Did you know that if someone resides in your home for a long time, they can get ownership rights to it without having to pay you a dime?
Squatters’ rights exist in most countries, despite how difficult it may be to believe. Continue reading to learn more about squatters and what to do if you find someone living on your property.
Who Are Squatters?
A squatter is someone who lives on or occupies your property without having a legal title to it. They live on the land to which they have no legal lease, right, or title. However, a squatter may achieve adverse possession of your property through involuntary transfer.
A property that is not in use by the owner nor is inspected regularly by the owner for several years is at the risk of losing ownership to someone who claims the land, takes possession of it, and uses it.
How to Evict a Squatter?
You can start the eviction process as soon as you’ve determined that someone is occupying your property without your consent. Although eviction regulations differ depending on the landlord-tenant relationship, the following are the usual processes to take when evicting a residential tenant:
1. Review Applicable Landlord-Tenant Laws
Learn the landlord-tenant laws for your country, and then decide on the most efficient course of action to remove the unauthorized occupant from your property.
2. Offer Them an Incentive to Leave
Residential evictions can be very costly and take several years to conclude. You can offer a monetary incentive to urge your unlawful resident to leave.
This will help save you big bucks in the long run. If they agree, draft a legal contract that you can use in court if they break the agreement.
3. Serve a Notice of Eviction
If they don’t agree to leave the property even after offering a monetary incentive, you then file a complaint with all the proofs and requisite documents. A notice is then sent to the squatter for an eviction hearing.
4. Sue the Squatter in Court
On the day of the hearing, submit all the legal documents and the proofs, such as the approximate length of time the squatter has been occupying your property, etc. to sue them for illegally occupying your property
5. Remove the Squatter
The court should rule in your favour if the person hasn’t occupied your property long enough to obtain the legal title. When you win an eviction lawsuit, you’ll get a court order, known as a Writ of Restitution that provides you the legal authority to expel the intruder.
At Landlord Assist, we have residential eviction experts who help you successfully evict squatter from your property. Apart from that, we also offer tenant eviction services. Our rent arrears experts can also help you collect outstanding rent from your tenants in Kent.
Contact us to learn more about our wide range of services.
