Bill against squatting agreed to in parliament
A new law has been proposed that would see squatting become illegal, following a situation in Ghent where Roma have taken over a home owned by people who are currently living abroad
‘Breach of the right to property’
The squatters have been given 14 days to leave the premises after the prosecutor’s office in Ghent decided they had not committed an offence. Under the law as it now stands, they cannot be accused of a crime because the house was not occupied or furnished – despite evidence they broke into the premises and reports that furniture was removed from the house. The owners bought the house while living in Vietnam, where they still currently live.
The new proposal extends the powers of a justice of the peace, as well as speeding up the legal procedures involved. Squatting also, however, becomes an offence in and of itself.
“Squatting becomes illegal, because it is in breach of the right to property, one of the cornerstones of our society,” according to Egbert Lachaert (Open VLD, pictured), one of the MPs supporting the bill.
When the law passes, the police will be able to intervene at the first complaint of squatting, which will avoid cases such as the one in Ghent, where the owners must pay for the utilities being used by the squatters for another 14 days.
“That was a Kafkaesque situation nobody could understand,” said Sophie De Wit (N-VA), another supporter of the bill. “Everyone understands the logic of keeping your hands off of someone else’s property. That now also applies to your own home.”
Photo courtesy Egberg Lachaert
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