rtbarton Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Briefly, a friend of mine has an empty house at the top of our street. A fortnight ago all his plumbing disappeared. A couple of days later I challenged a bloke in a Locksmith's van who was snooping round. He said he was waiting to meet someone to change the locks. I rang my mate and "Not true" says he, so I sent the locksmith on his merry way. Tonight my mate calls round, he can't get into his house! The front door was bolted from the inside and the lock on the back door had been changed, the original lock had been drilled out and was left on the kitchen worktop. He hasn't got any financial or marital problems so it's not bailiffs or a woman. What's going on? Anybody come accross this sort of thing before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Sounds like sqautters moving in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Time to involve the police I guess, if he hasn't already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 very strange, think he best get the police involved & give them the locksmiths details [the one you sent off] could be squatters have moved in or are planning too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Time to involve the police I guess, if he hasn't already. I wouldn't bother with the police, you'll find that the squatters have more rights than your mate who owns the house. we have the same trouble with non rent paying tenants in some of our flats, legally you can't kick them out. however.... squatters, different matter.... get some of your friends, sledghammer, remove the door from the hinges then remove the people from the house. job done. remember to send them some flowers in hospital, purely as a good will gesture.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 Never thought of squatters, but given the state of the house I'd be suprised - it looks more like squatters have just moved out I've already suggested he gets in touch with the police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Oooh, sounds like squatters to me. Pass the locksmith details onto the police and get you're mate to call in his own locksmith to put in a new set of locks and, preferably, get somone in the house. Whatever's going on it sounds very dodgy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 We've disabled the new lock and barracaded the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I wouldn't bother with the police, they won't do a lot... Get together a few mates, take the door off and turf them out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinTheCop Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Yeah, don't call the cops..... we're busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Yeah, don't call the cops..... we're busy. Yeah far too many speeding cars to worry about You asked for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abutoma Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Hei guys, what is wrong with your police force?? I had a break in at my cottage. I called the police from my mobile. They said Sorry, mate the only available car is some 40 km s away but that will be there ASAP. And less than 40 min they came, investigated, dusted for fingerprints, took photos and registered the necessary info. THREE days later I had a letter in the mail confirming the break in (for my insurance company). That they never found the guy is another story. No friends, support your law enforcers and they will support you! ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troddenmasses Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 You didn't actually say anything about there being anybody inside, so I presume that it is still empty. As you have done, make sure that there is no easy way into the property. I would take pictures of all of the windows, doors etc. If you find squatters in there and try to get rid of them, they will probably say that they just climbed in through an open window. If you can prove that there were no open windows, and that they had to break in - I would suggest a call to the police saying that your house was presently being burgled (quite true, as they broke in). If that didn't work, I would think about how much damage would be caused by squatters, and remember that it is impossible to criminally damage your own property. Break all of the windows + stick something nasty in there. It could of course be totally innocent - the locksmiths could have got the wrong house. If you can remember the name of the locksmiths, give them a call and demand that they put your locks back to how they should be. They aren't above the law, and could be knocked off for criminal damage / breaking + entering. I don't think that they would be, but it would be a bit of leverage to get them to tell you why they did it, and get them to put 'new' new locks on there, with your friend as the key holder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted March 15, 2007 Author Share Posted March 15, 2007 Yes the house is empty, in fact it's derelict really. He's already had two scrap cars stolen off the drive in the past year, the last one they used a Hi-Ab to whisk it away! We don't know whether the guy who changed the lock was the same locksmith who I chased away. The lock was drilled out so anyone could have done that. The people who stole the copper pipes broke a window to get in, which my mate has subsequently boarded up. I'll take some photos today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 I have see the results of Demo contractors doing site clearance and a land lord returning to find a flat plot of land where a house once stood mainly old Victorian ones as the brickes are worth a fortune. 