Can't Get Rid of Squatter

So this drug addict in an unregisted car with no number plates, a totally flat tyre and car that does not start, somehow rolled it into my apartment complex carpark and has put it in the corner and is living out of it. He is littering everywhere, just loitering around and sleeping in the car, right outside my apartment. I feel very uncomfortable about this and I am worried for my safety, the safety of my belongings in my house and also my vehicle. I called the cops and they say they will not do anything, he is not breaking any laws, the carpark is council property and he can stay there as long as he wants!

How do I get rid of this scumbag?

Comments

        • +37

          So how many drug addicts and random homeless people are you letting sleep in your house tonight? It's easy to have compassion when it's someone else's problem

        • +14

          Leaves syringes around on the ground.. That's scumbag behaviour right there!

        • +1

          You can use common sense. Say for example the next day you lost your job, your family kicked you out of the house and all your assets have been frozen. So the next thing you do is live in your car, would you a) start littering everywhere and start taking drugs coz ur life is seemingly worthless or b) Stay low key until you get your life back on track, however long that might take. We don't live in third world countries and most people IMO would know what littering is and would know that it is a bad thing. Losing your Job would not change your base habits, you might become ill tempered or have a mental break down.

        • +4

          @nobro25:

          Oh boo hoo. You could use common sense and not "assume" this is the scenario.

          Think about this. If you are broke and homeless, how the hell can you afford cigarettes and drugs? Do you know how expensive those two items alone are?

          I cant even afford a decent loaf of bread and this dude is living it up.

        • +26

          I've been homeless. Shortly after my father died, I was kicked out of home. I ended up living in a youth refuge. There were other people that had either been kicked out of home or had fled home. Violence or sexual abuse were the two main reasons people had left home (my girlfriend at the time, as example, her step father was a bit "hands on" but her mother didn't believe her).

          With all that in mind, we were all in the youth refuge. It was cheap to stay there, safe, warm, and comfortable. Far better than the first place I stayed which was out the front of a centrelink office and I had my face and ribs kicked whilst asleep by a gang; or the next place I stayed which was in the school grounds. (I was still going to high school whilst homeless).

          Personally, I wouldn't have stayed in another person's property - but that said I was/am a nerd so it's hard for me to judge. I also didn't do drugs either, but I did drink a lot of alcohol, especially after my GF was raped.

          The whole situation of homelessness is pretty terrible. It's not just your own problems, but it's also the problems of the company you keep. You only know other people in crappy situations as well. So it becomes "friend who gets beaten up" "friend who gets molested" "friend who tried to commit suicide" "friend who's gay from religious parents".

          Your whole mental mindset changes. You become more "raw" base instinct. Trying to judge a persons actions or morals from the comfort of a house on a computer is silly. This guy isn't living in a car park to piss off the person. They're doing it because it's winter, and winter is cold. They're doing it because a car can be locked and their few possessions can be kept safe. They take drugs because for F's sake why wouldn't you try to ease the pain of that existence.

          Of course I agree that OP has a right this person should move on. I just hope the person moves on into some accommodation somewhere.

        • +3

          @drdolphin:

          I didn't suggest that OP let drug addicts or random homeless people sleep in her house, I said show some compassion, for example contacting an appropriate agency and telling them the situation.

        • +9

          @azshade:
          Thanks azshade for reminding people that somebody who is homeless is still a person.

        • @azshade: Exactly. We can all agree that the person living in their car, in the OP's carpark, while taking drugs and leaving sharps everywhere, is not a good solution for anyone. How it's handled is the important part. If you move him on then he's just going to go to someone else's carpark. If you (or someone) could find a way to get him some help then he might get out of his situation. He might genuinely be a hopeless bastard with no hope or desire of reform, but I'd like to think that most people aren't like that - given the choice.

        • +3

          @azshade: Great post, rare insight into a life few understnad. Very well written, thank you for sharing.

