Need to know how to evict travellers who set up their mobile homes on your land without your permission.
So how do I evict travellers? Did you know that trespass is not actually a crime? It is a civil matter.
By mobile home, we mean things like camper vans, tents, or caravans. This means that when you find that someone has set up a temporary home on your land the only real responsibility that the police have is to ensure that the peace is kept. If the police can’t help you remove the travellers that have set up a temporary home on your land, what can you do? This post looks at the steps you need to take to take back your own land.
In the first instance the landowner should try and have a civil conversation with the travellers and attempt to agree a suitable leaving date with them, usually within 24 hours.
If you are unable to reach a decision that is supported by the travellers and the landowner, the next step is to hire a Certificated Enforcement Agent who will be able to help you evict.
- Once you have engaged the services of a Certificated Enforcement Agent they will deliver a “notice to vacate” to the travellers. The written notice will usually state that the travellers must leave the land within the next 24 hours. The notice will also say that if they have not vacated the land within this time scale then they can be evicted using reasonable force.
- If the travellers then decide not to leave, they will use Common Law (as laid out in in Halsburys Law of England and Wales) to forcibly remove the travellers.Common Law allows the use of reasonable force by the landowner (or their representative) to clear the land. They are not allowed to deliberately cause harm or damage to people or property during the eviction process. Most cases are resolved at this stage. The Certificated Enforcement Agent will notify the police of the date and time of a planned eviction. This is just in case there is a disturbance of the peace, it’s rarely necessary though.
Alpha 1 Legal Services have a proven track record in traveller eviction and, should you need further help with reclaiming your land, our advisers are always here to help.
