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AIBU?

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Original poster

....to consider living in my car for a bit?

133 replies

RebeccaBunchLawyer · 05/05/2018 10:06

Hello,

I’m in not the best situation, living-wise, and to cut a long story short, am considering living in my car for a few weeks, hopefully I will sort something out after a bit.

I will be opening out the seats and sleeping (or trying to!), in residential areas. I will be travelling light, only bedding, toiletries, paperwork put in storage etc. Blackout blinds on windows, showers and phone recharge at work.

The things that worry me most are obviously safety: someone trying to hurt me or steal the car/from the car whilst I’m in it, someone bumping/banging into car whilst I’m in it etc. Also, privacy, people possibly knowing I’m there etc etc.

Re ventilation, I will have all windows open the tiniest crack.

Basically I need to know whether or not this is feasible. I don’t really have any other options, so I just want to know if there’s anything else I need to consider.

Please, if there’s anything I really need to know/consider, let me know. If it’s illegal in any way, if there are any other potential dangers etc.

Thanks.

OP posts:
IceSwan · 05/05/2018 13:51

Could you park in the services? That way toilet and people nearby should you need?

TheHonSaucyJane · 05/05/2018 13:52

You have to pay for parking after 2 hours at a service station; that might not be as cheap as OP needs it to be for more than a night or two.

Pinga · 05/05/2018 13:54

JaiPo Try it and see. Yes the police will bug you. Relentlessly. Several times a night. Night after night. They will apologise but they still will. Unless anything has altered in the last few years since my friend was in this situation.

expatinscotland · 05/05/2018 13:56

I'd Google 'how to live in a car UK' and see what comes up. There's probably a lot of good advice on how to do it. Setting up a tent every night is a bitch and then in the morning you have to strike camp. Also your tent might potentially get wet. Some sites are loud, too.

Agustarella · 05/05/2018 14:00

@expatinscotland I think it's a sign of the times that when I googled "van living uk" a year or so ago there were a ton of results. When I first searched for it about ten years ago, there were only US and Australian sites showing up. So it's probably becoming more of a thing.

Singlenotsingle · 05/05/2018 14:01

Have a look at Airbnb. Sometimes the rooms can be very cheap. I've seen rooms in London for £11 pn.

noeffingidea · 05/05/2018 14:10

The best thing for showers is to have a gym/swimming subscription. My council gym/pool is £32 a month, that means you can have a shower/hair wash every day if you want (mine has private showers, so you could even have a quick underarm shave in there if you wanted.

Walkaboutwendy · 05/05/2018 14:17

Where are you in the UK OP?

If you are in my area then I can see what we could do to help out short term.

AjasLipstick · 05/05/2018 14:21

It's something which is happening more and more frequently. People in work but without a place to live.

It's frigging terrible that rents and the hoops people have to jump through to get a place have become so ridiculous.

OP....have you been to your local council I assume?

Thespringsthething · 05/05/2018 14:22

Noeffing my husband hated the shower in a rental property we had, and so he got a gym subscription to the gym more or less opposite and used to work out/use sauna and shower every day!

deadringer · 05/05/2018 14:22

Someone mentioned it already but there are lots of elderly people living alone who would love to have someone stay over at night, the fact that you are a carer would be a huge bonus. My mum is elderly and several of her friends have offered free lodgings just to know that there is someone in the house. One of them pays someone to live there, she doesn't receive care of any kind, just happy to pay because she feels safer.

kateandme · 05/05/2018 14:23

high end area if there is a hidden spot.safer there.
services.
go somewhere completely out the way so your not around anyone at all for it to become unsafe as its just your and the landmarks.
keep ventilated so every morinign open doors completely for a wee while.
same for if your eatin try keeping some air flow.
local park or monument.
use ur gut if you park up an it doesn't feel right listen to it

Neato · 05/05/2018 14:30

Approach your employer and ask if they know of a driveway you could park at? If it's just for a few weeks, surely a colleague would offer something like that?

There are inflatable mattresses that you can but to fit the back seat so you can at least lay down properly.

But I concur about the campsites. Some are as cheap as a few pounds per night and you can wash etc there. Safer than the streets.

Sorry that this is what you are facing.

LuluMarie · 05/05/2018 14:41

Yeah I've heard of younger people moving in with elderly people to keep them company and be there just to keep an eye on them and help out with simple things if needed.

I read of twenty somethings moving in with eighty somethings, they had a cinema night once a week and the younger person helped out with the kind of heavier things around the house that you'd do for any older person, everyone was really happy wth the arrangement.

If you have experience or qualifications then even better.

ADishBestEatenCold · 05/05/2018 14:42

I have known one or two people who have done this to fit in with a temporary change of circumstances plus ... someone who does it for fun!

The person I knew who seemed to do this most successfully, worked a night shift (in a similar job to you, OP) and drove a little way out of town in the morning to a leafy parking picnic area, would put up window shields, use earplugs, and sleep right though! Any chance of you doing night-shift during your homeless period, Rebecca? It seems the daytime sleeper was very rarely disturbed.

The other slept in various places at night, often residential areas, but also in places like truck driver rest areas and cheap 24 hour parking areas. I do remember that person was occasionally moved on (and once or twice moved themselves for safety) and I think they also used to find that many service areas and 24 hour supermarkets will not allow free parking beyond a few hours ... although the charges aren't always prohibitive.

