Information about the Evicting Squatters Kit
There is a special court procedure which is used to evict trespassers, and claimants can normally get an order for possession using this procedure within two to four weeks (depending on how soon the court can list the hearing).
If solicitors are used, legal costs tend to be fairly high as the process of bringing a claim for possession using this procedure is fairly time consuming, and solicitors charge for their time. However, although it is important to get the paperwork right, the process itself is fairly straightforward, and is one which a reasonably competent person will be able to do without solicitors, using this kit.
Note: if you have travellers on your land, you might want to try the >> procedure described here first.
When it can be used
The kit is designed for private land owners seeking to evict squatters and travellers from their property. It can only be used for persons who entered the property or land as trespassers – if you are seeking to evict a tenant who is refusing to leave after being served a notice of possession, you should see our Landlord Law service (where we have some other kits suitable for this situation).
Note that the same procedure in this kit can also be used to evict licensees, such as people living in bed and breakfast hostels, people renting accommodation on boats, and some former employees. However the kit does not deal with these situations (although it will be helpful). If you need to evict in any of these situations you should obtain legal advice, and not rely on this kit.
After you have obtained your order
Once you have been to court and have your possession order, you need arrange for your squatters to by physically evicted. In most cases the County Court bailiff service will suffice. However, for difficult cases, there is a quicker, more effective, but considerably more expensive, service you can use, which is provided by the High Court Sheriffs. Some information is provided about this with the kit documentation.
Practicalities
The kit is accessed via our training web-site which runs the course management software ‘moodle’. The section of the site containing the evicting squatters kit, can only be used by people we have enrolled on the site, and who have been given the special enrolment key.
Once you enrol on the kit course, you can use it for 93 days (three months). After than you will no longer be able to gain access, unless you buy additional time. However it is unlikely that you will need this. In most cases your squatter will be out within the first month.
