Buying house - homeless outside

Haven’t read the full thread to see if it’s been suggested, but you can get locks for outside taps OP. My neighbour has one that sits over the top of theirs as their outside tap is at the front of the house.

It’s a hard one, you want to have compassion if they are homeless but I can understand your stress at not wanting them to access your property.

lol why what a odd person

You absolute strange person OP !!! Their not homeless their van lifer really need to give your head a wobble seriously

I absolutely wouldn't want a homeless person li ing outside my house and certainly not in a tent but OP has said they are living in their van in a carpark, people live in vans so they can move around, they will be gone before she knows it.

I'd wonder if the van was keeping away the 'boy racers' who seem to frequent every car park around here, zooming (loudly) about on their little mopeds or their souped up cars with exhausts that wake everyone in the vicinity.

There are worse things to worry about living opposite a car park than a van with a pair of legs in it.

Lots of the usual, dreary, right on replies here.
I’m with OP, how many people, if they are totally honest, would want homeless people living in vans or tents right outside their house?? Have you seen the photos of van lined streets in residential Bristol?

Absolutely! I'm sure there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth about house prices going down and where is the human waste going? (and where IS the human waste going?) if the boot were on the other foot.

And we don't know which one OP is referring to, all we know is they have legs...
Even if they are more boho/hippy style who have a 10k van it's incredibly nasty to label them as thieving trespasses with absolutely no evidence to suggest this.

I would report it to 101, just in case. Keep an eye on your kitchen scraps, lock up your water supplies and dig up anything in your garden that could be a source of food.

Aww, don't be upset just because some posters have expressed a different opinion to you.

To who and what for? It's not illegal.

There was a homeless man that lived in his car in my suburban street. I think he chose this area due to its links to public transport and he has a job as he isn’t in his car during the day or on weekends.

I’ve seen him use our garbage bin after looking around suspiciously. I know he’s been sleeping there because the windows are all fogged up early in the morning and I’ve seen him sitting in his car. He dresses well, he’s actually quite attractive - he’s fit and well groomed. I wouldn’t care if he used our water (he probably has been). He causes no harm at all.

He’s been here off and on for years. I haven’t seen him for a while so I hope he found a place to live.

My city is in a severe housing crisis right now and our government is increasing immigration numbers so we have mass immigration during a housing crisis. It’s madness and it’s causing so many problems as we don’t have the infrastructure to support these new arrivals or the housing to put them in.

It’s really tough right now. People with jobs can’t find places to live. There are vans parked in peoples driveways and people are living with family/friends and sleeping in their vans. Earlier this year I saw a young girl (primary school) who was clearly homeless. Someone had decorated the van like a small child’s bedroom and she was watching something on her tablet.

I see elderly people in the shopping centre car parks and you can see they’ve been sleeping in their cars because there are pillows and blankets in there. It’s heartbreaking. I’m sickened this is happening in my country.

There’s so many people who are homeless parking their cars front of 24 hour gyms and supermarkets because it’s considered safe and they have access to toilet and shower facilities overnight.

People are posting on Reddit asking for safe places to sleep.

And here you are on mumsnet worried that homeless people might take your water from your hose pipe 😒

I think at least some of the issues arising from the fact that “van life “ encompasses anyone from a corporate contrarian with a top of the range new Volkswagen camper van with integrated water tanks and solar panels through to somebody with a battered 1992 Mazda bongo with the seats folded flat and sleeping bag in the back.

People keep calling them homeless,they aren't, they are living in a van. Thousands of people are choosing to live like this and absolutely love it.
I would be pretty offended and confused if I was labeled a homeless person when I rock up in my 50k van with a bed, electric, shower, TV, etc etc.

At what point during homelessness does a person become a different and dangerous species, creeping around peering through fences and nicking people's water? I ask because an old friend has recently become homeless. I'm sympathetic, but I don't want him nicking my water or looking at my kids. Admittedly, he is half a continent away from me, but still, better safe than sorry!

Do you have any evidence that anyone has been going into the garden to get water?

So like I said you've clearly shown interest in the car park over the back of you, enough to research the van life website, and made yourself aware of the available facilities they would likely be using and what condition they're in (cleaned every night) etc. Based on what you've found it's clearly alleviated any concerns you were harbouring.

Is the van legal? Taxed, insured and MOT. You can check on line using the number plate. If it's legal and it's parked somewhere with no parking restrictions it may be fine, but overnight 'camping' may not be legal in some places.

Do you know for sure that people are living in it? Is there only leg evidence?

I think you will find it stops once you move in - personally I wouldn’t buy opposite a car park if stuff like this grinds your gears - if they become a nuisance just inform the council

Don't buy the house.

You have some overthinking going on here. I don't think you'll settle well there. Find somewhere else and possibly look into some therapy for unhelpful thoughts.

It’s illegal to camp overnight in your van in a council (and most other) car parks. If they are sleeping in it overnight then it’s got to be parked somewhere that overnight stays are allowed, like camp sites, caravan parks, or private land by agreement with the owner. Some car parks allow it but it’s got to be specified as allowed.

"How unsightly..." 🙄🙄🙄🙄

May I suggest you buy somewhere else where there are no "potential judging by the legs in a van" homeless nearby or across the street?
Avoid London, for god's sake - they're everywhere, the homeless. Fewer outside taps of course, but you never know!

If the people parking their van are indeed homeless chances are they're NOT going to steal your water, squat in your house, have parked their van because they spotted a For Sale sign and thought "Empty house - we'll pop in and take over" etc. etc. You do sound unduly worried, conjecturing all sorts of crazy scenarios in your head - based on "potentially homeless people nearby".

Having worked with the homeless for 10 years pre-pandemic (in central London - loads of exposure!!) and having a habit of always "seeing them" and meeting their eye (biggest 'complaint' is the invisibility that quickly makes you feel sub-human), may I remind you that they're just human beings. Even if they're homeless. And that homelessness can happen to any of us - and we're never as far from it as we may think.

Can I also suggest reading "Silent Voices" (Robert L. Okin) for a quick and easy snapshot of the people and human beings "lurking" under your fears and preconceptions?

About a week? Your OP says

However, I've noticed thpere has been a van parked right outside the garden (obviously in a parking space), and has been there for weeks.

About a week or weeks? They're very different.