Are Squatters Rights the same in law for both residential and commercial properties?
If you have a key from the owner then you are technically not a squatter but a licensee, unless you changed the locks yourself. The only form of squatters rights which exists in the UK is that it is illegal for anyone to break into the premises without having obtained a court order for possession(and even then only the bailiffs can enforce it), but this protection is ONLY valid if there is someone in there at the time. So in theory there should be someone in there 24/7. Don’t see that happening with a small shop. The above law is the famous section 6 of the criminal law act 1977, and applies to any commercial or residential property, even boats and open land that you have enclosed.
