Buying house - homeless outside

[Whatinthedoopla]

Hi,

I'm buying a house, and opposite the garden is the community car park. Area is lovely, people are lovely. 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. I thought nothing of it, then saw they they open the door and it looks like people live in it! And they look homeless, I saw they legs popping out of the van.

The house has now been emptied, and I'm worried that the homeless people are going into the garden to get water from the tap outside.

My partner isn't worried, but I am, or AIBU?

What should I do?

It looks like there are people on this thread who would be fine with this and don't see the problem. Hopefully they are advertising locally that homeless people are welcome to live outside their house. OP, can you private message them to get their address? You can then send homeless people their way.

Why do you think they are using your tap on your property? Because they don’t have a house made of bricks?

Isn’t this just part of life. How many home owners secure their outdoor taps in fact consider how many secure their EV chargers at home..

Put a lock on the tap and report the van.

Watch Lady in the Van OP, it night make you feel better! It’s a cracking film!

Seriously, don’t worry until you need to.

What does the OP know for sure?
A van has been in a parking space for a while.
She has seen legs coming out of the van.
That is all. They could well be criminal, water stealing vagrants, they may be ordinary people with legs. We don't know.
If there was a problem, surely the vendors would have declared it?
What have the vendors said, OP?

It is where we live. The council deal with it.

Do you actually know someone is living in the van? Surely it could just be a van which belongs to a neighbour?

It could well be that they are choosing that spot because of the convenient water supply from your vendors house, chances are they will move on once they realise someone's moved in. You can always voice your concerns to the estate agent.

Has anyone seen them taking water?

Exactly.

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.

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?

"How unsightly..." 🙄🙄🙄🙄

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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 😒