died intestate

[cgd123]

my neighbour died 2 years ago he had no family,the house he left has a squatter moved in and has taken over the house as his own,he has upset my wife and children with his constant drunken swearing.what happens to houses in this case and how long does it take to sort out.also is there anyone we can contact for help.

[Barmaid]

The difficulty is that if the neighbour died intestate and there is no family, the estate may pass on bona vacantia (ie to the Crown). Even if there is an administrator (either the Treasury Solicitor or a relative) there is nothing you can do. You have no cause of action, other than to report any hostility to the police - even then they cannot evict the person who upsets you.

It could take AGES to sort out. I dealt with a case last week where the deceased died in 1994 and it was only sorted last week because of the problems tracing the beneficiaries (although that was an extreme case).