To take items from abandoned houses?

[SugarWatermelonHigh]

I follow urban exploring on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok etc and it’s really fascinating to see abandoned homes that are literally a time capsule.

I’ve never done this myself and likely wouldn’t. But I see beautiful items in these videos such as pianos, furniture, antiques and vintage cars just left to rot. You’d assume their previous owner would also not want their things left to decay.

But morally you shouldn’t steal but I feel conflicted.

The urbex code is

Take only photos, leave only footprints

Abandoned? Or empty? Lots will still belong to someone.
It would be theft.

How do you (hypothetically) plan to move a grand piano?

Of course you can’t take things. And you shouldn’t be trespassing. Buildings can look fine right up until the moment they collapse: I’ve seen timbers which look intact from the outside but are ravaged by insect attack and crumble to dust as soon as they’re touched. Buildings can also be full of asbestos, or bird droppings which can make you really ill. Zoonotic infections are a constant risk. Stay out. Urbexers are a danger to themselves and to anyone who has to try and rescue them when something goes wrong. They also leave places unsecured and that invites in arsonists and people who will strip buildings for architectural features.

Proper urbexers won't give full locations

Well yes and they all seem to adhere to that.

Obviously some people who have no interest in the history or respect will come in purely to trash it though sadly.

Well usually it’s because someone died and for whatever reason the house has just been left as it was. So yes the items inside may belong to a family member .. but maybe though money issues, distance or having no interest then items get left to rot.

I understand what you mean. I did a small amount of Urbex (well mostly, RurEx around here) when I was younger and significantly more mobile.

It is upsetting I think, to see beautiful things, things someone clearly loved, someone put a lot of work into, things that may be rare etc... disintegrating with neglect and time.

But, thems the rules - look, record, but don't take.

(FWIW, many of the really big places Urbex'ers get into have been left purposely not very well secured so that they will deteriorate so far that planning authorities will eventually allow them to be demolished/repurposed. It is a classic sneaky developer trick!)

Literally said I’ve never done it.

My mum is in a care home with dementia. Her home is 250 miles away and “abandoned” because we haven’t yet got confirmation from social services that it’s appropriate for us to try to sort it out and get it sold (so the care home fees can be paid). I find it a massively distressing situation and hate the thought of anyone taking anything from it even more than I hate the thought of someone taking photos. There are people and stories behind these “abandoned” places and most of them aren’t happy stories.

Yeah that’s exactly what I mean. It’s not about greed or stealing (in the bluntest sense of that word). But you see these homes full of once loved items and if that person could see what it looked like then I think that would be devastating.

I’s way rather all my items go on to new homes then rot in my home that was fallen apart.

But of course in black and white then no you shouldn’t take what isn’t yours.

Urbex'ers get into have been left purposely not very well secured so that they will deteriorate so far that planning authorities will eventually allow them to be demolished/repurposed. It is a classic sneaky developer trick!)

Buildings around here that developers have failed to get planning on to redevelop, mysteriously catch fire.

Have had 3 or 4 bug places go up over the last few years here. All then knocked down and redeveloped into posh apartments or retirement flats. Well apart from the one that became a sodding great care home.

Unless its been abandoned for several decades and has some sort of interesting feature, ie, its in the absolute middle of nowhere; is a Victorian swimming baths; is a derelict theme park; is a 16thC rambling farmhouse... Urbexers are not interested.

The only modern stuff I've seen them interested in is things like former lunatic asylums that then became hospitals and one wing of which only closed 5 years ago, that sort of thing. Domestic houses left empty a couple of years have zero interest.

Not true, look up YouTube channels bearded explorer and Adam Mark explores, the majority of their content is houses