He wrote The Lady in the Van based on his experiences with an eccentric woman called Miss Shepherd, who lived on Bennett's driveway in a series of dilapidated vans for more than fifteen years.
The Lady in the Van baserades på hans erfarenheter av en luffare som kallades Miss Shepherd som bodde på Bennett's driveway i ett flertal olika förfallna husvagnar i mer än femton års tid.