Tent thread redux?

mostlycheerful

fimonkey : “Interesting point,.... talking about squatter here, and not late/non rent payers, .. could you do this? Would be interesting ...because surely once you're living back in your own house (with the squatters) you could then change the locks??”

Yes you can do this and here’s an example of it that happened recently :

(2) Squatters demand £3,000 from family to leave home
A family today told how they were locked out by squatters after leaving their north London home for three days.
The owner “climbed through the window and confronted them. They became quite aggressive and ordered me to leave.” He added: “An Englishman's home is his castle and although I'm old, I wasn't going to be bullied. I threw their stuff out of my bedroom and set up base there. They carried on smoking and drinking and inviting friends over. They acted like hooligans.” The squatters left on Monday after a five-day stay. Mr Ahmed said: “I was so angry with police. It was obvious that the back and front doors had been forced and we had all the documents to prove the house was ours.”
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...-taken-over.do

Although in theory the law might have something to say about this in reality in practise you can retake your property as some people do, as in this instance. And, as is often the case, the police will simply say "it's a civil matter" and won't tell you to go to a commissioner of oaths and get a statement thereby allowing you instant entry and eviction of the unwanted intruders.

dopester

Of course there are bound to be occasions where the law is circumvented. And I've got sympathy when it's cases of squatters forcing entry to a home which they know has not been abandoned, or left empty for years. Say when family are on two week holiday - then squatting is pretty disgraceful.

However if I'd left land or a house empty for years and not checked up on it for ages, then would you be anti real squatters coming along and making use of the land/property? I'd feel pretty reckless for not keeping eye on my land/property.

Anyway.. in this case, as far as I'm aware - the tenant and sub-tenant were not squatting. They had a legal if dubious contracts for renting the property, as tenants, but apparently, had not paid in full.

Landlord would have been better off letting it to someone she could be more certain about.... like myself and my sister, even if at a lower rate of monthly rent. Not squatters as far as I can make out in her case. Tenant and sub-tenant is a messy mess mess for the landlord "in the business." Landlord got clobbered by one of the risks in the business she was/is in. Deal with it.

dopester

Info below from my very well connected source, via PM. Thanks Pr1.

I used to go sledging there (at Pott Shrigley Golf Course)... great long smooth slopes for sledging at the golf course, when it snows. No bumps or rocks.

And from memory (I had a friend who worked there and have walked past the house divided into bedrooms, and maybe a larger flat inside), and using Google Map Satellite on the postcode, this address is staff quarters. So I guess she used to work at Shrigley Hall and had some time there, giving her opportunity to rent her house out to make it pay. "In the business."

Dy Maurice
Managers Flat
Shrigley Park
Shrigley Road
Pott Shrigley
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 5SA
Length of Occupancy: 1 year
Over 25 other people listed at various times at the address.
--
Dympna T Maurice
9 Shelbourne Mews
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 3RS
Length of Occupancy: 4 years
Property Price: £95,000 (27 Sep 2000)
Residents
9, Shelbourne Mews Paul V Maurice Dympna T Maurice David B Maurice

neverdespairgirl

lynzpower wrote: »

Im so ashamed to come from a family of daily mail readers _pale_ they have DM logic too. Im the black sheep of the family _pale_

You have my sympathy!