Having to deal with squatters in your commercial premises or travellers settling on your land is a stressful process. Making sure that it can’t happen again should be a priority once the eviction has been carried out.
Preventing re-entry
Once eviction has been carried out, the possibility of re-entry is typically higher in the period of time immediately after, as the site and means of entry is now known. If re-entry occurs then the situation can get complicated quickly as detailed below.
To stop any travellers or squatters regaining access, our advice would be to hire additional security to watch the site in the short term and make sure that your gates or doorways are securely locked. You may need to install fences or a perimeter wall if your land is easily accessible.
If any damage is done to the premises such as broken windows or locks to gain entry, then the travellers or squatters can be charged with breaking and entering.
Dealing with re-entry
If re-entry occurs, you need to establish whether it is by the same group as previously or a new group. There are different steps that will need to be undertaken depending on the answer to this question.
- Same group – If it is the same group that has returned, you will need to continue the eviction process. This means that, for commercial premises, if you haven’t already evicted the squatters using an Interim Possession Order (IPO) then you will need to apply for and obtain one at your local County Court. If you have already used an IPO and the same group has returned then they are breaking the law and can be arrested.
- Different group – If it is a different group that has entered the property then you will need to begin the eviction process from the beginning for squatters or travellers.
You can find more information and tips about Traveller removal by clicking on the 'Removing travellers: The complete guide'.
How can Able Investigations help?
The Able Investigations team can help with any stage of the eviction process and once eviction has been carried out, we can also advise on preventing re-entry specifically for your site. For help with evictions of travellers give us a call on 0345 366 0000 or fill out our contact form.
