According the The Irish Times, housing activists who took over an empty office block in Dublin on Thursday night to accommodate the homeless have been served with legal notice to vacate the building or face court action.

A number of rough sleepers slept in the office block on Thursday and Friday night.

Solicitors for the building’s receivers wrote to the protesters on Friday evening, saying that while they were “sympathetic to the plight of those that are homeless” they “cannot allow the property to unlawfully occupied by trespassers”.

The solicitors cited health and safety and the conditions of the building as two of the reasons that they cannot allow the occupation to continue.

A&L Goodbody solicitors, said that Home Sweet Home are “trespassing” and they want to meet them “as soon as possible with a view to agreeing an immediate and orderly vacation of the property in the interests of the health and safety of those who are unlawfully trespassing on the property.

“In the event that those who are unlawfully trespassing on the property are not willing to vacate the property the receivers will have no alternative but to apply to court for the necessary orders compelling those persons to vacate the property.”

However Brendan Ogle, a member of Home Sweet Home and one of the organisers of the occupation, said that the building was safe to live in.

“We have had Dublin Fire Brigade in to inspect the premises and they are very happy with the rules and systems we have in place here...we are very happy everything is being done correctly and to the highest standards." Mr. Ogle also said he would be open to the request to meet the solicitors.

A spokeswoman told The Irish Times that there were five homeless families currently in the building.