Squat and Gaol

On the 1^st September 2012 squatting become a criminal offence.  Before this change, squatting was treated as a civil matter and homeowners had to go to a civil court to prove the squatters have trespassed before they were be evicted. It is changed to a criminal matter with a maximum penalty of six months in jail, a £5,000 fine, or both. Campaigners have warned that making it a criminal offence to squat will increase the amount of people sleeping rough. This means squatters will now target commercial property, which the act does not protect. A court order will be needed to get squatters out of commercial property.