3 ms·
Are there penalties for invading those kinds of homes in the UK? Where I used to live (a city of ~100K in Israel) there are probably 500-1000 properties on an
by pliny 11y ago
Are there penalties for invading those kinds of homes in the UK?
Where I used to live (a city of ~100K in Israel) there are probably 500-1000 properties on and around the marina owned by foreign nationals that are conspicuously empty for 9 months of the year, I considered squatting in one of those but if I'm discovered I'd be liable for the something like 3 times the rent for the period I lived there.
Presumably if the penalty for squatting unattended apartments were lower, the owners might be more motivated to find occupants.
- jeffbr13 11y agoApparently, squatting has recently (2012) been made into a criminal offence in England, meaning a criminal record if convicted, so... not worth it. Squatting used to be a ~fairly~ normal thing in England, going by impressions from my youth, but this could have been media fear-mongering the middle class with tales of home-invaders, after reading that Wikipedia article[1]. It's a shame that it's a criminal offence now, considering the housing shortfall and rising inequality in the UK. However, these specific properties/flats would be very difficult to squat anyway, as the buildings are presumably guarded by doormen and at least a few sets of high-security doors. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting_in_England_and_Wales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting_in_England_and_Wales
- makomk 11y agoYeah, aided by Daily Mail fear mongering about someone who came back from a vacation to find his house occupied by squatters that left their readers afraid the same would happen to their homes. The fact that it was an empty rental property he'd left unlet and that squatting in homes with occupants was already illegal went conveniently unmentioned.