        • @azshade:

          Thanks for the comment and sharing. Yikes..

        • +1

          @macrocephalic: Some of these people don't want any help. It's all very well playing the good samaritan. The shelters don't let you do drugs - which he clearly does so he will just leave anyway. Where do these homeless people get the money to buy these drugs always amazes me. No money for food or shelter but all the money necessary to spend $30 for a packet of cigarettes and whatever for drugs. No amount of compassion is going to change that behaviour and mindset. Whether that is because of the drugs, or lost everything or mental illness - who knows? The only person that can create the change is that person and no amount of do-gooding makes it happen if they aren't interested.

    • +13

      What part didn't you read? This guy clearly is scum. Its easy to say what you said sitting comfortably in your own home, but you aren't the one living it. A typical do-gooder, politically correct statement.

      Maybe PM the OP so you can go over and offer to feed and bath him. You sound like the perfect guy for the job.

      Oh yeah, have you ever fed a stray cat before? Yeah, they never leave and they keep coming back for more. Bring on the down votes.

    • +2

      I'd go live on a tropical island. Sleep on the beach, eat coconuts, sit around the fire. That would be the life

      • I've often wondered why the homeless don't train it to warmer parts. Of course some do and I remember a few people sleeping on the beach in Hawaii when I visited.
        I suppose I also get staying close to family and places you know and for some the begging is more lucrative in the cold.

        But I vote your plan best.

    • +3

      In the worst case scenario? I have full use of my 2 hands and 2 legs. I would go door to door offering cleaning services for $5 an hour. This is Australia. Not everybody will say no to that. Once I have enough, I would clean myself up and buy a cheap phone, buy some equipment off gumtree then charge $8 an hour and offer my services online. Rinse, repeat, scale up.

      Or I could centrelink.

      Or I could just be a druggie because my time is better spent doing nothing. Plus I get to be the helpless victim and its not my fault that I am susceptible to drugs. I would also have the moral highground and be beyond reproach because people would be "bad" to think I am scum.

      Yup, druggie it is, so much easier and so much more beneficial.

      • @lolbbq,

        In the worst case scenario? I have full use of my 2 hands and 2 legs. I would go door to door offering cleaning services for $5 an hour.

        So how many hours would you have to work to pay for your rent and living expenses?

        • As many as I need to.

          168 hours a week.
          70 hours for sleep
          21 hours for meals
          7 hours to maintain body facilities

          That leaves me 70 hours to be productive. I've survived on 200 a week.

          Is there actually a wage threshold that once you dip below it, it is just better to not work at all?

          What would I do with my time in any case? Oh I forgot, there is always drugs for the taking.

      • +2

        I'm not letting any random into my place to clean, faux charity or not. I'm not about to risk all the eneloops I have lying around etcetera.

    • +1

      I've never agreed with this mentality. When I woke up one day with no job I went out and found another one, I didn't wallow in self pity and start mainlining every powder I could find in my laundry cabinet.

  • +5

    Are there children in the apartments?
    Simply raise the concern/danger to the cops - trust me, they dont want shit to happen when it has been reported. Kids accidently pick up a syringe etc etc

  • +1

    Maybe he is just misunderstood

    • About what? That its not OK to park your junky unregistered car on any body's private property and contaminate the surroundings with crap and rubbish and continue to inject illegal chemicals into your body as if it is a normal bodily function. Which part of any of this is too hard to understand that it isn't OK?

      Or maybe it is just an oversight on his part …..

  • +14

    My mate had a similar issue. He had an inner city business compound that also had a residence attached. People were sleeping on the verandah of one of the buildings and even sometimes breaking in. They would leave behind turds & used needles.

    He set up an alarm system with about 10x the recommended number of screamers/sirens & strobes both inside & on the verandah. Just for fun he had a remote so he could set it off from his car and watch them run.

