Squatters have moved into abandoned or unoccupied U.S. homes and land in recent months, often after the owners were deceased or went into default. Reports indicate that authorities may struggle to quickly distinguish between owners and squatters, leading to expensive civil court fights for property owners.
Squatting is not just a problem for Americans. A high-profile case in the U.K. shows that it affects everyone. Half a dozen squatters seized celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s central London pub and hotel.
British chef, author, and TV host Gordon Ramsay is famous for his savage outbursts on MasterChef, Hell’s Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares (2007–2023).
The historic York & Albany outside Regent’s Park is valued at 14 million US dollars. Squatters say they are using it as a communal art café.
“The Occupiers,” as the squatters call themselves, boarded up windows and put up posters declaring they had legal permission to squat in the non-residential structure. According to a report, the Metropolitan Police knew about the issue but classified it as a civil issue.
As disturbing U.K. Sun photos show, a squatter sleeps barefoot on a sofa in the once-chic tavern, surrounded by garbage and filth. An insider informed the magazine that Gordon called the police to get an eviction notice, but squatters are getting harder to remove.
Ramsay’s business may have to spend much time in court, fighting for ownership of its land.
Since this is a matter for individual states or municipalities, the landscape of renters’ rights legislation is complex. Evicting someone via the civil lawsuit procedure, which is required by many states, is cumbersome and time-consuming.
Laws and practices that favor lawbreakers over law-abiding residents contribute to the problem of squatting.
Some families are contemplating abandoning their communities and homes completely because they have nowhere to turn except the expensive court system for help.
The legal process of evicting the squatters from Gordon Ramsay’s pub began after they were served with eviction papers on April 16th.
