Squatting is not currently a criminal offence in England and Wales and instead it is up to the owners to use the civil courts to enforce their rights, which can turn in to lengthy and expensive legal battles.
They must prove to the courts that they are either a ''displaced residential occupier'' – someone who has returned from holiday to find squatters in their house – or a ''protected intended occupier'', who is intending to move into an empty property.
In contrast, squatters are also protected by law, including the Criminal Law Act 1977, which prevents a home owner forcing their way back in because it makes it an offence to use violence to gain access when there is someone on the premises who is opposed to entry.
They can also take advantage of the controversial law on "adverse possession", which can allow someone who has occupied a building for 10 years to claim ownership of it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8861660/Twelve-arrested-outside-Parliament-over-protest-to-outlaw-squatting.htmlSo - what happens in the US with regard to paras 2 and 3 ? Do owners just "put up with it" if they have returned from holiday to find their house occupied ? Do the owners pay their own court costs whilst the squatters get legal aid ?