Updated 3 November 2026
If someone is on your property and will not leave, first consider whether there is an immediate danger. Call 999 when emergency help is needed. Do not put yourself at risk to deliver a warning or enforce a sign.
The next step depends on the location, the person’s legal status and what is happening. An unwanted visitor, a public-path user, a tenant and someone occupying a building are not interchangeable situations.
Establish the facts
Record what you know: where the person is, how they arrived, whether permission was previously given and whether threats or damage have occurred. Keep existing relevant messages or incident records.
Check whether the route has public access rights. A disagreement over access is not resolved simply by pointing at a private-property notice.
Communicate only if safe
For an apparently mistaken entry, a calm explanation of the correct entrance or reporting point may help. If it is safe and appropriate, ask the person to leave.
Do not threaten force, seize belongings or turn a disagreement into a confrontation. Police guidance warns that forcibly removing people or their property can expose the landowner to criminal liability.
Use the appropriate reporting route
For ordinary civil trespass, police removal is not automatic. If you suspect a crime, threats or damage, report the conduct and explain the facts rather than assuming a sign determines the police response.
For an ongoing occupation or refusal to leave, seek advice from a solicitor familiar with the applicable jurisdiction. A court process may be needed.
Do not confuse occupiers’ legal positions
GOV.UK’s England-and-Wales squatting guidance explains possession routes and the conditions for an interim possession order. It also states that an IPO cannot be used to evict former tenants, subtenants or licensees.
Someone who originally entered with the landlord’s permission is not automatically a squatter because that relationship has broken down. Get advice before changing locks, interfering with services or removing possessions.
Review access arrangements afterwards
Once the immediate issue is addressed, check whether visitor directions, gates or reporting instructions contributed to confusion. Improve inaccurate messages without claiming powers you do not have.
For the underlying access distinctions, read private land, trespass and signs.
Sources: Metropolitan Police: trespassers on land, GOV.UK: removing squatters and GOV.UK: squatting overview.
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