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Majority of Squatters Have Homes, Study Reports (6 October 2011)

Date: 06/10/2011
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Majority of Squatters Have Homes, Study Reports

A new study collated by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University and published by the charity, Crisis, has revealed that only a small minority of squatters are homeless. The report revealed that only six per cent of homeless individuals resort to squatting on any given night. This equates to 106 of the estimated 1,768 individuals who sleep rough. Given that the entire squatter population is predicted to be around 20,000, this means that only around one in 200 individuals are homeless. The report claims that the majority of individuals who enter into unoccupied properties are “lifestyle squatters” – only a small minority are driven to squatting due to their homelessness. The report claims that so called “lifestyle squatters” are driven by politics, gang culture, or wish to avoid rent payment.

Tory MP, Mike Weatherley, has claimed that the idea that squatters are homeless is incorrect. Mr. Weatherley states that while society’s most vulnerable require help; this does not provide squatters with the right to take over someone else’s property. Katharine Hibbert, 29, is one of the UK’s most notorious squatters. Miss Hibbert is behind the Advisory Service for Squatters, a group that publishes details of empty properties along with notes on how to occupy them. Miss Hibbert claims that her decision to begin squatting was the result of the easy life she had previously led. Leslie Morphy, the chief executive of Crisis, said that research makes it clear that many people resort to squatting out of sheer desperation.

Duncan Lewis’ housing solicitors are experienced at finding solutions to even the most complex of housing issues. The team aims to address all issues in a fast, efficient manner.

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