To think you can't just park your van in the street and live in it.

[topcat2014]

I live in a cul de sac, with a reasonably sized level turning area at the end.

For the last month or so, a fairly large Mercedes van has been parked in it. There are at least one person, maybe two, living in it.

Curtains are over the windscreen at night, and there is a little pop up vent in the roof.

Fairly sure they are associated with a house in the street, as there are no rubbish/ hygiene problems,.

But, surely you can't just do this?

And, yes, I have seen the film lady in the van..

You say you are familiar with "The Lady In The Van" - if so you will remember that Alan Bennett ended up rather reluctantly allowing her to move her van onto his driveway because she was having a difficult time out on the street with vandals rocking the vehicle at night, police moving her on, curious passers-by, etc etc. She stayed for 15 years and died there.

Instead of asking this stupid question here, why not do your own research? Google has all the answers your looking for.........

We had a van parked on our street for a number of months that looked like people were living it it, although I never saw anyone. If they are not causing a disturbance, what is the harm? They are probably parked in your cul de sac because it is a safer place to park.

My brother does this. He has a home and a mortgage but works contracts away from home mid week. He has a camper van and parks either in the workplace car park and uses their showers etc, or near a leisure centre. Think he gets bored as he calls for long chats fairly regularly from the van.

If you are single and don't have dependant minor children, you will be very low on the list for housing help from any council. So this is what happens when you lose your job, can't afford skyrocketing rents, lose your home, etc... you live in your car if you're lucky enough to have one. And then people complain about you. Fun times.

There was also a (very thoughtful) thread by someone contemplating doing it not so long ago.

They aren't necessarily homeless. Come to sunny Brighton and you'll see loads of new age travellers or just hippie student types who like living in vans - usually fitted out quite well inside though. And yes they park on residential streets. Some go round the festivals all summer, selling chai or whatever.

Yes, YABU.

PhilODox, I know. Of course, it's a much more complex situation than my brief post suggested; the lad is in his 20s and takes/deals drugs, the parents are both alcoholics, the whole family is pretty dysfunctional. It's a sad state of affairs all round.

Have a good think about your reasons for not liking this.
Are you hoping for a world where everyone lives in boxes, and is the same?
Or can you find it in you to accept diversity, individualism and people finding their own ways to do things?

I rented my house out last year and spent five months in a van in Europe. Had huge problems with my local council insisting I paid council tax because my belongings were still in the UK and I "needed a base". Often wondered how they deal with van dwellers because they're still using rubbish collection etc.

If people are living in this van for months then it sounds as if it is their only home. I could understand you complaining OP if they were causing a nuisance, but you said yourself they are not. So why would you want to cause problems for some homeless people who are doing their best and not causing you any problems?

There are people who choose to live like this; they're not all necessarily forced to by homelessness.

I know someone who has just spent a not insignificant amount of money acquiring and customising a van to live in.

Not my cup of tea though and it irks a little for various reasons related to not being fully independent (making use of other's facilities and electricity) and not contributing to council tax etc.

A girl from my masters course lived in her van for the entire year of study. She went to loo and brushed her teeth in Waitrose in the evening and first thing in the morning. Used the university gym for showers everyday. Charged her phone in the library. She lived on the same residential street and purposely moved the van so no to annoy her neighbours (parking issues).

It was freezing last winter, but she was totally normal and lovely!

Complain to the council

Whoever they are won't be comfortable

Homeless has reached a new level. There is a whole community living in tents pitched in the local park. People with DC usually opt for a vehicle when possible.

If they are connected to a neighbour, I would speak to that neighbour it is odd to have your friends living in a van outside.

Read 'lady in a van' she was on Alan Bennett's drive for 15 years, and in the street for a few tears before that.

Soon after we moved into our (rural) cottage three years ago, a caravan appeared in the layby just beyond our house. This eventually became a more and more permanent fixture, with large sized calor gas cylinders outside it, a log burning stove retro fitted into it (tourer caravan) and an electric supply trailing several hundred meters across a field from a nearby farm with the connection sealed against the mountain weather by two Tesco carrier bags!!

Then one windy night, surprise surprise it caught fire (hill billy guy thought it was arson?!) sending flaming debris all over ours and our two neighbours houses and gardens. He was fortunately not asleep in it that night, had he been he would have already been dead at the point that DH and I stumbled out of bed and out of the house, and started banging on neighbours doors to get them out.

Within a week or so the chassis had been cleared and another caravan turned up, so I went over with DH and NDN and told him in no uncertain terms he was not welcome (and OMG he stank!!).

We then had a caravan free period for a while (spotting it a various locations around the local area in the meantime). Then it was back. The front window was broken, and eventually boarded up with plywood, it was like this throughout the winter including storm Emma which was force 11 steady wind speed and -6C up here. He survived the winter, the caravan did not, and by the end of the winter the bottom half of the door has also fallen off. Eventually it went, I assume from the council "fly tipping" sticker on it, that it was the council who removed it.

On Monday a "new" caravan appeared

OP I hope you have better luck with your van dwelling neighbours than we have!!

It is interesting how these threads go.

I hadn't really thought about the 'homeless' element, more like someones grown up kid living near a relatives house.

To add to the at least four dumped rotting cars around the road.

The irony is I am trustee of a housing charity -

It was just an observation, not planning on taking any action...

I'm so glad that my friends understand my lifestyle choice and are happy to share their facilities occasionally (obviously I find ways to return the favour). Shame my own sister has just outed herself with her unsupportive comments.

I can't speak for the van dwellers in the OP. I don't often sleep on residential streets.

I live in a van. I bloody love it. I'm waking up by the sea this morning. This lifestyle suits my mobile working life and has hugely eased the pressure of fitting everything in to life. No more wasted journeys to 'go home' all the time.

Yes it costs less and that helps too. It's not my fault that I no longer pay council tax. Nobody is paying increased council tax as a direct result of me living in a van. Yes I use a washing machine once or twice a week. I mostly shower after swimming but probably shower in someone's house once a week. I charge my leisure batteries while driving and will soon have solar power. I might charge my phone or laptop in somebody's house if I'm using them while I'm there.

I visit friends and family for dinner (though think I may end up cutting the family element out if this attitude continues). I often take food, help or offer to cook etc.

I'm lucky, it's a choice for me. Some people move in to a van out of necessity... But then it becomes a choice. Please don't feel sorry for people who live in vans. I've yet to come across anyone who dislikes it and most have been doing it for a lot longer than I have.

Seriously try being irked by the children in cages or the fact that we're killing our oceans.

My DS lives in Glastonbury & when I visit there's absolutely loads of people living in vans. There's even a caravan complete with owners living just outside his house lol. And in the supermarket carpark there's always loads of vans that people live in parked up.
It wouldn't bother me tbh as someone said there's a housing crisis & some people can't afford housing. I'm sure some choose to live in vehicles. I don't think its anyone else's business unless you woke up one day & someone was in your drive or something!

I hadn't really thought about the 'homeless' element, more like someones grown up kid living near a relatives house.

Do these not amount to the same thing?

Ah the usual MN hypocritical liberal and ridiculous responses - the posters telling you that these people are entitled to do this are only happy with it while it's on YOUR street OP. The minute these people started living on their street they'd be up in arms moaning about them not paying council tax, making the place look untidy and generally being a nuisance.

The minute these people started living on their street they'd be up in arms moaning about them not paying council tax, making the place look untidy and generally being a nuisance

We regularly do have a couple. Cause no issues. Look no “untidier” than any parked car.