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Squatters help themselves to a new home in the same street as Mrs Abramovich
Peter Dominiczak19 Oct 2009
FIRST they occupied the 80-room former Sudanese Embassy in Knightsbridge, before moving to a £4.5million home near Harrods.
Then they arrived in London's most affluent square, becoming near-neighbours of former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher as they seized a £12million house in a Belgravia square.
Now a gang of serial squatters has reappeared only a few doors away in the same square after being evicted on Thursday - and now count Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's former wife among their new neighbours.
The six squatters claim they gained access to the £15million property, close to the home of Irina Abramovich and the former couple's five children, legally, through an unsecured window.
They have decorated the first-floor balcony of the seven-storey, 19-room Georgian home with football strips belonging to Chelsea's European rivals to "send a message to Mr Abramovich".
Last night Abramovich's ex-wife arrived at her home accompanied by a large security presence and looked horrified to see the display.
The squatters claim the billionaire owns the property they are in. But a spokesman for Abramovich denied that he had anything to do with the property, despite previous reports that he bought four linked houses on the square between 2005 and 2006.
The fashionable garden square has been described as Britain's most expensive street. A house sold recently for more than £20million.
The squatters, who have previously lived in the former Sudanese embassy in Rutland Gate, Kensington, said they targeted mansions in west London owned by foreigners who leave the buildings empty for years at a time.
Jake Tag, 29, a former Green Jacket from Durban, South Africa, who now works as a building labourer, said: "This is one of the biggest houses I've ever been in. My room is on the sixth floor and is absolutely huge. A neighbour even gave us a television.
"The Barcelona fans wanted to send a message to Mr Abramovich by putting all the strips and scarves on the balcony. I think he'll be pretty upset next time he comes to pick his kids up.
"Last week Lady Thatcher was my neighbour and now I've got the Abramovich family as well. It's amazing."
Mark Guard, 45, who has been producing a documentary about the group, said the squatters will continue to target up-market homes in Belgravia.
He said: "There are more than 300 properties in Belgravia that are completely empty. These squatters have four places in reserve if they get evicted from this one. They did this under the nose of Margaret Thatcher's diplomatic protection unit as well as the massive security operation going on for the Abramovich family."
Reader views (18)
Hats off to this lot who seem to be a different kettle of fish compared to squatters out in the suburbs who are a bit like travellers who don't want to travel, just live somewhere for nothing. The Mayfair Crew are making a point I think...
- Ranking Badger, Home Bounties, 19/10/2009 19:52
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Do all these people get in without "breaking in" ? There must be many doors left unlocked.
From the TV pictures they have not wasted time in wrecking the places.
- Michael, London, UK, 19/10/2009 19:43
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This is not a new thing, each time there is a down turn the squatters come into action.
There are generations of people who have been squatters in the past, most have gone on to live good married lives, and look back on their squatter days with misty eyed nostalgia.
When I was a student I squatted in South Kensington, London. the American Actor living in London, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. sent around some food from Fortnum & Mason for which we were grateful..we were drawing attention to the good work which the new young charity, Shelter was trying to do, we cleaned the windows, had a friendly plumber in to stop a leak that was rotting the floorboards, moved on later to Grosvenor SQ, and Park Lane properties.
What happened to me.?.I later lived overlooking Kensington High St., Holland Park, and Notting Hill, all owned by my own graft..and now live in Oxford..happy days of my youth..and that is what most of those now in these properties are..they will not damage the properties, and often leave them in better condition.
So lets not have the heavy handed brigade in, usually made up of far less nice persons of dubious origins than those they would remove, for a price of course.
London has always had this floating population, it's a city..a raft of humanity..they are not stealing the properties just borrowing a slice of youth and something to aim for..the owners don't care, they know the properties are safe..most of them survived the blitz,don't over react..they shall survive you.
- Stephen Frankling-Kerr, Oxford, 19/10/2009 18:30
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It isn't theirs, and if damage is caused (I do not believe the unsecured window bit, lies, or truth telling per Gordon Brown), and in the case of serial squatters who leave property damaged, they should be charged with criminal damage by their presence in the property, never mind their claim 'not me guv'. The damage did not happen by itself, and they know who did it, or likely to do it, but they don't care and want to punish the owner evicting them. Not on.
- Hugh, Middx, 19/10/2009 17:57
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Serox - as someone who looks after property for a living, I can tell you that in 99% of instances, squatters DO trash properties. They invariably rip out and sell anything that they think they can get money for then inexplicably trash the building systematically until it is uninhabitable even for them. Before they move many of them set fire or completely trash the place as a parting gift. I have been in this business for 20 years and have only ever come across one genuine squatter who looked after an empty property I managed.
Too many people have a totally inaccurate and romantic robin hood image in their minds when it comes to squatters - time to wake up.
- Tf, Ealing, 19/10/2009 17:08
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All London property bought by overseas investors that are not lived in should be reclaimed by the homeless. Any government worth its salt would permit this since this sort of tax free property speculation benefits no one except estate agents. And we all know what we think about them!
Either tax these speculators for capital gains or open these properties to the homeless. I would do both.
