property or any values associated with that... Let down by the state...humbug..contribute first..........

How many squatters do you know personally? Believe it or not, many homeless people and squatters have actively contributed to society before they fell upon hard times. When volunteering I have met homeless people who were ex servicemen and who developed mental illnesses due to traumatic experiences in the forces. They received inadequate support from the government and ended up with nowhere to stay. Some of them slept in squats. There are a disproportionate amount of ex servicemen amongst the homeless, so it seems both sad and ironic that you would deal with squatters by getting your friends in the army to move them on (I presume with the threat of violence?)

As I've said, I don't believe that people should be allowed to break into houses and trash them. These people should be arrested for breaking and entering and criminal damage. There are already existing laws to deal with them. But making squatting illegal means that vulnerable homeless people face the risk of being criminalised, and that is unfair.

[senor_robusto]

i would imagine this is a lashback from 'squatters' who occupied derelict buildings, made them habitable, maintained them, were legally given ownership due to maintaining for a period of time..... then being given a chance to sell and profit!

this sounds to me like greedy developers now making derelict buildings a no go zone for homeless folk who have no other choice, with government backings! pathetic!

alex

[crusse]

i would imagine this is a lashback from 'squatters' who occupied derelict buildings, made them habitable, maintained them, were legally given ownership due to maintaining for a period of time..... then being given a chance to sell and profit!

this sounds to me like greedy developers now making derelict buildings a no go zone for homeless folk who have no other choice, with government backings! pathetic!

alex

+1. I've been trying to explain this Alex but I think that a lot of people have been reading the daily fail too much! (*gets coat before it all kicks off*)

[Bruce lee]

I strongly disagree. Obviously people shouldn't be allowed to squat someone's home when they're abroad or just break into any building when the owners are out. But the right wing tabloids (particularly the Daily Fail) have been agitating for a change in the law when no change was needed. If you had been made homeless by squatters occupying your home, you could already simply ask the police to make them leave and the police would then move them on. If you had not been made homeless, you could still apply for an eviction order from a civil court and these orders were usually granted. The new law just makes it a lot easier to evict squatters from empty and disused buildings.

I have volunteered at a homeless shelter in the past and I've seen the devastating effects that homelessness can have on peoples lives. Many homeless people suffer from mental health problems and only become homeless due to lack of adequate support from the state. There are more disused buildings in this country than homeless people and I for one would much rather see empty buildings being squatted than people sleeping on the streets.

Punishing squatters with 6 month prison sentences or fines of ?5,000 (seriously, how many homeless people can even afford this?) simply makes victims of homelessness into criminals. Society should help the most vulnerable rather than punishing them.

Oddly enough Crusse, i totally agree with you; i think if its someones occupied home then there is cause for arrest (final warning system, caution, etc), but if its an empty property or commercial building, well thats slightly different.

[senor_robusto]

Oddly enough Crusse, i totally agree with you; i think if its someones occupied home then there is cause for arrest (final warning system, caution, etc), but if its an empty property or commercial building, well thats slightly different.

totally agree with you, bruce lee (that's so surreal, lol)!!!! it's not really squatting if it's an occupied house! that's breaking, entering, tresspassing etc etc! if a house has been lying empty, derelict for a period of time and the owner's show little or no interest in it, then it's fair game i say! the amount of fantastic properties on the antrim coast that are on the verge of collapse due to family disputes is disgusting!!! 'er indoors enquired about the legal purchase of one or two to restore, only to be told they are 'land locked' because two farming brothers are fighting over ownership (as the elder, one was left all property by the father in the will, the younger brother was left next to nothing! it's been in the hands of the courts for the last lot of years! meanwhile, neighbouring farmers have now started to graze their cattle and sheep on the surrounding property...... squatters rights apply here! if the 'maintain' the property, then they can claim the land as theirs)!

what's the difference here?

alex

[snooky]

I guess theres a huge division between genuine people who squat and vandals or ravers. Of course it should be illegal , having said that if I were so desparate for somewhere to sleep last thing i'd worry about is the law !