I happened across a news story today that makes you think. The case involved an old woman who was moving from her own property and into a nursing home nearby as she had need of 24 hour care. To finance her time in the home her plan was to sell the property and pay for her care with the profits, but whilst the house was empty a family of squatters gain entrance and have taken up residence.

The elderly woman now faces the prospect of being unable to pay for her time in the home and her family are left with the only option of a civil action to remove the squatters at their own expense. The squatters are legally protected as they gained entrance through an open window and in doing so committed no crime under British law.

I have only a smattering of knowledge when it comes to squatters rights and the avenues open to those wanting to deal with them and so I wanted to throw this one open to the forum and ask your opinions on the situation.

The family of squatters have a young child and are adamant that they are staying put, which leads me to wonder if they have even tried to seek accomodation from their local authority...and if they have met with frustration in those efforts, does that then justify taking up residence in another person's property without their consent?

A night time property inspection with a big dog should do the trick.

I thought since the introduction of the criminal justioce act that squaters rights had pretty much been removed and it no longer takes years to get them out....
Could be wrong tho..

I'd favour that one myself, but it seems that the law is totally against their forceful eviction from the property and the squatters have even posted a bill on the property to that effect.

In previous cases I have seen a police officer toss out the belongings of a group of squatters who were living in a London office block. They had rather stupidly left the place empty and the owners just let the police in and then locked the place up tighter than a gnat's chuff.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3915903.stm
for the story

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3915903.stm

squatters rights?

the squatters could almost definitely have been rapidly removed under a PIO (protected intended occupier). Normally that can be done within 48hours.

According to someone I know the situaton with the woman who was squatting is:

"as i understand it the woman was kicked out of her knightstone h.a. home after complaints about the noise from arguments with her (as she claims) abusive ex-boyfriend. in the original newspaper story (western daily press i think) she apparently showed the journalist deep scars on her arms.

anyway, she says knightstone kicked her out and that after that she couldn't get another home because, as she puts it, 'bath is a small place and they'd all heard of me' or somesuch similar. well, knowing bath and knowing knightstone i can believe that."

Which would explain why she could not get re-housed. And it is obviously rather doubtful that she knew the cirmcumstances of the owner of the house which she squatted.

In this instance it is clear tht the squatter should move on, tho generally speaking I am in full support of squatters - there are some 700,000 empty homes in this country, and massive homelessness, far better to see those homes occupied by people who need them than be left to rot, surely.

Need Tony Martin, my hero, to come and have a word.

Rediculous law. If you own a property you don't have to put up with scum planting their flag and declaring ownership.

I just heard it on the news that these mongrels said they will move out only if they are given £2000 .....greedy gits.Send in the dogs.

Smoke them out. ;)

The priority here is getting the lady the equity in her home to fund her care (which necessity in itself is an abomination) then the care and welfare of the 6 year old child left to be dragged up by this pair of useless layabouts.

Originally posted by HxTim
Need Tony Martin, my hero, to come and have a word.


Mmm, nice hero - Demented Murder :thumbsup:

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
Mmm, nice hero - Demented Murder :thumbsup:

He needs to learn to reload faster.

If it'd been me I would have shot them both in the back of the neck. :)

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
Mmm, nice hero - Demented Murder :thumbsup:

You mean as opposed to Demented Home Invasion by a couple of sub-human career criminals?

Those two pieces of dog s**t would be no great loss to the world. In fact, one of them hasn't been, has he? He he!:thumbsup:

aaah, automatic death sentence for burglary, sod trials, just get in the way don't they.

what a pair of absolute s**ts you two are. well apart from it's all mouthy bull.

Originally posted by commie pig
aaah, automatic death sentence for burglary, sod trials, just get in the way don't they.

what a pair of absolute s**ts you two are. well apart from it's all mouthy bull.

Careful with the insults there piggy, you wouldn't want to disturb your karma.

