Buying house - homeless outside

Of course you should not have to pay other people’s bills

As the house is currently empty read the water meter ( and try to get a photo) when you move in and give this to the water company
Then
Either remove the outside tap if you have concerns about misuse
or better still
increase the security of your garden

https://www.scrapvan123.co.uk/news/is-it-legal-to-live-in-a-van-in-the-uk/

@Peoplemakemesigh absolutely not illegal to live in a van as long as that van is roadworthy/taxed etc.

It is illegal to park up and sleep in it in certain places, but by no means everywhere.

Lots of people are doing this so they can live near where they work, and have to park up illegally, hence the no windows thing but its the parking that is illegal, not the 'living in a van'.

There are various apps that show you where you can park legally, where you can fill up with water free or very cheap, where you can empty toilet cassettes etc. Living in a van does not automatically = homeless theives.

You need to make sure you exchange and complete your property sale on the same day. If you are at the property ( garden outside whatever ) before you agree to the exchange then you can see if there are squatters.
I would also insist the sellers assure you there are no squatters

some strange replies to a not so unusual question about new home and shady situations nearby (and yes living in a van on the street is shady).
if the house is lovely you move in as planned, reinforce the perimeter (fence gate etc.) have security motion sensitive lighting. sprinklers etc.
report as necessary to police/council etc.
homeless often choose to live in a variety of ways NOT for a lack of homes but because even shelters cost a small amount or have regulations they don't want to follow.
once you live there they most likely will not be using your yard anymore and will move on.

There’s a van life man who lives beside our local park, we’re on that street. I thought he was truly homeless, turns out he’s mid divorce and his ex wife wanted the house, so he’s trying van life. We saw the van when we bought our house and worried about the area becoming full of transients. It’s 3 years on and there’s still the same one van. On the up side, the van is well maintained, taxed, he’s clean, doesn’t litter, is very pleasant and no one has an issue with him. Give it a little bit before you judge him, though I understand where you’re coming from.

This is hilarious 🤣

Is there any evidence whatsoever that these people just getting on with their lives are going to steal water from your house and peep at you?! Mental!

why would you need to pay for their water? And how much do you think they would use? I’m sure you could organise a whip-round for the £1-2 of water they might use.

@Peoplemakemesigh it’s not compulsory for older houses. We can’t have one at our house and nor can any of our neighbours (one of them asked the water company and got refused).

You are so horrendously judgemental.

I don't think it's illegal to live in a van.

In the UK it is. That's why these people don't have extra windows on their van and it wasn't immediately obvious people were living in it. You can't sleep in a vehicle on the public highways overnight permanently. For a couple of hours if you're on a long journey and tired, that's ok. In a motorway services car park where you've paid for all night parking, yes. On an official designated traveller site or in your mates driveway, fine. Lorry drivers in those parking bays on dual carriageways when they've reached their legal driving hours limit for the day. But not people parked at the side of an ordinary road or in a regular car park because they're effectively homeless (even if deliberately so through "vanlife" choice).

Well, if you are daft enough to buy a house with a water meter, I suppose so. I will not have one - they are tax on the old, the incontinent and those with large families

It's compulsory. Even if the house doesn't currently have a water meter, one will be fitted upon sale. They want everyone metered. There are concessions for those on low income or with sufficient medical needs.

I'd be wary too. Perhaps worth speaking to a taxi driver for info? They often know what's going on locally

This times a thousand. Thank you for showing me that there are still reasonable people out there.

Well, if you are daft enough to buy a house with a water meter, I suppose so. I will not have one - they are tax on the old, the incontinent and those with large families.

I don't think it's illegal to live in a van.

They don’t sound homeless, they sound like vanlifers. Vanlifers don’t become squatters, they already have a home, albeit on wheels. They might make use of the water tap while the house is empty but once occupied it’s very unlikely they’d enter your garden. Even then you’re probably taking about a bucket or two, not a bathful.

Do you actually have any evidence that the legs are homeless, or belong to people who are plotting to steal your water and peep at you?

I'd leave them be, there are unlikely to cause trouble.

I disagree that all homeless people are there through no fault of their own - I've known very irresponsible people gamble away their earnings and squander opportunities, bit naive to think no one brought it on themselves.

Yeah, I wouldn’t love this.

Yes, insert every way these could be lovely people who are just working on the cure for cancer while they work on their 12 point plan to end world hunger while simultaneously fixing global warming… or they could be the start of a homeless camp that attracts crime, drugs, and problems while simultaneously lowering your property value.

It sounds like you already bought so not a lot of choices except to make the area unattractive to them.

When I moved into my freshly bought property we had a lot of door to door sales and charity collections coming by. My city has an ordinance that anyone selling door to door must get a permit from the city. I spent the first 3 years calling the non-emergency police number to have the cops talk them and push them out of the neighborhood. It took awhile, but eventually the numbers dwindled to nothing.

Good Luck!

Well, it is. Whether I'd report it or not is another matter. You aren't allowed to just live in a van in a carpark

Why would they peep through a gate any more than anyone else. Buy a solid gate

Oh for heavens sake.

Why would they peer at you through the gate? They're not aliens, I'm sure they've seen a house before.

If you're worried about water theft, fit an internal stopcock.

It could well be harmless. My only worry would be that more van dwellers turn up- this has happened not far from where I live and some areas have real problems with water, sewage/toileting, waste disposal and ASB.

If it's just one couple, I can think of worse things that might happen in an unsecured car park though.

You can buy a locking device for external taps if you’re very concerned.

The house isn’t yours yet so why are you paying for the water?