Is it legal to have someone living in a hut in your garden?

[hastalamista]

Just that really, their appears to be someone living in the garden of a neighbour, its a pretty sturdy hut so not just a shed with power and I hope heat. I think it might be the woman's adult son as his works van is always parked in our street.

I am not going to report it or anything, I'm sure its just a temporary arrangement but if the lad is homeless wouldn't the council be able to sort him out with a proper flat or something?

@mindutopia That sounds really sad, I hope things worked out for him in some way.

@mindutopia It sounds sad to MNetter's, but it may have sounded like a rent free home, connections to his earlier life, freedom, friends in his locale, and safety from forfeiting his pension and freedom to a poor quality care system, or having to pay to share hostel space with alcoholics and drug addicts, to him.

Not everyone wants to live the same way others decide they ought to want to live.

@mindutopia that's so sad. I hope the man is ok

Probably not. Some may have permission as ancillary use to main property, but not separately ie. Private rental or Air bnb.

Buildings Regulations would apply even if PP not required.

Don't let on about the empty council properties. We used to have those and a London borough found out and have dumped all their worst problem tenants in one of our nearby sleepy market towns. It's gone from the Shire to Mordor in about 5 years.

Again the difference between building something with a purpose of sleeping in it, especially garden office/cabin type buildings, which may not require PP, but is subject to building regs, vs sleeping only, in an already existing standard sized shed, clearly not built as dual purpose and subject to neither if only being slept in and facilities provided in the house.

Wouldn't it be amazing if the focus of a government housing department was to ensure everyone has housing, instead of it being a money saving exercise in pen pushing.

@Elleherd your post made me stop and think.

I have a friend who is street homeless (through choice) and was a registered missing person at one point, his family are concerned. I think I'm the only one he keeps in contact with so I don't want to scare him away but am encouraging him to register with GP, apply for UC etc.

@hastalamista you also made me smile about availability of council housing! If he's got an arrangement with family perhaps they're all happy with it.

It may be his only option of course .Sad but inevitable really.If he has heat and power ,may use a small microwave and gives him some independence ,sadly there arent council flats going spare in many UK towns !

I remember reading an interview with Elizabeth Jagger (daughter of Mick & Jerry Hall) when she said she'd lived independently since she was 16 or something.

Turned out she had the annexe at the bottom of their garden. If you know where they lived in Richmond, Surrey, it would have been an exceptionally lovely & well-appointed dwelling.

So the moral is - there's sheds and then there's 'sheds'

What’s the problem? The family might be quite happy with this living arrangement.

If he's got a work van, so presumably he has a job, that allows/trusts him to keep a van, maybe he's moved back home to save for a deposit, or studying or traveling etc.... not all reasonsfor moving back in with parents a negative.... my friend is about move back into their parents annex/shed while they build there own house... shed is easier to cut down on arguments

People do this all the time. Those huts are known as Summer Houses. It's ridiculous really, unless you live on a sprawling country estate you don't need a Summer House, you're never more than a few steps away from the main house. They're popular for this reason though, adult children living in them. It's probably not all that temporary. It's basically the children living at home but with everyone having a bit more space than if they lived in the main house.

A single person with no children and no special circumstances is basically at the bottom of the council's rehousing ladder, even with homeless priority status. There will be other homeless people with much higher priority. If he was lucky enough to get temporary accommodation at all, for a fit and healthy male it is going to be a grim hostel where he might be stuck surrounded by addicts and violence for years.

Realistically as he has a job he's likely to be told they don't have capacity to help him and to go rent privately, which he may struggle to be able to do if he's on a low wage or self employed because he may not pass the financial checks for most places. He might be able to afford a flat share, but if he gets along well with his family, living with them for a while longer is going to be his best option. It'll be cheaper and he won't have to put up with potentially unpleasant housemates.

There's a neighbour near me who has done the exact same thing. Their son is living in a new large shed, but it's still a shed. I can't believe it, but it's better than him living on the street. The neighbours keep talking about it, because it's highly unusual to live in a shed in the garden around here.

And this is why squatting should not be illegal...

It's all very well saying squatting should not be illegal but you are forgetting that places were squatted while properties were being sold and even while people were away on holidays.

That's why squatting was made illegal for domestic properties.

Not the main reason - the smoke screen that was presented and lapped up.

Squatting occupied properties (which included people on holiday) and properties in the process of sale was always an illegal criminal offence. As was squatting any property with a PPO on it allowing the police to arrest on sight.
It also took less than 24hrs for an emergency hearing and obtaining a PPO at which point anyone in a building shown it could be arrested immediately if they failed to leave.

The vast majority of squatters squatted long term empty damaged public owned properties, for the longest likely occupation times prior to being refurbished or demolished.