Squatters can be easily evicted, charged, and arrested in Bognor Regis.
Squatting refers to the occupation of property or land in Bognor Regis without owner's or tenant's consent.
Squatting is typically a final option for people in Pagham, Highleigh, or Sidlesham who are homeless.
Squatting isn't a long-term option if you are homeless as you will be evicted from the building in Bognor Regis and possibly arrested one day.
If you lived in a property in West Sussex after your tenancy or licence came to an end you are considered as a squatter.
It is a criminal offence in Bognor Regis to squat on a private property.
You may be arrested and be looking at:
Be sentenced up to 6 months in Bognor Regis
Be fined a maximum of £5,000
You will not get arrested in West Sussex if:
Remained in the rental property in Bognor Regis after your license or tenancy ended
Living on a property in West Sussex you think you genuinely rented but were deceived by a fraudulent agent who had no right to rent the place out to you
Are living on an unapproved site in Bognor Regis as a traveller or a gypsy
As a Bognor Regis squatter, you may be removed from a property if:
The police in West Sussex are unwilling to arrest you
The property owner in Sidlesham, Pagham, or Highleigh doesn't want to get the police involved
You have occupied a commercial building in Bognor Regis
The owner in Bognor Regis can lock you out of the property whilst you are not there.
The owner usually gets a court order in West Sussex if someone is squatting in his property in Bognor Regis and refuses to move.
Use of violence or threat against you is illegal.
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 West Sussex, 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.
If you happen not to be a squatter in Bognor Regis, you will have to challenge the case of the property owner.
You can challenge this by giving back the defence form and attending the court hearing in Bognor Regis to provide your side to the story.
The West Sussex court will usually order you to immediately vacate the premises in Bognor Regis if you are a squatter.
In case you decline to move from the property, the owner can request court bailiffs in West Sussex to escort you out.
You can receive some assistance meant for the homeless from the council because as a squatter in Sidlesham, Pagham, or Highleigh, you are classified as homeless.
You can seek for assistance as a homeless person from your local council in Bognor Regis.
The local council in West Sussex will help you look for a place where you can stay in Bognor Regis if you're single and homeless.
Some regions such as West Sussex have the facility to provide emergency help as an alternative to the rough sleeping.
In case you are badly in need including having children around or expectant, the local authority in Bognor Regis can offer you emergency housing.
If your homelessness is as a result of immigration issues, for instance, if you are seeking asylum in Pagham, Sidlesham, or Highleigh or if you cannot benefit from public funds due to your immigration status, then the council is under no obligation to make emergency or extended-period housing provisions for you.
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