Squatters in Newcastle must know that they are easily evicted or arrested at any time.
Squatting implies entering a property in Newcastle and living there without getting the permission of the owner of the property.
Most times, squatting is the only remaining choice when you are homeless in Tynemouth, Wallsend, or Washington.
This option is a temporary measure if you are homeless as you will be evicted by the property owner in Newcastle and you may be arrested or fined.
You will not be regarded as a squatter in case you continue to reside on the property or land in Tyne and Wear after the end of your license or tenancy.
It is a criminal offence in Newcastle to squat on a private property.
You may be arrested and be looking at:
Sentenced in Newcastle for up to 6 months
Pay up to £5,000 in fines
You may not be arrested in Tyne and Wear if you:
You are living in the property in Newcastle after tenancy expired
Living on a property in Tyne and Wear you think you genuinely rented but were deceived by a fraudulent agent who had no right to rent the place out to you
You are only a gypsy or traveller camping on an unlicensed land in Newcastle
A squatter in Newcastle can easily be evicted if:
The Tyne and Wear police are not ready to carry out an arrest
The owner of the property in Wallsend, Washington, or Tynemouth doesn't want the police to be involved
You make a commercial premise your home in Newcastle
If the squatters have gone out, the owner of the property in Newcastle can change locks.
The owner usually gets a court order in Tyne and Wear if someone is squatting in his property in Newcastle and refuses to move.
It is not legal for the property owner to issue threats or use violence to evict someone.
Owners must serve you with form copy of possession claims through the letterbox or paste it on the front door minimum 5 days before the scheduled court hearing in Tyne and Wear, or 2 days for commercial places.
The documents must contain the information about place and date of hearing in the court and also defence form.
You should challenge the owner's case in the law court, especially if you are not squatters in Newcastle.
You can do this by replying through the defence form to the court and go to the court hearing in Newcastle.
The Tyne and Wear court will usually order you to immediately vacate the premises in Newcastle if you are a squatter.
In case you decline to get out, the landlord may ask Tyne and Wear court bailiffs to evict you.
Since squatters in Tynemouth, Wallsend, or Washington have no permission to stay on a property, they are classifying as homeless.
You should apply for assistance as a homeless person to your local council in Newcastle.
The Tyne and Wear council may assist you finding somewhere you can live in Newcastle if you aren't married and without a home.
The council may also consider providing you with some emergency housing in Tyne and Wear rather than sleeping on the streets.
Based on your priority need, you may get emergency housing from the council in Newcastle, for instance, you are vulnerable, expectant or have minors.
However, the council won't help you with long-term or emergency housing if you have residential or immigration restrictions, for instance, if you're an asylum seeker in Washington, Tynemouth, or Wallsend or has a no recourse to public funds status.
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