Housing and property · Property · squatters
Squatters in a French home: the prefect’s fast-track removal procedure
If people broke into your property in France and live there, you can ask the prefect to order them to leave, without going to court (article 38 of the DALO law). You must file a police complaint, prove the property is your home or belongs to you, and have the occupation formally recorded. The prefect decides within 48 hours and gives the occupants at least 24 hours, or seven days if the property is not your home.
Text in force20 August 2026Sources checked17 October 2026
- Official texts cited
- Sources checked on
- Drafted with AI assistance, our method
General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
Julie by AlphaDeep
Does the winter truce protect squatters in France?
No, when the eviction concerns entry into someone’s home by deception, threats, force or coercion: the 1 November to 31 March truce does not apply, and neither do the two-month and grace periods. For other places, the judge can shorten or remove it.
Read the referencesYour home or premises in France are occupied without right: I can point you to the right procedure and draft the request to the prefect.
3 free questions at signup. Avoid names and sensitive information.
What should you do first when squatters move in?
File a police complaint for unlawful entry, gather proof that the property is your home or that you own it, and have the occupation recorded by a police officer, the mayor or a commissaire de justice. Those three documents open your request to the prefect for a formal order to leave.
Do nothing yourself: forcing occupants out without the State’s help is punishable by three years in prison and a 30,000 euro fine.
Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a homeCode pénal, article 226-4-2
Which procedure and deadlines apply to your property?
Choose the occupied property: the tool shows the route, prefect or court, the 48-hour, 24-hour or seven-day time limits, and the documents to gather.
Fictional example · route and time limits
The prefect’s fast route: a decision within 48 hours, departure required within at least 24 hours, then forced removal, in any season.
- A police complaint, with the receipt
- Proof of home or ownership: bills, tax documents, a neighbour’s statement
- A record of the occupation by a police officer, the mayor or a commissaire de justice
- A request to the prefect with these documents; if you cannot reach your title deeds, the prefect asks the tax office within 72 hours
- Never force them out yourself, for example by changing the locks: it carries 3 years and €30,000
Based on the DALO law and the service-public guide: the prefecture checks the conditions against your documents.
Squatter, former tenant or guest: which procedure?
| Situation | Procedure | Time limits | Winter truce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home, main or furnished second home | Prefect, after a complaint and a record | Decision in 48 h; leave within at least 24 h | Does not apply |
| Empty home, commercial, farm or business premises | Prefect, if the occupant has not made it a home | Decision in 48 h; leave within at least 7 days; an urgent appeal suspends | Does not apply to removal by the prefect |
| Holiday let, guest staying past the end | Prefect, with proof of the let | Decision in 48 h; leave within at least 7 days | Does not apply to removal by the prefect |
| Former tenant, guest, subtenant | Court, then an order to leave | Two months after the order, extensions possible | Applies, 1 November to 31 March |
Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Constitutional Council, decision 2026-915 DC of 14 August 2026Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a homeCode des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-6Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-1
Does the prefect really decide within 48 hours?
Yes. The prefect decides within 48 hours of receiving the request, after considering the occupant’s personal and family situation. The prefect can only refuse if the conditions are not met or for an overriding public-interest reason, and must then give reasons.
The formal order gives at least 24 hours to leave, seven days if the premises are not your home. If they do not leave, the prefect has them removed by force without delay.
Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a home
Is a second or holiday home covered?
Yes. Since December 2020 the route covers a home whether or not it is the main residence, and the Criminal Code treats as a home any dwelling containing furniture that belongs to you, whether or not you live there.
A home with none of your furniture is also covered, as residential premises, but the occupants then get at least seven days.
Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Code pénal, article 226-4
What has changed since 2020?
The prefect route covers a home whether or not it is the main residence, and anyone acting for the lawful occupant can use it.
Penalties for unlawful entry raised to three years and €45,000; new offences of occupying premises and of staying after an eviction judgment; no winter truce for squatting a home.
Code pénal, article 226-4Code pénal, article 315-1Code pénal, article 315-2Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-6
The route extends to commercial, farm and business premises, subject to the Constitutional Council’s reservation, and to a guest who stays in a holiday let after the booking ends.
