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WALTHAMSTOW: Couple face wait to evict squatters

3:14pm Monday 6th February 2012 in Waltham Forest News By Sarah May Hayes

Janice and Dave Mason coudl have to wait up to five weeks to evict squatters Janice and Dave Mason coudl have to wait up to five weeks to evict squatters

A COUPLE whose home was invaded by squatters have won an order to evict the intruders after facing a decisive court hearing on Friday (February 3).

A court granted a repossession notice to Janice Mason, 49, and husband Dave, 48, on Friday (February 3).

But due to a high demand for bailiffs due to a rise in so-called home invasions, the couple have been told they may have to wait up to five weeks before they can re-enter the house.

The Masons were on the verge of exchanging contracts to sell the house in Manor Road, Walthamstow, when a neighbour alerted them to the squatters.

They discovered a family living there and were told they had a valid tenancy agreement.

Police then said they could not act as squatting was a civil matter and it was up to the owners to resolve the problem through the courts.

Mrs Mason said: “I was so relieved when I found out the notice had been granted. We had been told by our solicitors that it was a 99 per cent chance that we would get it, but there was always that one per cent that this so-called tenancy agreement would be real.

It was just an overall feeling of relief." Mrs Mason is promoting an online petition calling for a change in the law to criminalise squatting. The petition currently has 4000 signatures.

Mrs Mason added: “I am relieved that they have to leave the house, but I still had to pay their bills while they were in there, and I want to make sure the house is in a good state before the new owners move in, so it has cost us a lot of money. The main thing I want to do is change the law and make it a crime.”

To sign the petition visit www.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/626.

Comments(15)

driftingcowboy says...
3:22pm Mon 6 Feb 12

Can this council of ours now show some leadership and responsibility and put an 'action-team' together that will immediately visit future 'squatters' and examine their paperwork including who is paying the council tax and other utility bills?

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tjw422 says...
4:18pm Mon 6 Feb 12

I feel very sorry for these owners of the property and other similar cases over the last few months. However, I reiterate what I said before. I have luckily got friends, neighbours and family of a like mind, and would have sledge-hammered my way into the rear of MY property, and removed the problem very quickly. I reserve the right to do with my property what I will, and breaking into my own house is not illegal. The Law, the Council and the Police should be totally ashamed of themselves for not acting quickly on the side of truth and moral rights. If a burglar had broken in and got caught, he/she would almost certainly have gone to prison.

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Serena9230 says...
5:30pm Mon 6 Feb 12

tjw422 how right you are but once again the law abiding citizens have to pay what a surprise. I heard a case when squatters took over an empty property connected themselves to the services. They used to cause havoc by getting drunk, urinating in the street and fighting. Rather then someone going down there and physically removing them someone from social services knocked on their door asking if they needed any assistance or financial help - can you believe it. I believe they were Romanians. We must be a complete bunch of mugs in this country. The person who really suffered here was the next door neighbour.

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tjw422 says...
6:17pm Mon 6 Feb 12

Serena9230. Thank you. I would like to add social services to the list of 'agencies' that should feel totally ashamed of themselves in these circumstances. Disgraceful. One must ask, why didn't they also offer financial support to the innocent legitimate owners? It must be costing them a fortune.

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Robert19 says...
8:20pm Mon 6 Feb 12

This is a very nasty, expensive and upsetting case and this type of squatting appears to be on the increase. The squatters often leave debris and steal possessions to boot. However there appear to be urban myths sprouting up here. First of all Councils only have responsibility for council owned properties driftingcowboy. They have no powers over private property in such circumstances. It would require legislation to do so. As Council budgets are being cut by up to 25% I don't think they would be keen to take this additional responsibility on.
Secondly I'm always suspicious of "I heard a case..." Can you be more specific Serena9230? Where when and in what circumstances did Social Services offer financial help?
Finally, however tempting it might be, going in with a sledge hammer isn't the solution tjw422. I certainly would not go into a neighbours property with one and I don't think many people would either.
There needs to be a fast track approach to getting these people out asap through either the Police and/or courts giving priority to such cases. If that requires legislation to force the Police to do so then so be it. It also appears that more bailiffs are needed as five weeks is too long to wait for them to execute a court order.

