Lithuanian squatters

[malcolmX]

Only in Britain can Lithuanian squatters take over your house while you are out at the shops, and in law there is nothing you can do about it?
What kind of a toothless country have we become? If that had happened in America a SWAT team would have been around in two minutes flat to evict them at the point of a machine gun, read the report in todays Daily Express.

 

[htgeng]

Only in Britain can Lithuanian squatters take over your house while you are out at the shops, and in law there is nothing you can do about it?

The full story is here;
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/201280

I think there is a bit of tongue in cheek with the headline - they just happened to be Lithuanian and k. Its kinda typical Express/Mail propaganda. In one case the house was vacant, the other he was staying away for a few days.

I agree the law is wrong if someone can break into your property and squat there, but the same applies if someone rents your property and then doesn't pay any rent!

Id really like to know if the owner broke back into their property at 4 am with Bubba and his mates could the police really arrest them or is that just scare tactics by the squatters.

 

[JohnD]

if English law is really that lax, it's our fault, and we should fix it.

The nationality of the criminals is neither here nor there.

 

[joinerjohn]

Are you absolutely sure this is propaganda??

I for one wouldn't call it anything like that.
If these people are doing what they are doing then the law surely needs changing so that the police can go in and turf them out within minutes. Is an Englishman's home no longer his castle? Or did I wake up this morning in some foreign country??

On second thoughts, don't answer my last statement, I've just worked out the answer.

 

[JohnD]

if it's an old English law, then you haven't woken up in a foreign country.

You woken up in the same old country which has the same old laws, some of which need changing.

We also have a problem with travelling folk seizing possession of land

The nationality of the criminals is neither here nor there.

 

[skitzee2k]

Is a stupid law i agree.. it had a purpose to defend tenants back in the day of big bad landlords, but what with the 9 billion laws to protect tenants these days the only people that use this stupid law are scroungers and criminals...of all nationalities I might add.

..and yes the law is VERY much English.

 

[joe-90]

The nationality of the criminals is neither here nor there.

Yes it is.

If they weren't allowed in they wouldn't be a problem.

 

[malcolmX]

I only mentioned the nationality that was quoted in the paper, squatters are squatters no matter what nationality

 

[geraint]

they cannot break in... that is illegal....

 

[joinerjohn]

they cannot break in... that is illegal....

How could a householder prove that they had broken in though?.
All the squatters have to do is break a window to gain entry, then replace the same window and claim the front door was unlocked. Specially in cases where the property has been empty for some weeks.
IMHO the law should be changed in favour of the house owner so these people can be evicted at the earliest opportunity. Special courts should be set up so they are chucked out within a few days of a complaint being made. Squatters should have no rights to stay in a property they have not signed an agreement with the owner with. They claim to have signed an agreement with someone else? Hard luck, if it's not the owner of the property then out you go.

 

[adlplumbing]

law was made to protect people from big money land lords but as always anything that can be used to defend ur self then can be used to attack

law does need rebalacing though
so

fight on

 

[Karinska]

It won't only be the victim's home and possessions they'll be stealing. They'll have access to all their mail, bank details and personal information so they'll steal their identity and empty their bank accounts

 

[geraint]

i pointed out a fact of law. so please do not argue the false case....

 

[Karinska]

Who are you talking to geraint?

 

[geraint]

they cannot break in... that is illegal....

How could a householder prove that they had broken in though?.
All the squatters have to do is break a window to gain entry, then replace the same window and claim the front door was unlocked. Specially in cases where the property has been empty for some weeks.
IMHO the law should be changed in favour of the house owner so these people can be evicted at the earliest opportunity. Special courts should be set up so they are chucked out within a few days of a complaint being made. Squatters should have no rights to stay in a property they have not signed an agreement with the owner with. They claim to have signed an agreement with someone else? Hard luck, if it's not the owner of the property then out you go.

read the op.... out to the shop.... so how did they gain entry...