You can be easily evicted and arrested if you are a squatter in Taunton.
Squatting implies entering a property in Taunton and living there without getting the permission of the owner of the property.
If you are homeless in Bridgwater, Hastings, or Burnham-on-Sea, this is usually a last resort for you.
If you're homeless, it isn't a long-term alternative as for sure you will be evicted from the property in Taunton, and maybe even arrested.
You're not squatting if you stayed on in a property in Somerset after your tenancy or licence ended.
You'd be committing a criminal offense if you're squatting in a residential property in Taunton.
You may be arrested and be looking at:
Spend up to 6 months in prison in Taunton
Having to pay a fine up to £5,000
The following situations in Somerset would not warrant an arrest:
Continued to live in a premise in Taunton after your tenancy ended
Began living in the Somerset property genuinely thinking you were a tenant - for example where a fake letting agent rented you a property, they had no permission to
Are living on an unapproved site in Taunton as a traveller or a gypsy
A squatter in Taunton can easily be evicted if:
The Somerset police seem unwilling to arrest the squatter
The property owner in Hastings, Burnham-on-Sea, or Bridgwater doesn't want to involve the police
You are staying in a commercial property in Taunton
The owner in Taunton can go to the property and change the locks while you are outside the premises.
If you live in the Taunton property alone or with another settler and will not leave, the owner must get a court order in Somerset to evict you.
It is against the law for the landlord to use violence or even threaten to use violence against you.
The owner must send a copy of their possession claim documents via the letterbox or attach it to the front door at least 5 days to the court hearing in Somerset (or 2 days for squatters in commercial sites).
This must be inclusive of a copy of the possession order, a defence form, and all the important details regarding the court heating,
You should challenge the owner's case in the law court, especially if you are not squatters in Taunton.
You can do this by going to the court with defence form and attending the proceedings in Taunton.
The court in Somerset will order you to vacate the premises in Taunton right away if you have been squatting.
The owner must require the bailiffs from the court in Somerset to evict you if you don't leave.
Basically, squatters in Bridgwater, Hastings, or Burnham-on-Sea are regarded as homeless considering that they are not allowed to stay around.
Since you don't have somewhere to go to, it would be wise to apply to the local council in Taunton for help as a homeless person.
If you are single and homeless you must be advised on finding someplace to stay in Taunton by the Somerset council.
Specialist emergency services are also available in some areas in Somerset to avoid rough sleeping.
The council in Taunton may provide you with urgent housing service if you are in a priority need i.e. if you are pregnant, have children or vulnerable.
On the other hand, the Council may not help you with longer-term housing or emergency if you are an asylum seeker in Burnham-on-Sea, Hastings, or Bridgwater so you have residences and immigration restrictions applicable or the status of your immigration means that you do not have recourse to public funds.
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