France Passes Law to Expedite Eviction of Illegal Home Squatters

The measure certainly announces the end of squatting of homes for undocumented immigrants in France. It is a modification of the 2007 law on the enforceable right to housing (DALO). The new system voted by parliament allows property owners to refer to the prefect if the illegal occupation is established and reported to the law enforcement authorities.

The prefect, in turn, has 48 hours to respond to the request, before forcing the squatters to vacate the premises. The new procedure is simpler than the recourse to justice which takes months or years, forcing some owners to dispose of their building much too late, reports 20minutes.fr.

With the new system, the penalties incurred by the squatters have been tripled at the request of the rapporteur Guillaume Kasbarian, a member of La République en Marche (LREM). From now on, it will be three years in prison instead of one and 45,000 euros in fines instead of 15,000 in the past. Vacant land, shacks, or dilapidated buildings, which are still subject to judicial proceedings, are not covered by the system, specifies the same source.