DCBL leads huge Squatter Removal in London
10th January 2020
Yesterday, DCBL led a massive squatter removal in a property based in South East London. Our team of high court enforcement officers worked with the local police and specialist contractors to successfully evict a large number of squatters from the premises. It was a challenging undertaking, but one that was carried out professionally and safely to allow the property owner to enjoy full access to their property once again.
The Job
The client instructed us to remove squatters from their property. This in itself is not an uncommon request at DCBL, but there were over 50 activists who, for the last two years, had illegally occupied the property as part of a ‘Save the Trees’ protest. It meant the job was more complex than a lot of the residential possession work we carry out.
DCBL provided over 20 high court enforcement agents to carry out this eviction, working closely with over 60 officers from the Metropolitan Police and several specialist contractors.
Risk Assessment
All evictions, large or small, require us to undertake a health and safety risk assessment in order to meet our legal obligations to protect our workforce and reduce the risk of reputational damage to our clients. This risk assessment also minimises the risk to members of the public who may become involved.
It was an extremely challenging eviction that required extensive planning. Effective risk assessments meant we could effectively remove the squatters that had been residing in the property without harm to officers or the people within the property. The planning paid off and the removal was a success.
If squatters take over your premises, what can you do?
Possession Order
If you are struggling with squatters in your property, you must make an application for an interim possession order against persons unknown. (It’s possible to make possession orders against named occupants. For example, in the case of residential repossession by landlords.)
A possession order is a legal notification that informs people in the property that they are required by law to leave. In many cases, this is enough to move people on from the property.
However, there are instances where serving an interim possession order isn’t enough to get squatters to move on. If the order expires without vacation of the premises, you can instruct DCBL.
DCBL will assist you in obtaining a full possession order and removal of the individuals. We have a team of high court enforcement agents that will handle the groundwork, while our office based team and lawyers can advise on preparation and paperwork.
For more information on squatter removal, contact a member of our team via our contact page or by calling the phone number of one of our regional offices.