The person I know who did/does do this for fun, doesn't have your restrictions, in that isn't tied to an area because of work, so can very much cherry-pick the best areas to be in.

There are whole forums, and lots of YouTube stuff, devoted to this. Just make sure you follow the advice related to the UK (if that's where you are). I think this is probably possible for a period of time.

"would get a camping toilet" No, don't get a camping toilet ... they take up lots of room and it can be a real pain finding a suitable place to empty them. My advice (I travel with horses often) is a strong plastic bucket, lined with a bin-liner bag, and a couple of handfuls of wood-pellet cat litter or wood-shavings. No smell, no liquids sloshing about, and you simply tie the bag and put it in a rubbish bin later. Grin

WidoWanky · 05/05/2018 14:44

Www.spareroom.co.uk might help.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 05/05/2018 14:50

I really don't recommend it. I've done it while lost at night in Galicia and it seemed the safest option but even though I was exhausted, it was almost impossible to sleep. Every noise (and there are many) seemed loud, the car got cold very quickly, and it was difficult to get comfortable.

I woke up early, tired, aching, feeling grubby and dying for a wee, a shower, and a cup of tea. I needed to sleep properly that day, and I would never do it again. A cheap flat share would be a much better option.

frozenmash · 05/05/2018 15:12

Would staying in a caravan be an option? Either a static or towable one? It would be more comfortable and safer than sleeping in a car. It could be worth checking if there are any caravan parks near you.

WalkingOnAFlashlightBeam · 05/05/2018 15:13

I wouldn't use ear plugs. You're going to want to be alert for strange noises or people approaching the car, either to stick their oar in or worse.

Not sure where you are living but in London I often think how easy it would be to briefly live at somewhere like st Pancras train station. It's open 24 hours, its busy, you'll be largely unnoticed. I've had to kip there overnight before and as long as you're not carrying many possessions you're scared of losing, you can basically sit down against a wall, and get your head down for a bit. There's also Victoria coach station which has coaches departing all the time through the night. You could go from one to the other and nobody will know you're not waiting for a coach. People often curl up on a seat and nap.

You'll be shattered but I'm sure you know it won't be easy.

This may be a rubbish suggestion and it depends on your work hours but you could get the cheap overnight megabus to and from a destination, costs as little as a couple of pounds and you will be safe on a moving vehicle and able to sleep and use the toilet?

CiderwithBuda · 05/05/2018 15:38

Actually the idea of looking for a room with and elderly person is great. I’ve seen tv coverage of that. Students living with an elderly person for company. Works well for both of them.

Agustarella · 05/05/2018 15:47

Re Victoria Coach Station, it's certainly very easy to spend all night there unless you are a known rough sleeper. Those people are very rudely moved on. The annoying thing is that the arrivals area is closed at about 9 or 10pm and the departures area across the road gets divided into two sections, of which one is usually closed while the other is being "cleaned". This alternation happens two or three times in the course of a night, meaning that you're often disturbed. The metal seats are also really uncomfy; there were some nicer ones but they got ripped out to make way for a massive unneccessary Prêt a Manger. In spite of all this, many people do sleep there while waiting for coaches. I let the kids sleep but I don't allow my own eyes to close in case one of them isn't there when I wake up. Shock (Paranoid, but you have to be.) Overall it feels relatively safe compared to the street outside. It's bloody cold in the winter and you get beggars doing the rounds, although they are fairly discreet because security don't like them. (NB I don't live in coach stations although it feels like I do sometimes! I go to France by coach a lot.)

Of course, the one great advantage the OP has is that she is an owner driver and thus has no reason to ever set foot in a coach station!

I've often thought that you could easily sleep on overnight coaches (National Express London - Inverness was great last time I went) but I think those megabus £1 fares are an urban myth. I don't think coach living (!) would fit in with many people's lifestyles but it's possibly interesting for some.

FASH84 · 05/05/2018 15:52

Gym membership is a good idea, I'm in the south East not far from London and there are no contract month to month gyms for 14.99 a month, where you could shower fill up drinking water bottles etc , being able to actually use the gym would also give you some time out of work when you're not in the car too

WalkingOnAFlashlightBeam · 05/05/2018 16:00

I've had a £1.40 megabus journey! A 200 mile five hour journey. The extra 50p was a booking fee I think.

I don't know if I'd feel more or less safe in the coach station than my car. I'd feel a lot safer in st Pancras than Victoria coach station. I'm always on high alert there when I'm there late at night/early hours as it always feels very sketchy and dangerous to me and I've had a fair few threatening incidents.

longestlurkerever · 05/05/2018 16:04

As well as live in carers there are live in guardian legal squatting arrangements

Goldmonday · 05/05/2018 16:07

Don't do motorway services I got fucked for parking there two hours when me and DH had a row!! Got a letter through the post a few weeks later with a £120 bill.

My best suggestion would be some residential area but in eyeshot of a 24 hour garage or Tesco extra etc. Then there is always at least one person around. Also for toilets I guess it would be a bucket for weeing or perhaps a thermos which you can empty discreetly in public toilets? For other toilets I would suggest a Tupperware pot or something else which you can seal- this is a serious suggestion!