    Or you could just install security lights

    • +7

      There are security lights, the whole car park is lit up. I feel awkward just going to and from my car which I should not have to.

    • Turds? (profanity).

  • +2

    i thought carparks in unit blocks where private property?

    • So did I. The cop was really unsympathetic about it, basically sided with the squatter and told me deal with it.

  • +23

    It's not Malcolm Turnbull is it?

  • Try contacting the council. Hopefully they do something about it?

  • Just call council

  • get car towed and get bodycorp to install fence/gate

  • +14

    Went to council, they said it is private property, they don't own it so cannot enter it. Directed me back to police. These government bodies are all too happy to tax and fine you but when you need them they won't do anything…

    • +7
    • +6

      They're too busy camping out in bushes collecting speeding fines. Evicting deadbeats, chasing thugs and preventing crime doesn't generate revenue for the state.

      (And don't tell me only highway petrol are designated for the job. I've been pulled over by a regular marked police vehicle who was camping in a overtaking lane and my lawyers tell me it is becoming an increasing problem).

    • +2

      If council started coming onto private property and taking cars then that would be called theft. Vehicles in public places if unregistered can be towed in 24hrs, 7 days if registered and unmoving.
      Since its private property your body corporate would be the ones to go to strait away in this situation.
      Good luck with your situation anyway

  • Bikies

  • +19

    Looks like cops are gonna go back and it will get towed. I don't feel sorry for him. He has had a week to fix the situation and done nothing and its only a flat battery, I even offered him a jump start but he refused and the car is not registered and its on private property. That's all just a ruse anyway, clearly his intention was to squat here and he did not level with me and say look I have nowhere to go, I need to stay here a week until I find somewgere otherwise I might have had some sympathy for him but he disrespect me and my home so he can go jump in the lake for all I care.

    • +1

      That's good. From the sounds of it I wouldn't have felt comfortable talking to him either so really getting the cops involved is the best way I think.

      I read many responses to you that were sympathetic for his situation which is great but it's hard to have sympathy for someone who treats your living area like garbage. Frankston or not why would it be OK for paying tenants to have to deal with that.

      • +5

        "Someone who treats your living area like garbage". Probably why this guy ended up in the situation he's in. No doubt treated people this way all his life.

  • That's what you get for living in Fitzroy.

    • +1

      Fitzroy is not very close to Frankston is it? Not that I'd want to live in either (sorry OP!)

      • +4

        I would like to live in Paris or New York but it is not what you want, it is what you can afford obviously.

        • I heard New York also have many junkies… depends on which part.
          Paris on the other hand…

    • I googled fitzroy (i'm from sydney) looks like a nice part of town.

      • I thought so too but a taxi driver got killed there recently walking home after parking his car. The Police think he was killed being robbed of his earnings for the day. Pretty horrible anyway. Also found out theres like heaps of gangs there and drug addicts supposedly

      • Fitzroy is like Redfern/Waterloo 5-10 years ago

  • I'd be putting a camera on him 24/7 until it gets resolved.

    • +1

      What is your proposal to deal with the issue of a "drastic increase in undesirables"?

      • Move them on. If they refuse use reasonable force.

        • +3

          Move them on where?

        • +16

          @razzamatazza:

          From personal experience the ones who are actually homeless are there for mostly 1 of 2 reasons. First is that they have been blacklisted from the temporary shelters due to displaying violence towards others. The other is very strong mental health issues. For the case of strong mental health issues I would say these people need to be given over to the care of the state and kept medicated under constant supervision (if their family is unable to take care of them).

          Centrelink payments are more than enough to cover shelter, food, transport and more. I would know - I declared independence at 19 due to some bad circumstances at home, and used Austudy payments to rent a room, eat and to cover university expenses (that were not part of HECS). Since then I've paid off all my student loans and have contributed more in personal tax than I received in Centerlink payments. I have 0 sympathy for people who bludge off the taxpayer, I was very aware at the time that it was a privilege, and not a right to have got those payments.

