Family shut out of their 'dream home' by Romanian squatters who moved in

Specop 007

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
9,454
0
0
See, things like this would cause me to go to prison if it were my house. Why? I'd sneak over there about 2 in the morning, nail the doors and windows shut then torch the house with the rats inside. Either that or just lose it the day I showed up and saw them and drive my SUV through the front door and demonstrate the effectiveness of a 12 gauge to them.

Its amazing that the police would go so far as to accuse them of being racist. Political correctness taken WAY to far.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-dream-home-gang-gipsies-moved-Christmas.html

Family shut out of their 'dream home' by Romanian squatters who moved in over Christmas

With the building works nearly over, Julian and Samantha Mosedale and their three children were looking forward to moving back into the home of their dreams.

But their hopes have turned into a nightmare because a group of Romanians occupied the property over Christmas.

To add insult to injury, police told them that they were being 'racist' for questioning the squatters' right to live in Britain on benefits.

The unwanted guests have changed the locks at the three-bedroom terrace house and moved in their own furniture.

Mr Mosedale, an illustrator, and his wife, a catalogue manager, both 45, had moved out of the house in Tottenham, North London, in July 2007 for extensive structural and renovation work.

They rented another property and regularly visited the £285,000 house to oversee progress.

But, after spending Christmas visiting relatives in Essex, they returned to the house on January 3 to find the squatters installed.

They now fear they could soon be homeless because they can only afford to foot the cost of rent and mortgage payments until March.

Mrs Mosedale, whose three sons are ten, eight, and five, said: 'We called the police as soon as we found out they were in there. An officer suggested I was racist when I asked if they were Romanians, and did they have a legal right to be in this country.

We are hard-working citizens yet get treated like criminals when our home is stolen. This whole thing is making me feel constantly sick. All we want to do is get on with our lives.

'We feel let down by the law, by government, and by the police, in fact all the authorities that one would expect to protect society.

'The house had builders in it while the renovations were being done. It was only in the last couple of months that it was left completely empty.

'Our lawyers don't know how long it will take us to get them out and the stress is really getting to the whole family.

'The kids are upset at the idea that other children are playing with their toys in the garden.

'Our son Jake is old enough to understand what is going on and he is finding it difficult to sleep.

'All the children are incredibly unsettled.'

Yesterday, the couple obtained a county court order giving the squatters 24 hours - until 2.15pm today - to leave.

But Mr Mosedale fears they will not give in easily.

He said: 'When the papers were served on them they tore them up and threw them back at the guy who'd taken them round.'

He and his wife are also worried that a drawn-out battle would exhaust their savings. They had planned to move back into the house in March.

Mrs Mosedale said: 'We were in the process of creating our dream home and it has been ruined.

'At the moment there are at least four women, four children and one man living in our home, but neighbours said they have seen many more people going in and out.

'In the meantime we face the prospect of becoming homeless ourselves, since we had only budgeted to pay both rent and our mortgage until mid March.'

Two sisters, Mihaela and Luminitsa Vaduva, are staying in the house with their seven children.

Speaking broken English, Luminitsa said: 'I don't understand the problem. We have paid for this home. If they move us out, then my children will not have a home.

'We are from Romania, we have no money for another home.'

She showed a tenancy agreement but could not provide a contact number for the landlord or say when they had moved in.
 

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
7,925
1
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I don't know why they'd even have to get the courts involved, I thought if people were squatting the police could just bust in and arrest them.

edit: This is unfortunate, though, sounds like somebody scammed them. Doesn't change the fact that they're in the house illegally, though.

Speaking broken English, Luminitsa said: 'I don't understand the problem. We have paid for this home. If they move us out, then my children will not have a home.

'We are from Romania, we have no money for another home.'

She showed a tenancy agreement but could not provide a contact number for the landlord or say when they had moved in.
 
Last edited:

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
Hi,

I come home, and there are people in my house. I would get a firearm and eject them myself. I'd come through my own window. WTF? How can this story even be true? I would just call the police and say "there are people robbing my house right now"
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
86
91
I would just go find a more expensive house... wait for the owners to leave for work, then move on in.
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
You know if this happened in Texas, there would be 9 dead people and one happy family.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
You know, I hope it is bullshit. Its appalling to me to think something like this could actually happen.

