Squatting Laws or Adverse Possession ...

Squatting involves occupying an empty, abandoned or otherwise unoccupied property, that the squatter doesn't own or rent. If they can sit tight for 10 years adverse possession, the squatter will be entitled to apply to the Land Registry to be registered as proprietor.

I Googled the phrase "Squatting Laws forum" this afternoon and 47,500 pages we're returned. The majority of sites on page#1 are tips for squatters, squatters rights, advisory service for squatters and even one site promoting 'squatting tips' to drive houseprices down!

So what can homeowners do to protect against squatters?

The number of empty homes in the UK outweighs the number of council and housing association homes for rent so it's not surprising this is becoming more common. So what can you do to protect your property against these house invaders?

• Read Squatter's Rights/ adverse possession, courtesy of LandlordZONE
• Read how to prevent squatters (Page 1), courtesy of forums.MoneySavingsExpert.com
• Read a squatters viewpoint, courtesy of BBC Inside Out
• Read Squatters rights, courtesy of forums.Gumtree.com
  
• Read Removing Squatters Quickly, courtesy of LandlordZONE
• Read the laws on squatting, courtesy of Shelter