Isn't there a tree somewhere you should be hugging :thumbsup:

Originally posted by commie pig
aaah, automatic death sentence for burglary, sod trials, just get in the way don't they.

what a pair of absolute s**ts you two are. well apart from it's all mouthy bull.

I bet you'd write a valentines card out to your rapist, eh?

Originally posted by HxTim
He needs to learn to reload faster.

If it'd been me I would have shot them both in the back of the neck. :)

Nice reality tunnel you have their HxTim. You are, of course welcome to it.

Killing people is fun isn't it? :D How many people have you had the pleasure of killing?

for what we all think about Tony Martin (ad nauseam for 16 pages) look here (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?postid=8028#post8028) - just before we get started you understand :)

edit -
Originally posted by mojoworking
You mean as opposed to Demented Home Invasion by a couple of sub-human career criminals?

No Mojo, as is completely obvious to everyone but you - I wasn't suggesting that HxTim should adopt Fearon or Barras as heroes, merely that perhaps Tony Martin, who himself recognises that he is mentally unstable, with two firearms convictions and one for murder might not be the best choice of Hero.

If I was to offer an alternative I might suggest Felix Dzerzhinsky as being in tune with Tims opinions. At least Felix had brains and purpose. Tony Martin is demented by his own admission (in his defence in fact) and has not really made much of himself TBH.

A zero, not a hero in other words.


Those two pieces of dog s**t would be no great loss to the world. In fact, one of them hasn't been, has he? He he!:thumbsup:

Mojo you wouldn't be a loss to the world either, (who is?) so I look forward to next seeing you in the scope of my Parker Hale 82. :D :D :D

^ note to mods - not a threat - I don't have any sniper rifles...yet

Note to xtro - oops, you posted during my (long) edit.

I think you guys need to calm down to be honest.

Would you talk to each other like this if you were face to face having a pint? I doubt it.

A difference of opinion doesn't mean you have to act like kids in the playground.

Back on topic -

As for squatting...done it myself in the Netherlands. Took over a disused warehouse, ended up converting it and putting a hell of a lot of time and effort into making it home for a collective of 20 people and ended up coming to an agreement with the landlord paying a low low rent for it as a result. He came back from China and was pleasantly suprised to find it actually being used and taken care of.

This is quite different from taking over someone's house in a suburb or something!

Please don't generalise so easily...:)

Originally posted by commie pig
aaah, automatic death sentence for burglary, sod trials, just get in the way don't they.

what a pair of absolute s**ts you two are. well apart from it's all mouthy bull.

Make that THREE absolute s**ts, cos I agree totally with HxTim and mojoworking.

Burglar breaks in, gets caught, gets maimed or killed by householder. OR Burglar gets a different pastime, stays out of MY house and doesn't get hurt. The choice is HIS not MINE!!

If he chooses to enter my property, and I catch him, I'm not going to let him drop my stuff and run away if I can help it. I'm going to let him know that nicking from me can be very painful. Tony Martin? He did exactly what I would do if I owned a gun!

I'm not violent in normal daily life, but a theft from me or my kin will make me so.

Originally posted by Phanerothyme

No Mojo, as is completely obvious to everyone but you - I wasn't suggesting that HxTim should adopt Fearon or Barras as heroes, merely that perhaps Tony Martin, who himself recognises that he is mentally unstable, with two firearms convictions and one for murder might not be the best choice of Hero.

If I was to offer an alternative I might suggest Felix Dzerzhinsky as being in tune with Tims opinions. At least Felix had brains and purpose. Tony Martin is demented by his own admission (in his defence in fact) and has not really made much of himself TBH.

A zero, not a hero in other words.


Mojo you wouldn't be a loss to the world either, (who is?) so I look forward to next seeing you in the scope of my Parker Hale 82. :D :D :D

^ note to mods - not a threat - I don't have any sniper rifles...yet

Note to xtro - oops, you posted during my (long) edit.

Have you been on the mushrooms again Phanny?