From what I understand the Daily Mail can be rather inaccurate and sensationalistic. There's probably more to this story. The UK has certainly gone overboard with political correctness, however the really bad horror stories that you see circulated in e-mails and websites almost always end up being untrue.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
I raise the bullshit flag.

Trespassing is a crime in UK also.
Well, kind of. This is England.

There probably is more to this story. Sounds like the Romanians were scammed. Still, that's not the home owners' fault unless they have no documentation/proof that it is their house, but that should be quite easy to come by.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
My guess would be that the squatters were actually scammed by someone who claimed he was renting out the house, and since they weren't intending to commit a crime it'll take a bit of time to get them out. That's not something that's unique to the UK, squatters have some rights in the US as well.
 

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
25,696
1
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Well, kind of. This is England.

There probably is more to this story. Sounds like the Romanians were scammed. Still, that's not the home owners' fault unless they have no documentation/proof that it is their house, but that should be quite easy to come by.

If I'm gone on vacation and come home to find people in my house,
it won't take more than 30 minutes to have them removed, regardless of whether they have some BS paperwork from someone that isn't me.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
If I'm gone on vacation and come home to find people in my house,
it won't take more than 30 minutes to have them removed, regardless of whether they have some BS paperwork from someone that isn't me.

The problem is that it isn't always that simple. I suggest you google squatter's rights if you're curious.
 

mav451

Senior member
Jan 31, 2006
626
0
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...so the question is who had the keys to get these guys into the house in the first place? The contractors working on it? I mean, I just don't understand how the squatters even got into the house in the first place. Changing the locks makes this even more ridiculous, and just makes the Romanians look even more guilty.
 

MotF Bane

No Lifer
Dec 22, 2006
60,801
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The problem is that it isn't always that simple. I suggest you google squatter's rights if you're curious.

These "squatters" have committed probable breaking and entering, certainly trespassing, and probable destruction of property. They should have no rights, and there is no need for the government to have made this anything but simple.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
These "squatters" have committed probable breaking and entering, certainly trespassing, and probable destruction of property. They should have no rights, and there is no need for the government to have made this anything but simple.

If they did break in then they did commit a crime and they have no rights. The police can simply haul them away. The problem is that if the squatters were cheated by someone else and were given a key or something like that then they have to be evicted. I'm not saying it's right, but that's how it works.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
These "squatters" have committed probable breaking and entering, certainly trespassing, and probable destruction of property. They should have no rights, and there is no need for the government to have made this anything but simple.
This is England. You need to suspend common sense when interpreting how things go there. For example, it's 3:00 am and you hear your front door open. You grab your gun. Wait, it's England. You grab your knife that you keep under the bed. You walk past your kid's room, you go down stairs and then three feet away from you a flashlight blinds you. You charge and stab the guy. He dies. I hope you have a good lawyer.
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Yesterday, the couple obtained a county court order giving the squatters 24 hours - until 2.15pm today - to leave.

But Mr Mosedale fears they will not give in easily.

He said: 'When the papers were served on them they tore them up and threw them back at the guy who'd taken them round.'

Next have the police serve them. If they don't leave peacefully remove them with force. If they resist arrest them. If they got scammed they should be working with the police to find the *alleged* 'landlord' who scammed them.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
I wonder if they are Roma which are what they call Gypsies on the Continent. Sounds like something they'd do.
 

Steeplerot

Lifer
Mar 29, 2004
13,051
6
81
They left the place abandoned, letting a place stay empty while people are cold outside is dumb. Hence the law.
 

Darwin333

Lifer
Dec 11, 2006
19,946
2,329
126
If they did break in then they did commit a crime and they have no rights. The police can simply haul them away. The problem is that if the squatters were cheated by someone else and were given a key or something like that then they have to be evicted. I'm not saying it's right, but that's how it works.

Moral of the story: Assume they are in the process of robbing your house and act accordingly if you want to be allowed to live in the house you own for the next few months.

The fact that these people actually have to hire a lawyer and spend that kind of cake to "evict" squatters from their own home is simply absurd. What the hell are you supposed to do if you don't have money for a lawyer and a 2nd place to rent until the court system allows you to move back into your own house?