pinkhalf

Jeremy, actually, I don't care about housing benefit - but the logic of the argument struck me. If its a question of paying for people to live somewhere they can't afford, you'd have to target anyone who claimed HB by definition. Squatters may not pay economic rent, but then neither do those who claim HB and receive relief on council tax - which is apparently what people object to because where is the contribution?

Appropo this thread, it turns out I need a new home for my several dogs on a string (mange, benefit claimants, never worked and carry immigrant fleas) - can anyone help me break into a small, overpriced workers cottage with designer furniture in East Dulwich and alienate all my neighbours? Please?

JessieW, I have certainly met squatters with jobs in the past. You cannot say they universally do not have jobs. You assume they do not have jobs, fair enough. You assume also they contribute nothing. 25 years ago it was very common to have squatters in your street. I admit London has changed a fair bit since then, but it is by no means as weird or unusual as you think it is. Squatters did, once upon a time, realise that unless they did contribute to their communities, they would be hated. Generally they occupied buildings which were near derelict and abandoned, rather than some plush mansion occupied by overseas owners. Pro squatters (that is people who did it for years rather than being some twenty year old bum) tended be sensible and assuaged fears of locals. Stupid ones ended up with petrol through their letter boxes. Still, if its a question of paying for people to live somewhere they can't afford, housing benefit claimants are an immediate sap on the public purse which I do pay for. That problem is far more financially significant that squatters. I have no idea why I should pay to subsidise someone living in Zone 1/2 if they cannot afford it by themselves. What do housing benefits claimants contribute?

KidHardy, do you take the same attitude to those people who claim housing benefit and live in the Smoke? They cannot afford their rent either, yet you are actually paying for them to live next to you.

Just out of curiousity, how many people who are enraged by this are long term London residents? Squatting in London used to be absolutely everywhere (particularly during the last recession). I'm surprised its even considered worthy of comment - except it might be if you had only lived here for the last ten years or so and didn't know how common it used to be. Squatters were normally tolerated if they contributed something back to the community. Many of them had jobs (and good ones). You cannot assume that someone in a squat has no employment. Often they are there because they pay very little rent and they save money this way at very little risk to them. Likewise this van business, that isn't very new either. What seems to be new is people being outraged about it happening. I can only assume that many Dulwich residents are either very new to London or have lived very sheltered existences. By the way, if you are properly paranoid about squatters, you used to get sitters in for a reduced rent. Commercial businesses still do this.

They aren't tree surgeons. You don't need to be a tree surgeon to cut the life out of a tree. I can do that. This a form of vandalism. Someone who would order a blossoming tree to be cut is an ignoramus - and if they work for the council can we have this idiot recommended for redundancy? Cut idiots, not trees.

No, but if you collect seven tokens, starting in this Saturday's Daily Mail, you can claim a free pitchfork worth ?19.99!

There are some people living in tents by the Dog Kennel Hill Sainsburys. I have not yet ascertained their employment status so judgment reserved.

Philistines. It's one of the loveliest things about London. Plus also great for the bees. Email sent.

They have employment, they seem harmless, what is the problem? Looks like it is more about your standards, it certainly isn't a matter of law. I seem to remember that living in vans wasn't so unusual the last time we had bad economic times.

I do find that errant letting agencies tend to modify their behaviour if you turn up and read their obligations to them, very loudly, in front of their potential customers. I have done this myself and its amazing the speed and standard of service you get. Daisy Lets v good. Property Inn also good. The others on Lordship Lane are pitiful and play silly estate agent games. Ignore them.

Out of interest, what models of Vespa are getting drained? I have a GTS and a PX as yet unmolested... they are covered when not in use. The ET and LX are easy to steal from and I have friends with those who do get their petrol pinched. It may be a bit drastic but you might find it better to switch to another model. One friend in Hackney chains her scooter hard against the house so they cannot reach around to steal the petrol, and had planted a series prickly plants to dissuade hands from reach around there. The other thing that makes it difficult to do is when you chain scooters together. If you do this with your neighbours scoots, this makes it harder to get underneath to take the petrol or the scooters.

The costs issue is prohibitive, agree though perhaps a Prohibitive Costs Order could be sought for protection, which means no costs from the council if it doesn't work out. A letter however is pretty easy to draft and from what you say James, this sounds nearly unjustifiable or irrational. A letter before a JR can be done pro bono with a good few litigation heads but they will need grounds and evidence. A careful FOI made to the council on the proposals (all accident statistics relating to Grove Vale and proposals for traffic calming across Southwark would be useful) might be good ammunition.

Oh why not judicially review the decision - that would stop it for months....

It seems like a dumb idea unless you penalise drivers for parking along there. It should absolutely be a non stopping route except for the bus. The road is already very narrow due to parking. Cyclists and motorcycles will ride in the middle of the road, trying to filter past buses and stopped traffic. Stopped traffic also encourages pedestrians to step out where they will meet cycles and motorbikes, and I agree that the traffic will just run up from Goose Green, blocking the roundabout and the access roads to Grove Vale. It sounds like they didn't have the balls to make it a bus lane only, which would force car drivers off the road altogether. Instead its a stupid compromise which forces traffic into a narrow space and merely have a different type of accident. For the record, I don't drive but it is difficult to see how this proposal benefits me as a ped.

I was thinking about buying (FTB with cash). But my rent is still very much cheaper than buying an equivalent house, probably by ?600 to ?900 a month (taking into account interest rate changes). If I set that off against having a bigger deposit, then it is worth it to wait. I am looking (3 bed flat/equiv house) and what is available is poor quality and expensive. You have distressed sellers who have paid too much and are in negative equity. They stick out because the prices of their places are very high. Also, interest rates are going up and unemployment due to increase (with tax rises to come!). There is little to make prices go up and a lot to bring them down.

I think a lot of people tell pork pies about what they sell for. One of my other neighbours said she got rid of her place for ?400,000 and described her buyer "as a mug". I suppose she got it wrong because when it came up on Land Reg, the selling price was ?327,000. People like to boast, and don't want to lose face. And the other neighbour who refused the offer at 6 per cent below? An estate agent by trade. So reserve judgment until your agent tells you about the last good deal he did for a seller!

Does no one else use property bee? That would tell you for some properties that prices are falling in SE22. Also, its really funny because it exposes estate agents fiddling with prices on a daily basis. I think they might be bored ;) http://www.property-bee.com/

It's really hard for first time buyers to get the finance - if you think your buyer will be a FTB, you might really struggle to sell at all. My neighbours had a good offer and they rejected it (only 6 per cent off asking!). Three months later and they are planning to rent their place out. I don't think the rent will cover it (given their asking price) so they are chasing the market downwards.

It's awful to be mugged and how nasty for the OP's daughter but sometimes you do have to wonder at the behaviour of people in ED so I partly agree with Jeremy. The other night on the way home, 11.30, I managed to see a chap on his iPhone, nice suit, standing in the middle of the road talking very loudly. If he had been mugged I would have not been surprised because he was advertising himself and his presence to all and sundry. London has become very gentrified over the years but it is really worth remembering a bit of street sense sometimes.