You underestimate me sir. Of course I wasn't suggesting that HxTim should adopt Fearon or Barras as heroes. Whatever gave you that idea?

Tony Martin is undoubtedly the hero of that sorry affair. Mentally unstable or not, he was only doing what most of us would do facing a home invasion by a couple of career criminals and serial burglars.

Who said it was just about the guns?

I like the mans style too.

That "Crazy old farmer look" is the new black. ;)

Originally posted by mojoworking
[B]Have you been on the mushrooms again Phanny?

You underestimate me sir. Of course I wasn't suggesting that HxTim should adopt Fearon or Barras as heroes. Whatever gave you that idea?
/b]

Underestimating you is getting harder all the time mojo :) - I asserted nothing of the sort

I know it's getting complicated and we should really take this outside...but from the beginning then...:D

HxTim proclaims Tony Martin to be his hero:
HxTim says:"need tony martin, my hero"

I was simply implied to HxTim that Tony Martin wasn't hero material.
Phan says"Mmm, nice hero - Demented Murder"

Then you asked whether I was suggesting that Fearon & Barras wouldn't be more appropriate heros for HxTim, as opposed to Tony Martin.
Mojo says: "You mean as opposed to Demented Home Invasion by a couple of sub-human career criminals?"

I replied saying that the answer to your question was simply that Martin was no hero
Phan says:"No Mojo, ... merely that ... Tony Martin ... might not be the best choice of Hero."

as for squatters. when property owners leave derelict buildings to decay, evading the responsibilities concomitant with their rights, then squatters are a force for good.

when you come back for the shops and they have changed the locks - well that is quite different,

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
as for squatters. when property owners leave derelict buildings to decay, evading the responsibilities concomitant with their rights, then squatters are a force for good.

No they aren't. If you pay for something you can do what the heck you like with it within the law - including lettting it decay.

Originally posted by Tony
No they aren't. If you pay for something you can do what the heck you like with it within the law - including lettting it decay.

Not talking about the law, Tony, just about the rights and responsibilities of responsible property owners.

Stuff we don't do because we wouldn't want our neighbours to do it to us.

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
Underestimating you is getting harder all the time mojo :) - I asserted nothing of the sort

I know it's getting complicated and we should really take this outside...but from the beginning then...:D

HxTim proclaims Tony Martin to be his hero:
HxTim says:"need tony martin, my hero"

I was simply implied to HxTim that Tony Martin wasn't hero material.
Phan says"Mmm, nice hero - Demented Murder"

Then you asked whether I was suggesting that Fearon & Barras wouldn't be more appropriate heros for HxTim, as opposed to Tony Martin.

Mojo says: "You mean as opposed to Demented Home Invasion by a couple of sub-human career criminals?"

I replied saying that the answer to your question was simply that Martin was no hero
Phan says:"No Mojo, ... merely that ... Tony Martin ... might not be the best choice of Hero."



Perhaps I didn't express myself quite as well as I thought I did. I was simply countering your "Demented Murder" referrence (by which I assumed you were referring to - and condemning - Tony Martin), with "Demented Home Invasion", a clear - I thought - reference to Fearon & Barras, the real criminals of the whole sorry affair in my view.

There was certainly no suggestion that those two pieces of detritus should be anyone's heroes.

I trust that's cleared things up.

I have squatted, you get all different types of squatters so its hard to give a blanket do/don't agree with it.
But hopefully the woman squatter and child will get a proper place to live soon and the old lady will be able to get her property back - both sides happy!

There was a satisfactory conclusion to this saga, as it happens. The squatters were persuaded to leave after their caravan was torched by some local "vigilantes" (oh dear, how sad, never mind).

No doubt the social security will soon pay for a new caravan for them anyway, before the tree huggers start crying "foul".

Hats off to the vigilantes, I say.

Naturally, the squatters left the place in an disgusting state (didn't you just know they would?), but at least the old lady owner can now sell the house to pay for her medical bills. After she's paid to have it made habitable again, that is.