whats the general rule on abandoned or burnt down house ?

[carl2112]

Ok the park i was hunting the other day is in a rather poor run down city and i couldn't help but notice all the vacant and burned out shells of what use to be houses. Whats the group views on hunting these types of properties there either owned by the city or a bank since the vacant ones are obviously forclosers. My thought was hitting the parkway easement since its technically city land is ok but is this a violation of our code of ethics?

[carl2112]

And just to clarify im not talking about an isolated house here or there. Theres some blocks with 3 or 4 vacant or burnt out houses on a single block sometimes more. Plus with it being devils night tonight (thats the night before halloween here in detroit) alot of mischievous kids burn down vacant buildings so im sure there will be more of them by this weekend.

[del]

my view is that the parkway or sidwalk grass strip is city property and free to detect on it but should be a common courtesy to ask the homeowner's permission since they do take care or upkeep this piece of property. if the houses are either burnt down or vacant , i would think they are now open for business lol lol . the only proble i could see is the local police force keeping an eye on these properties for vandalizing or for ones just up to no good in the area , so you might want to give them a heads up to what you are doing around these places .

Dan

[Full Metal Digger]

Over here in East St. Louis those burned out shells belong to the city. They try to sell them for $1 a piece to flippers but nobody wants them! The only problem here is the yards are very small and all the burn debris covers the entire yard.

[Epi-hunter]

I agree with Dan... the parkways should be no problem :)

[SHIMMER77502]

In Harris County Texas (Houston area), the strip between the sidewalk and street generally belongs to the homeowner (depending on the property sale). The city/utility companies have easement rights but they do not own the land.

[RobW]

In MA, it all depends on the town as to who owns the curb area...sometimes the town, sometimes the homeowner.....you can play dumb...or you can check with the local town...or you can do both :twirlingeyes:

However, a burned out house...is still private property, even if it is now bank owned, UNLESS it has been taken by the city, then you have an argument that it is public property...

And there is my pro bono work for the day..... lol

[Dimeman]

Most cities have online sites that are within the city website that show the particular lands owner and land/house appraisal price. If an individual, house builder, city or FEMA owns it, you should be able to find out who has ownership. You should determine if a specific property is privately owned or publicly owned.

If the detectorist gets permission or not, to hunt these type of locations is up to each individuals ethics. :lipssealed:

[carl2112]

Well this is a very run down low income high crime city which poses alot of other concerns then legal or ethical.

[RobW]

lol...I understand that!!! Our area can be the same way...nothing like trying to concentrate on what you are doing while trying to keep a lookout that you're not about to be mugged by a crack head for your detector so they can sell it for $20 to get a rock >:/

That's why we try going out early in the morning into those areas...before they wake :sleepy:...once there starts being movement, we leave and find somewhere else