250k bricks will build a nice size house but reclames victorian bricks can be worth as much a £1 each its not uncomon for empty victorian houses to get demolished with out the owners knowing.(Happens in London ) an contractor can do that kind of job in a few days and be long gone before anyone realises that its happend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted March 15, 2007 Author Share Posted March 15, 2007 Thanks Jules - that cheered him up! Lady police person called this morning, she spent quite a lot of time up there, but not a lot she could do really. She hadn't heard of this sort of thing before but it's all been officially logged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Thanks Jules - that cheered him up!Lady police person called this morning, she spent quite a lot of time up there, but not a lot she could do really. She hadn't heard of this sort of thing before but it's all been officially logged. Sorry There was a story on the news South today about last year sometime where a land lord who lived abrouad had his identity stolen by a tenent and he remorgaged the house and did a runner with £180k.... now thats got to hurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 we did a house in Lincoln for re-sale, it was broken into 4 days before the contracts were due to exchange, they gutted the place - took the coal fireplaces, interior doors, parts of the conservatory, the central heating system, ripped the shower from the wall and left the place to flood. best bit was it was in a terrace and no one noticed. the damage came to £26k. the local "police" refused to go into the building as the scene of crime officer was a woman and she was "frightened". She finally went in after the flood repair boys and the locksmith had boarded the house up and made it secure. Police in this country? - got further by walking into the local pub, putting cash on the table and asking for a name. end of problem. evicting squatters is going to be a non-starter. "apparently" its wiser not to report it, merely to deal with it. much faster, much cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted March 15, 2007 Author Share Posted March 15, 2007 The police told my mate that for squatters to be legal they had to post some sort of Notice of Intention to Squat. If they didn't they would be treated a burglars. It seems that everyone is subject to bureaucracy these days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Police in this country? - got further by walking into the local pub, putting cash on the table and asking for a name. end of problem.evicting squatters is going to be a non-starter. "apparently" its wiser not to report it, merely to deal with it. much faster, much cheaper couldn't agree more... waste of time phoning them... they are generally too busy nicking old ladies for being 3mph over the speed limit, or standing around mob-handed at tax-disc road blocks.... they certainly don't seam to be enforcing the new mobile phone laws.. i've seen more people driving whilst on the phone since they changed the law than before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 Is is it possible to steal a house Sure, claim political asylum. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exmoor Beast Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 Wait until you know there are squatters in there then screw inch ply over all the windows and doors. Wait intil it starts to stink of rotten flesh and call enviromental health. Bit harsh? Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted March 16, 2007 Author Share Posted March 16, 2007 Wait until you know there are squatters in there then screw inch ply over all the windows and doors. Wait intil it starts to stink of rotten flesh and call enviromental health.Bit harsh? Will I think they'd call Environmental Health before moving in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 I think they'd call Environmental Health before moving in I have a mate who owns a Demo company one of his cliants had a problem with a squater that would not move on from a property which was due for demolition and redevelopment. My mate paid a chap to watch the house for a week then astablished what his movments were so the following week when the squaters left the house to get their Giro and as the sqauters turned the corner twenty demo workers armend with pick axes and wrecking bars etc removed every window, door and floor and celling from the house in less than two hours then left site and again waited for the return of the squaters out of site to reduece the risk of a argument. worked there sqaute was reduced to a hollow shell in the time it took them to get the giro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 I have a mate who owns a Demo company one of his cliants had a problem with a squater that would not move on from a property which was due for demolition and redevelopment. My mate paid a chap to watch the house for a week then astablished what his movments were so the following week when the squaters left the house to get their Giro and as the sqauters turned the corner twenty demo workers armend with pick axes and wrecking bars etc removed every window, door and floor and celling from the house in less than two hours then left site and again waited for the return of the squaters out of site to reduece the risk of a argument. worked there sqaute was reduced to a hollow shell in the time it took them to get the giro That would be his pre demo team of poles that he calls the tasmanian devils It is amazing to see them at work. Will strip the whole inside of a house in minutes, just want to keep out of their way as bits of house coming flying out of the windows and everywhere Mus be doing somthing right as he just bought a Range Rover Vouge V8 diesel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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