English Hotelier Left Homeless When Squatters Take Over House

Connan Gupta, 40, a hotelier moved out of his £700,000, five-bedroom home in Camberwell, England for renovations. When he returned, he found the locks changed and Italian squatters occupying his house — with all of his belongings, medication, and possessions inside. He will remain homeless and living with his sister while the courts sort it out.

The squatters say they are students, including four men and six women and two dogs. They say that five more squatters will be arriving soon.

They insist the home was unoccupied and that they had not broken in (a curious interpretation of home invasion). They say that they simply do not have money for rent. They posted a notice in his window announcing their occupation. England has loose squatters rules that have been criticized by landlords. In the United States, this would be treated as home invasion and they would be arrested. Even if they were mistaken, they clearly knew upon entering that it was occupied given the contents of the home and later when they barred the owner from entering. In torts, this would also constitute trespass in the United States as well as trespass to chattel.

Source: This Is London