          The undesirables who are the violent, unskilled, vice addicted types.. move them on outside of where you pay council rates, then the next council can move them on to protect their rate payers and so on until we are outside of the city limits.

          Keep doing it until they either shape up, or don't come back.

        • +5

          @c0balt:
          So when you needed welfare, you were the deserving poor because you had a university course, no mental health issues and good enough credit to get student loans, but you have zero sympathy for welfare bludgers?
          If you had been unskilled, without the university prospects, and perhaps some mental health problems that made getting work difficult, would you have been less deserving?
          I don't insist on welfare just for those who will be a profitable investment and pay it back via tax.

        • +2

          @c0balt: He obviously has addiction issues, and likely has mental health issues. Your solution is just to keep chasing him around until he "shapes up or doesn't come come". What circumstances do you think would cause a mentally ill heroin addict to voluntarily shape up? Death is the most likely one (IMO).

        • +1

          @mskeggs:

          It's really strange you took the view "I don't insist on welfare just for those who will be a profitable investment and pay it back via tax." from my post.

          Nowhere did I mention that welfare should only be for people who would pay it back. I just said I have 0 sympathy for those who are on welfare and who view it as a right, don't use the opportunity to better themselves and have little to no personal responsibility for their own actions when they end up in bad situations. I used to be friends with a few people who had this view.

          I mentioned that I paid back my loans and welfare amount as a matter self pride, not as an attack on those who haven't (there's plenty of time for them to do so, I just happened to do it within 10 years of graduating).

          I do have a problem with creating a class of people that are dependent on welfare payments with no prospect of ever being able to pay it back, and a huge problem if substance abuse is part of that where the welfare payments ends up mostly as undeclared income for drug dealers.

        • +1

          @macrocephalic:

          That's his problem, not ours. He needs to find the reason to sober up. We can force him to, and maybe we should. Personally I would rather for people like that for the welfare money be put into committing them to a psych ward than continuing to give the money to the person's drug dealer.

          If they continue to abuse welfare (paying for a substance addiction over housing is welfare abuse), then that person either needs to be in a psychiatric hospital, under care by family members or moved on until they are so far removed from easy access to their drug that they may just sober up on the way back to score. I find it very worrying that people can suggest that the taxpayer should be bankrolling their addictions and be facilitating of their behaviour (such as parking a derelict car and living out of it in front of someone's property). I find that view very unhealthy for the person in question, and especially for society at large.

          As a society it's enough that we continue to provide monetary incentives to people that self harm, harm others and have little to no prospect of ever bettering themselves - to be facilitating of their undesirable behaviour on top takes the last morsel of personal responsibility away from them.

        • @c0balt: I totally agree that we shouldn't be giving him welfare money to support hist substance abuse (assuming he is getting welfare support). I think the best option is to have him admitted to a program of some sort to address his issues. I don't think that just moving him on will work - except to move the problem on to someone else.

        • @mskeggs: Everyone can make choices- we are lucky like that. Since when did choosing to get an education be questioned and compared in worthiness to those who chose to not learn new skills; or do your best at school and end up going nowhere.

  • +5

    Hi guys

    I just thought I'd offer some insight into this solution. I know it's good to help people out, but, in his eyes, your only insisting him to stay longer.

    I have had experience with this before, similar yet different situation.
    Long story short the only way to quickly fix this problem, is to drag the car and leave it in the middle of the road, blocking both lanes.
    If you can, make sure no one sees you. This will get the car removed quickly. Good luck.

  • +1

    Put up a sign across the road saying "free parking and cigarettes" and wait a while.