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tjw422 says...
8:38pm Mon 6 Feb 12

With all due respects Robert19, you haven't grasped the fact that I would NOT go into a neighbours property with MY sledge hammer.

My two neighbours would let me access MY garden via either of their gardens. The sledge hammer would be extracted from MY back garden shed, and I would break into MY property from within MY garden and MY property grounds. The sooner everyone starts to revolt against these criminals and speaks out against the injustice of it all, the better. The Police just don't do anything about it. I would not take, after a lifetime of work and paying tax/Ins/bills/pride in property/ decorating etc etc etc. being put out of MY property unjustly.
Can I ask what would you do if it actually happened to you. Would you just give in to the months it takes to get these ***** out?

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driftingcowboy says...
9:15pm Mon 6 Feb 12

Robert 19, the council has a duty of care to its citizens regardless of whether they live in private or council property.

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Robert19 says...
9:40pm Mon 6 Feb 12

I misread your post tjw but I still don't think that is the solution for most people. driftingcowboy whilst I agree with your sentiment about the important role of local Councils in looking after local citizens, I cannot see what they can do when private property has been invaded. There is no legislation in place that allows them to enter private property in such circumstances, even if they had the resources to do so. They have limited rights in protecting property when, say, frail older people go into hospital or die without a next of kin for instance. The Police is the only agency that has such powers which are limited and they generally refuse to get involved - period.

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tjw422 says...
9:47pm Mon 6 Feb 12

To driftingcowboy. As an aside, and totally unrelated to this particular subject, I have read many of your comments on various issues. I think you are one of the most direct, sensible and concise 'inputters' into this site. Ashamed ( or happy?) to say, I could learn from you. By the way, I'm happily married. Don't get ideas.

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myopinioncounts says...
9:20am Tue 7 Feb 12

To unbelieving Robert 19, I witnessed the eviction (by police and bailiffs) of eastern european squatters from No.8 Rensburg Road, E17. They had been there for about 3 months according to a neighbour. The house is now secured from further break-ins before anyone else gets ideas! No doubt others are known about but it might not be wise to reveal the whereabouts of still vulnerable properties.

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driftingcowboy says...
12:32pm Tue 7 Feb 12

What I believe the council could do is to have an action team ready to go to these homes when they've been taken over and demand to see the tenancy agreement, find out who's liable for the council tax and other utilities.
We will find that the fake tenancy agreement won't stand up to scrutiny and that the utilities can be cut off as the real owner won't pay them. The council can then investigate the council tax liability.
We do need new laws outlawing squatting anyway, but that's going to take time. In the meantime. we need to think outside the box to thwart these invasions.
Thanks for the kind comments, tjw - I try to keep a perspective rather than a knee-jerk reaction, though its not always easy!

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G_Whiz says...
2:08pm Tue 7 Feb 12

Are you ready for the next swerve by police and council?
When the squatters leave - there will probably be criminal damage, and of course utility theft and fake paperwork etc.

But our lovely, proactive, police force will let them go on their merry way to seek their next victim - Just you wait and see!

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ferdy505 says...
6:11pm Tue 7 Feb 12

So theyve now won an order to evict this scum, but will still have to wait for 5 weeks for bailiffs.

Do they actually need bailiffs for this?

Why cant they just round up a few people they know & get them out them selves?

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Walthamster says...
6:53pm Tue 7 Feb 12

I couldn't reach the petition at the address given above.

It's at http://epetitions.di
rect.gov.uk/petition
s/626

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SpursSupporter1 says...
11:05am Mon 13 Feb 12

I dont have the priveledge of been a home owner and rent a house privately from a land lord that shall we say is not the best in any way and is allowed too continue to rent his house in a bad state but these people who invaded this couples home should be totally and utterly ashamed of them selves, i truly cannot understand why they are not been treated as criminals because they broke into this couples home weither they are squatters shouldnt even come into it, the law shoulkd allow the police too arrest them for breaking and entering without consent end of and the government should act too change the law sooner rather than later

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