Loi n° 2026-798 du 18 août 2026, article 14Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Constitutional Council, decision 2026-915 DC of 14 August 2026
How do you prove it is your home if your papers are inside?
With any document linking you to the place: bills, tax documents, a neighbour’s statement. The record made by the police officer, the mayor or the commissaire de justice completes the proof of occupation.
If you cannot prove ownership because your papers are inside, the prefect asks the tax authority, within 72 hours, to establish your right.
Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a homeLoi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38
What does article 38 of the DALO law say?
En cas d’introduction à l’aide de manœuvres, de menaces, de voies de fait ou de contraintes dans le domicile d’autrui, qu’il s’agisse ou non de sa résidence principale, ou dans un local à usage d’habitation ou à usage commercial, agricole ou professionnel, la personne dont le domicile est ainsi occupé, toute personne agissant dans l’intérêt et pour le compte de celle-ci ou le propriétaire du local occupé peut demander au représentant de l’Etat dans le département de mettre en demeure l’occupant de quitter les lieux, après avoir déposé plainte, fait la preuve que le logement constitue son domicile ou sa propriété et fait constater l’occupation illicite par un officier de police judiciaire, par le maire ou par un commissaire de justice.
La décision de mise en demeure est prise, après considération de la situation personnelle et familiale de l’occupant par le représentant de l’Etat dans le département dans un délai de quarante-huit heures à compter de la réception de la demande.
La mise en demeure est assortie d’un délai d’exécution qui ne peut être inférieur à vingt-quatre heures. Lorsque le local occupé ne constitue pas le domicile du demandeur, ce délai est porté à sept jours
In plain English: Where someone has entered another’s home, main residence or not, or residential, commercial, farm or business premises, by deception, threats, force or coercion, the occupant, anyone acting for them or the owner can ask the prefect to order the squatters to leave, after filing a complaint, proving the home or ownership and having the occupation recorded.
The same article provides that if the occupants do not leave in time, the prefect carries out forced removal without delay, unless the applicant objects.
What else do owners ask?
Does the winter truce protect squatters in France?
No, when the eviction concerns entry into someone’s home by deception, threats, force or coercion: the 1 November to 31 March truce does not apply, and neither do the two-month and grace periods. For other places, the judge can shorten or remove it.
Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-6Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-1Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-3
Can you change the locks or cut the water yourself?
No. Forcing an occupant out without the State’s help, by deception, threats, force or coercion, carries three years in prison and a 30,000 euro fine. Go through the prefect or the court.
Code pénal, article 226-4-2Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a home
Does it cover a holiday-let guest who refuses to leave?
Yes, since 20 August 2026: the prefect route covers a guest who stays after a holiday-let booking ends. You must prove the let, with the registration number or the contract. The specific criminal penalty the law planned was struck down.
Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a homeConstitutional Council, decision 2026-915 DC of 14 August 2026
What criminal penalties do squatters face?
Three years in prison and a 45,000 euro fine for entering, and for staying, in another’s home; two years and €30,000 for other premises; €7,500 for staying more than two months after an order to leave that follows a final eviction judgment. Promoting squatting is fined €3,750.
Code pénal, article 226-4Code pénal, article 315-1Code pénal, article 315-2Code pénal, article 226-4-2-1
Which texts is this timeline based on?
- Loi n° 2007-290 du 5 mars 2007, article 38Légifrance
- Loi n° 2026-798 du 18 août 2026, article 14Légifrance
- Code pénal, article 226-4Légifrance
- Code pénal, article 315-1Légifrance
- Code pénal, article 226-4-2Légifrance
- Code pénal, article 315-2Légifrance
- Code pénal, article 226-4-2-1Légifrance
- Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-6Légifrance
- Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-1Légifrance
- Code des procédures civiles d’exécution, article L412-3Légifrance
- Constitutional Council, decision 2026-915 DC of 14 August 2026Conseil constitutionnel
- Service-public: what to do when squatters occupy a homeService-public.fr
Texts cited last checked: 17 October 2026