Site security specialist Secure Site UK has an experienced team to help property owners to clear squats as efficiently and quickly as possible. The key to this is co-ordinating the procedures to clear the property in an effective manner.
Part of the solution is responding swiftly to the arrival of squatters on a property. Due legal process is paramount and some of the procedures need expert guidance to ensure a successful outcome.
If attending the property to negotiate peacefully, always ensure that more than one person is present at all times to ensure there is an eye witness account available for reference later on. It is important not to threaten to use force to remove people from the property, still less to attempt to do so without observing correct procedure.
We have an experienced team in place to tackle squatting, ensuring that the right papers can be obtained so that notices and orders are served correctly, first time round. Working with solicitors who can ensure that documents are drafted correctly, Secure Site UK will do everything necessary to expedite the process, including an application for an Interim Possession Order (IPO) if there are sufficient grounds for obtaining one.
Once the property in question has been restored to its rightful owner, Secure Site UK can put in clean-up teams, who are trained to deal with possible post-squat hazards, such as sharps or needles in among debris. The company has a comprehensive range of preventative measures to prevent any recurring problems, including steel shuttering for windows and steel security doors. These are often an adequate deterrent in themselves, not least because they raise the level of the challenge a would-be intruder faces to gain access or subsequently remove them.
Since May this year, the UK now has a law against squatting as part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. This arrestable offence can lead to prison sentences or fines in the case of offenders entering residential property, but there is no provision as yet for commercial or other types of property. As a result, squatters are turning their attention to the increasing amount of vacant commercial property – which in today’s current economic crisis, is plentiful. In addition, such property is easy to spot by squatters – with attractive marketing boards highlighting potential new targets. Don’t let your vacant commercial property be their next home! With a range of deterrents or temporary alarms reducing the likelihood yours will be their next target – speak with Secure Site UK and get some good honest advice about what’s available.
If you would like more information about Secure Site UK squatter prevention or squatter eviction services please call us on 0800 177 7027.