  • +2

    Meanwhile he still there… cops said they would go again and get rid of him once I proved it was private property, not council land as they tried to have me believe, but they have done nothing. He is out there sitting in the car right now happy as a pig in shit, while I am just sitting here waiting for him to break into my house or car. And if he does I will be the one who has to suffer the cost, whilst I am here as a perfectly legal tenant a prisoner in my own home. What a world huh…

    You are allowed to squat in Frankston but if you do it in Toorak or South Yarra you would be arrested and thrown in jail immediately I guarantee you.
    Even in St Kilda, around the botanical gardens if you park a campervan in the parks next to the park they have patrols every night and they move you on straight away. But I private car park in an apartment complex no worries, go for your life, stay as long as you want.

    • +4

      I would complain to the local councillor about the police. Try and escalate this past the attending policeman as well,lodge a complaint if required. This is ludicrous.

      • The Body Corporate have the power to move the car off the property. As they are not a tenant or a resident they are trespassing and would be able to action the removal of the car at his cost - lol. Well he obviously has money 'cos he can afford to smoke and inject drugs.

  • +3

    put a post up on gumtree and sell his car.

    • +1

      Give it away on gumtree
      List of as free scrap metal

  • Would it work if you wrote a fake council notice/fake fines and then called a tow truck company? I guess there'd be legal implications so I'm not suggesting this. You'd have to get the tow truck to swing by when he is doing his daily tasks. However, someone would have to pay the towie.

    • A scrap metal dealer would actually give me money to take it but its not my car so I could get in trouble for selling his car. He probably stole it anyway. I reckon if his car goes mine would be next… that would be his new house… maybe he just took the plates off himself to make it unidentifiable… cops dont care as long as he is not driving it and its on private property, not his private property but its on private property…

      • Just sell it, the bum has to enforce his rights which I will doubt he'd do anyway on a piece of shit not worth anything. A guy I worked with had a similar issue of a plate less car parked in a visitors spot not moving so he and another bloke in the complex just sold it for $300 to someone that just towed it and split the proceeds. Nothing happened to them and they just kept their mouths shut, probably helped that one was on the body Corp. I guess this is one of those situations where both parties moral and legal obligation collide.

      • I like the idea of a false letter from the council. download the letterhead/logo from the website. Make up some random quote about bylaws x,y,z. Blah, blah, 48 hours to remove vehicle or it will be impounded. Quote rego. Etc.

        Maybe it will get the dude moving

  • +6

    Had similar situation in the apartment block I used to live in (in Victoria): unregistered car dumped in the apartment block's car park, but no one lived in it. Called the Council, called the police. Both Council & police said there's nothing they could do, because the car is parked on private land, didn't break any law. Body Corp wanted the car to be towed away, but police warned that Body Corp would be breaking the law, as they (the Body Corp) are not the legal owner of the vehicle… a bit like stealing someone's car.

    One of the owners of the apartment block contacted the local newspaper, and this insane situation became local 'news'. The dumped car miraculously disappeared the day after the news article was published.

    • You should have found out who removed it and what legal standing they used to do so in case it happened again lol

    • law in nsw is the same, anyone can park in visitor parking for a unit block and it's almost impossible to "legally" remove it.

    • But he is not a visitor - who is he visiting? He is not a tenant and he is not a resident. He is an intruder - he is tresspassing and so is his car. If the police refuse to do anything about it and so do the council - then who is going to say anything when a tow truck comes along and removes it and takes it to a scrap yard.

  • +5

    You mention you are a tenant, call your property manager in the morning and tell them you feel unsafe and require the owner of the property to take action or risk losing you as a quality tenant. A threat of loss of rental income will usually cause your landlord to call the body corporate manager and demand they also take action (call the police, call the council etc) - the more noise everyone makes the greater the chance someone (police, council, local do-gooders) will take action. Generally those who could do something will become sick of the 10 calls per day about the same matter, it will become easier for them to act than to field the daily phone calls).

