Squatters in Runcorn can be at risk of being arrested.
When you start living on a property in Runcorn without the owner's permission, it will be considered as Squatting.
Squatting is often a last resort kind of thing for people who are homeless in Appleton Thorn, Helsby, or Frodsham.
Just bear in mind that you will be evicted and arrested for entering the premises in Runcorn.
If you remain on a property in Cheshire after the expiration of your license or tenancy, you will not be regarded as a squatter.
If you are squatting in a residentially owned property in Runcorn, it is considered as a criminal offence.
Squatting can get you arrested and if convicted, you may:
Remand you in Runcorn for up to 6 months
Fined up to £5,000
They will not arrest you in Cheshire if you:
You remained in a rented property in Runcorn even after the end of your tenancy or license
Gained access to the Cheshire property lawfully believing you were a tenant - for instance, if a rogue letting agent rented you a property they had no right to
You are gypsy or wanderer residing in area that is unauthorized in Runcorn
As a Runcorn squatter, you can be evicted if:
Police in Cheshire are not showing an interest for arrestation
The owner of the property in Helsby, Appleton Thorn, or Frodsham finds no reason to report to the authority
It's commercial premises in Runcorn you are living in
The owner in Runcorn can gain access and change locks while all of you are outside.
The owner can obtain a court order in Cheshire if you or any other squatter if you fail to move out of the property in Runcorn.
If the owner threatens you or uses the violence to evict you, it is completely illegal.
The landowner should serve a print of ownership claim forms either via a letterbox or have it placed on the door of the squatter 5 days before the court hearings in Cheshire or 2 days for people staying in commercial premises.
This must include a form for defence, and the date and other court hearing details.
You can challenge the case to confirm you are not a squatter in Runcorn.
Do this by returning the defence form and attending the court hearing in Runcorn.
However, if the court in Cheshire rules that you are squatting, they will order you to leave the Runcorn property right away.
If you refuse to leave the property, then the landlord needs to ask the official Cheshire court bailiffs to remove you from the premises.
Squatters in Frodsham, Helsby, or Appleton Thorn are classified as homeless because you are not entitled to live where you are.
As a homeless person, you can apply to your local council in Runcorn for help.
Assuming you are single or homeless, the Cheshire council will offer advice where you can get a place to live in Runcorn.
Some regions such as Cheshire have the facility to provide emergency help as an alternative to the rough sleeping.
The Runcorn council provide emergency housing to those in priority need, such as having vulnerable children and being pregnant.
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 Helsby, Frodsham, or Appleton Thorn or has a no recourse to public funds status.
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