France to toughen up on squatters after Riviera villa eviction case

FRANCE is to introduce harsher laws against squatting after a retired couple struggled to evict a family occupying their Riviera villa in a case that triggered outrage.

The National Assembly yesterday debated a change in the law to speed up the removal of squatters proposed by President Emmanuel Macron’s party.

The move was prompted by public sympathy for the plight of Henri and Marie-thérèse Kaloustian, both 75. Their dream of retirement on the Mediterranean coast turned sour when a couple with two young children occupied their villa in the village of Théoulesur-mer

and changed the locks. Local police refused to evict the squatters without a court order, reportedly telling the owners: “Sorry, squatters have all the rights.”

Under current French law, holiday homeowners have 48 hours after squatters move in to prove that the property belongs to them and that the intruders broke in. After that, owners face a far lengthier legal procedure that can take months or even years.

The procedure is longer and more complicated for second homes. If homeowners take the law into their own hands, they risk harsher sentences than the squatters: up to three years in prison and a €30,000 (£27,000) fine. The penalty for squatting is €15,000.

Guillaume Kasbarian, an MP from Mr Macron’s governing LREM party, has tabled an amendment to the law to make it possible to evict squatters within a maximum of three days, provided homeowners file a legal complaint and prove the property belongs to them.

“The law should not prioritise squatters’ rights,” Mr Kasbarian said. “We are simplifying and clarifying the law to give homeowners the possibility of recovering their properties quickly, whether they are main or second homes.”

The Kaloustians recovered their villa after a month. However, the kitchen and furniture were badly damaged.