Buying house - homeless outside

It would be perfectly reasonable for you to take steps to cut off/lock the outside water tap and secure your garden. There is no social obligation on you to let them use your utilities or living space. If they are breaking regulations in how they are living in the car park, you would be within your rights to report them.

BUT as someone who lives in an area well known for vanlife-ers, I very much doubt they will bother you; they are just people getting on with their lives as best they can. I agree with previous posters that those of us who are securely housed have a moral, even if not legal, obligation not to make the lives of people who are homeless or vulnerably housed any more difficult than they already are.

I don’t even know where to begin with how bonkers this response is. So you’re suggesting the OP take in someone they don’t know from Adam when they have young children? Someone they may not be able to remove when they actually want to live in the property???

Don’t suppose anyone on this thread has actually considered that maybe the person is happy as they are and doesn’t want help!!

Do you put up homeless people in your spare room? If not I'm sure you can go and find one, you don't have to wait for them to come to you.

Wellllll... it is likely that they are stolen legs.

Yes I second this.

There seems to be a lot of 'fear of strangers' in these posts.

A sensible seller will have turned the water off - I can't see any mention of them actually taking water. (Not of disposing of toilet waste either)

Lots can't afford houses/have left for a variety of reasons. The economy has.t been kind to many.

As to ones own children - statistically aren't they more at risk from members of ones own family/friends - not people who happen to live in a van.

What about the other to be neighbours?

Chances in they'll be gone in a bit. A quiet van in a car park - better than it being a dogging destination?

So to many on here be less Karen, more Alan Bennett.

Cheers.

I wouldn't want to live next to a carpark that people are allowed to live in. Even if this particular van dweller is harmless, the next lot could be a right nuisance. Ignore anyone who says they'd chose to live next to homeless people on purpose, they're lying.

Ok. Just to clarify about my earlier post:
I do not begrudge "kitchen scraps", water or anything else. It was taken from a Sheriff of Nottingham line in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves
It obviously wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Which, judging by some responses, isn't surprising.

I was actually being funny. Sorry that didn't work.

Most outside taps are in secure back gardens.

You begrudge homeless people kitchen scraps? Dear God.

Or maybe they could stay in a spare room of one of the many posters pretending they’d be happy with having homeless people living really near them.
Having grown up in an area with a lot of people living in vans I can assure you it’s not a positive.

Do you have a room you can put them up in, in the house you are proposing to buy? If they are sleeping in a van they won't want much, just somewhere to sleep and possibly occasional use of the kitchen and bathroom. This way you may be able to help them get on their feet until they can find a place of their own.

You don't have any evidence they are 'stealing' your water or know anything about them and are making massive assumptions based on just seeing a van parked up with people in it! Perhaps they are visiting family or staying for work etc.

Why not go and say hi and say that you are moving into the house and noticed them there several times. You could ask them about the neighbours/ neighbourhood/ if the carpark is ever an issue etc. We live near a carpark where local kids like to sit in their cars and smoke weed/ play loud music / eat McDonald's and drop litter) I'd much rather have some quiet & stealthy van-life people!

What should she say to Social Services?
"I saw a van with a pair of legs on view"?

I couldn't begrudge somebody homeless water from an out door tap. But I would want a more neutral person to check on them, can you contact social services

I would be worried aswell OP. confused why people think you should not be. It's not like your condemning them. But, that's your new home and it will be empty for a while. You have reason to believe they are homeless and may be entering the premises either inside or outside and possibly using the water. Obviously no one would want that even if just for safety reasons for you children (and yourself) when you move in.. how long has the van been there?

It's not a van parked outside your house, it's in a community car park. I find it very odd that you see this van and instantly think they are going to break into your garden and take water from the outside tap. Seems a very extreme thought process to me. Blimey, my dream is to buy a van and travel the UK with my dog, hope people don't worry about me nicking their water. Very very strange and to be honest, if you are so anxious about stuff like this why on earth did you buy a house opposite a car park. I'm sure a lot worse goes on in there than some poor sod parking his van there.

Have you spoken to the vendor about it? How far into the sale are you?

This has probably already been said but you can get a device to lock your outside tap to prevent theft of water (yes, it would be theft if anyone took it without your consent once you own the property). You can get them from B&Q and other places for about £12

Aww, you seem furious, you poor thing.

Are you encouraging homeless people to live outside your home or just thinking OP should welcome them?

I would tell them they are welcome to take water from the outdoor tap.

Do you think homeless people don't deserve clean water? I thought your post was going to be some kind of moral dilemma about the haves and have nots. I'm buying a house while homeless people have to live opposite in a car park.

But nope. You're 'worried' they're 'stealing' cold water.