    • +2

      Definitely this. Also ring your states tenancy organisation they may be able to advise you if you have fears for your safety about how you could break your lease early. Even if you aren't planning on doing this telling the agent you have looked into this might get them moving faster. I definitely would not like this situation at all and I don't think it matters what suburb you live in, no one should have to feel unsafe in their own home.
      This person likely has mental health /drug issues if sleeping in his freezing car is a preferable option to shelters etc and so I wouldn't be engaging on any level with him. Leave it to the professionals.

  • another vote for bikies

  • +2

    Set the damn car on fire and burn it to the ground (not with him in it of course). Problem solved.

    • +2

      YES YES YES BUT, ensure he is inside, then YOU RESCUE him, call the fire service and the cops, you are a hero and he is the druggie arsonist who tried to self immolate also endangering others' life and property.

      You come out looking good and he either goes to jail or insane asylum.

  • How is this guy surviving the freezing Winter nights when his legs are hanging out the car? Is this somewhere in Queensland?

    How long has the car been there? Months or days?

    If there's nobody taking care of this gentleman it's only a matter of time before a serious illness hospitalises him.

    To be honest you are actually kind of lucky. There are a lot off mentally ill homeless people out there. This guy has not shown any violence and isn't taking any violent drugs (eg. Ice).

    No matter where you live there will are homeless, mentally ill or drug addicts.

    Perhaps your town has homeless shelters or community services that this gentleman is not yet aware of?

    • +1

      You know people can IV ice right? Some of them even like to speedball

    • +1

      No I'm in Melbourne. It's freezing. You can hear him coughing sometimes outside. I don't want to get involved, I've been burnt many times before trying to help people. The police should have done that but they just left him. They didn't move him on but they also didn't help him. I think they just come and had a look, maybe had a little chat to him then left him and washed their hands of it. The council said they will not get involved on private property. I'm not lucky, there may be homeless people everywhere but they are not living outside your front door harassing you every time you go in or out.

    • Just wait till he can't get the drugs he needs and the psychotic episode and probable violence that you will have to witness or he has taken too much and he is either seriously disturbed or displays behaviour that is heading towards an outburst of violence.

  • Have you played 'Neighbours from Hell' yet? I bet you haven't. Heaps of ideas for this kinda neighbour.
    I think each council would have social workers to take care of this issue unless you wanna be the one.

  • +1

    I can't believe some of the advice provided here from softies.

    Just call Chuck Norris, end of.

    • +13

      You wish hardship on the OP? So that makes you another one of those arseholes and not the help thy neighbour advocate you claim to be.

      • -8

        Yeah and I wish it on you too

    • +9

      Who said I haven't been there, a few times actually. Difference is I got off my arse and did something about it. There is no real reason to be homeless in Australia. Anyone who is chooses to be.

      • +6

        There is no real reason to be homeless in Australia. Anyone who is chooses to be.

        BS.

        • +3

          Not BS at all.

          The homeless choose to be homeless by refusing help of others or refusing to make another choice to help themselves. It's 100% a choice for long term homelessness.

          Nobody is saying it's easy to get out of, but it's still a choice given the vast amount of gov funded and charity services available to the homeless to give them a leg up and break the cycle.

        • The minimum wage you are entitled to is the dole, everyone is eligible for the dole, the dole is 600 a week, 600 a week is enough to cover renting a room, paying essential bills and food. If you want anymore, get a job. This fella obviously shoots it up his arm. So he has to sleep in his car, that's the decision he has made.

        • +7

          @sirlothie:
          Newstart is $263.80 per week.
          It isn't a very lucrative income.
          Source: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/payment-r…

        • +4

          @mskeggs:

          More than enough to not be homeless. It is more than enough to survive (I have, personally).

        • +1

          @lolbbq:
          Survivable, but a long way from $600 a week.

        • +2

          @mskeggs:

          Thats true. sirlothie was mistaken with that.

          However, its still true that there is no real reason to be homeless as an Australian in Australia.

        • @mskeggs:

          Sorry I meant 600 a fortnight once you add rent assistance. It isn't much but its enough to put a roof over your head.

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