- Puxty1755, London UK, 19/10/2009 16:43
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I have noticed they never squat in garden sheds or tents
- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh UK
They don't have to Richard. There are very many vacant houses in Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Kensington and Chelsea.
- Minnie Ovens, London, UK, 19/10/2009 16:09
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A big problem is that some of London's most respectable and some of its most exclusive districts are owned by people not only who are never there, but nobody knows who they are. As William pointed out, there are myriad schemes which enable owners to be shielded and obscured. Whole stretches of Kensington, Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Belgravia have owners not known to the permanent residents.
Unlike exclusive areas in central New York, or Paris, these boroughs can be like ghost towns; they remain dark, unlit and unlived in for most of the year. I have an aunt who lives in an apartment in a mansion block near Sloane Square. She hardly knows any of her neighbours anymore. The occupants of two flats in her building give her great unease. Whenever I meet them in the lift they are brusque to the point of rudeness, discouraging even a basic greeting. The social cohesion of the area has gone. Our ways of selling our properties merely to make up a portfolio to god knows who, is making decent areas of London a soulless and dangerous place.
In New York, the expensive, prime areas have a policy of very strictly vetting new residents. No matter how wealthy, you have to prove that you are a desirable neighbour who will meet certain maintenance and structural obligations - as well as basic social obligations. I always thought these Residents Committees strict, over-fussy and intrusive in procedure, but London could now very practically use similar schemes.
- Andrea, Putney, London, 19/10/2009 16:00
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Serox, so by illegally occupying a property these people will stop someone illegally occupying a property. Like your logic, you should be in the Cabinet (in the Government sense, not hiding in the furniture in someones house). And Beth, yes they do trash houses, just before they are about to be evicted.
- Dan, Manchester, 19/10/2009 13:04
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O i love it,Thats the style that makes this country great.Good luck to you,and thanks.
- Kev, London-UK, 19/10/2009 12:54
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The up-market squatters appear a lot more classy than some of the mysterious/dodgy residents of the streets they moved into.
You could say that they raise the tone of some of these areas!
- Jools, London, 19/10/2009 12:41
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All people concerned about properties owned by wealthy foreigners (including those not domiciled in UK for tax purposes but who are resident here) that are left unlet, and often to decay, should ask the government and the opposition one question.
Why is it that the UK is the ONLY major country in the western and developed world that does not tax capital gains made on real property (that is land and buildings)? Mr Abramovitch, Mr Mittal and other wealthy non domiciles who live here, along with investors from all over the world, can have a UK property empire (ignoring their principle private residence) and escape any UK tax on capital gains made. All they have to do is own the properties through a non-resident, be it a company, trust, individual, or other non-resident entity. This is not available to UK domiciles, that is you and me.
In my professional life I mentioned this to advisers in such countries as Australia and the US; those who were not immediatately aware of it were astonished that UK governments allow foreigners to make untaxed gains in this way, as their own taxation systems do not permit it. And this has always been the case whatever the political complexion of the UK government.
In my view, it is an outrage that foreigners and non domiciles can have invested large sums in UK property over the years, enjoyed huge gains from the rise in values over the last 10-15 years and will not pay a penny in capital gains tax.
Think of the money we are foregoing!
- William, London, 19/10/2009 12:21
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Beth: Squatters in general do not ruin the houses they are living in. Do not get them confused with drug dealers/addicts.
They will keep the place warm and actually stop people from entering the house who will actually ruin it.
- Serox, London, 19/10/2009 12:02
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I have noticed they never squat in garden sheds or tents
- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh UK, 19/10/2009 11:58
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It seems that a lot of the shady wealthy are buying up properties in the expensive parts of London. Partly as future investments, but worse, partly as a bolt hole for if they fall foul of their own countries laws or heads of state. Secure in the knowledge that no matter what they've done, or how embroiled in crime they may be, they will be safe from extradition in easygoing Britain.
It seems like the international underworld has moved here lock, stock and barrel. Like leamings paying silly prices as they head for the exclusive, classy parts of London.
For hosting ne'er do wells and the out and out criminally disreputable, London seems to be descending to gaining the reputation of the old (dodgy, anything goes) Tangiers and Marseilles port cities of yesteryear.
- J Spence, London, 19/10/2009 10:48
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Beth Dwyer - why do you assume that squatters 'destroy property'? I would much rather people make use of empty properties which are so shamefully scattered throughout London and the rest of the UK than leave them to rot.
...and what's with this 'go back to their own country' nonsense?
- David, London, 19/10/2009 10:22
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There's something about squatters that makes me feel uneasy, probably a fear that it could happen to me. However in the this case, I feel a certain political support for this group. Upmarket London property addresses such as Belgravia, Mayfair,Kensington etc seem full of trophy assets bought for financial purposes by people whose wealth seems to have been derived by extraordinary events, Russian oligarchs, African despots or Middle Eastern Sheiks. So if they are left empty with no purpose in mind, at least for the statement, I have a certain amount of empathy..
- Michael, Switzerland, 19/10/2009 09:55
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Why cant they pay rent or a mortgage like the rest of us. To destroy property is disgusting and shows total disrespect. If these people cant afford accomadation they should apply for housing like all the other bluggers or go back home to their own country.
- Beth Dwyer, London.uk, 19/10/2009 09:45
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