If you are a squatter in Gloucestershire, you risk being evicted easily or arrested.
Squatting means encamping or living at the land in Gloucestershire owned by someone else and you have no permission of it.
Squatting is often a last resort kind of thing for people who are homeless in Stroud, Cheltenham, or Gloucester.
It's not a long-term alternative for homeless persons and you'll most like be removed from Gloucestershire and probably arrested by the police.
You're not squatting if you stayed on in a property in Gloucestershire after your tenancy or licence ended.
Squatting in Gloucestershire within a residential premise is considered a crime.
You can be arrested and if convicted then:
Sentenced for 6 months in prison in Gloucestershire
Pay a fine around £5,000
You may not be detained in Gloucestershire if:
Stayed on in the house in Gloucestershire after your tenancy ended
Believed you are renting the Gloucestershire property legally- for instance, a fake property agent leased you a property when they shouldn't have
A Gypsy or Traveller living on an unapproved site in Gloucestershire
It is easy to evict a squatter in Gloucestershire under the following conditions:
The police in Gloucestershire do not want to arrest you
The owner of the property in Stroud, Cheltenham, or Gloucester does not feel the need to involve the police
Living in commercial premises in Gloucestershire
The landlord in Gloucestershire has the power to go into the property to change the locks whilst you are not there.
The owner can get a court order in Gloucestershire if you or another squatter refuse to leave the property in Gloucestershire.
Using or threatening violence against you is illegal for the owner.
The owner of the property is bound to deliver copy of documents with possession claim to the squatter through post or letterbox no less than five days before the proceedings of the court in Gloucestershire or at least two days before in case of a commercialized property.
This must be inclusive of a copy of the possession order, a defence form, and all the important details regarding the court heating,
If you're not a squatter in Gloucestershire, the landlord's argument must be contested.
You can do this by replying through the defence form to the court and go to the court hearing in Gloucestershire.
However, if the court in Gloucestershire rules that you are squatting, they will order you to leave the Gloucestershire property right away.
If you don't leave the property, the owner can ask the Gloucestershire court bailiffs to evict you.
Squatters in Cheltenham, Gloucester, or Stroud are also called homeless because you cannot claim the right to own a place where you are living.
As a homeless person, you can apply to your local council in Gloucestershire for help.
The Gloucestershire council will find alternative accommodation in Gloucestershire for you if homeless and single.
The council may also consider providing you with some emergency housing in Gloucestershire rather than sleeping on the streets.
If you are in priority need (for example, if you are pregnant, have children or are vulnerable) the council in Gloucestershire may need to provide you with emergency housing.
However, if you have immigration or residences restriction, the council will not offer long-term or emergency housing, for instance, either the status of your immigration indicates 'no recourse to public funds' or you're an asylum seeker in Cheltenham, Stroud, or Gloucester.
Based in Gloucestershire, working nationwide
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