Question - So, turns out the place wasn't actually abandoned. You ever done that?

[Nyrian]

[ADDED] PLEASE NOTE: We were not looking for a house and do not condone people who do residential explores where it can upset other people. We only report a handful of our explores, normally those that are already online on this forum. We do not post things on Facebook/Youtube or anywhere we think people might be encouraged to go do damage. The rants below by some people are to do with anger they have against some urbexers which do those things. This thread was started in order to discuss how we can make sure a place is totally abandoned so as NOT to upset people. It was not started to encourage others to break into people's houses. (How it turned into a bunch of rants against me breaking into people's houses only the ranting individual's know.) Thank you to everyone else that did give excellent tips on research and warning signs.


I realise that by posting this I'm pretty much insulting the person that lives here. But I would like some feedback about where I could have researched better to not make this mistake in the first place. Or tips for new explores. It was about 5 seconds from being a full on 'incident'. Especially if it was a farmer with a gun. Basically, if you saw all this - would you think you were in an abandoned place too?

We did spot green, brown, and blue bins which looked in good condition and were neatly by the back door. But that didn't set off any alarm bells about someone living there. Nothing indicated to us someone lived here until we saw someone living here. Did we miss something?

So first off I spot this on Google Maps with trees growing out of two buildings, collapsed roofs on another two, and empty yards. Worth a look:

We get there and we see fenced off areas with collapsed buildings and abandoned looking junkpiles:

Boarded up abandoned looking buildings:

Abandoned looking tractor surrounded by wood piles with weeds growing through them they haven't moved in so long:

Abandoned looking car:

Even when we saw this next room through the window we weren't tipped off. It looked like storage and the fridge/freezer door was left open. Something you'd do to avoid mould when it's turned off right? There were piles of empty take away containers on shelves and they looked used, but cleaned. The chinese metal trays, polystyrene containers, the plastic tubs. Not a building we'd typically go into but at least confirmed (we thought) that the rest of the place was in fact abandoned.

We didn't even realise that building was a house until we passed another window for a sort of kitchen area. He didn't spot us. I caught sight of him through the window sat with a cuppa watching TV as I was reaching for his door handle .... What would I have said? "Sorry, but your place is such a dump we thought it was completely abandoned." Anyone actually gone into a place that turned out not to be abandoned?

Tips for not making the same mistake again? If the explore is not one that's been recommended to us or from a report (i.e. we've spotted it), we do a full sweep around the new place before going into any buildings. That certainly helped us not get into trouble on this one.

 

[mookster]

The best way to not accidentally stumble into someone's house is to not do houses.

As blunt as it sounds that's honestly the best way!

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Many times.
If unsure I will usually knock first & check in them bins that's a tell tale sigh if someone is there.
Another truck if u can get back to it lean a stick against door & see if it's still there in a week

Did one recently that honestly anyone would think was abandoned, I got in through window onto a sink that had not been used for ages, let my mate in door then went into living room to see a bt WiFi box & phone on oops!
Made a sharp exit without seeing anyonr

 

[Nyrian]

The best way to not accidentally stumble into someone's house is to not do houses.

As blunt as it sounds that's honestly the best way!

Aye. But houses are my exploring partner's favourite thing. We spent ages at pittfield farm just going through old documents. And to this day her favourite explore was holdings pottery because everything in the house part had just been left. And my exploring partner is my daughter so I'm stuck with it.

 

[Nyrian]

Many times.
If unsure I will usually knock first & check in them bins that's a tell tale sigh if someone is there.
Another truck if u can get back to it lean a stick against door & see if it's still there in a week

Did one recently that honestly anyone would think was abandoned, I got in through window onto a sink that had not been used for ages, let my mate in door then went into living room to see a bt WiFi box & phone on oops!
Made a sharp exit without seeing anyonr

That's what I'm worried about happening except instead of a broadband box and phone, we spot a dead body and have to decide whether to admit what we've done and call someone - or start wiping our prints off the window and door. I know the decent thing to do, but .....

Checking inside the bins weirdly hadn't occurred to me though. That's very useful.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

That's what I'm worried about happening except instead of a broadband box and phone, we spot a dead body and have to decide whether to admit what we've done and call someone - or start wiping our prints off the window and door. I know the decent thing to do, but .....

Checking inside the bins weirdly hadn't occurred to me though. That's very useful.

It is one of my worries with urbex tbh scaring a old boy to death.
Personally I wouldn't be that concerned about finding a body, I deff report it & admit to what I was doing.

Iv also several times looked through a window to see someone watching telly lol

 

[Speed]

Just stay away from peoples houses. You may like rummaging round other people's stuff (I do too!) but that doesn't make it OK. Just because other people on the internet do it doesn't make it OK either. The only proper reason to be in other people's houses is to loot them and I wouldn't really associate yourself with that online.

Same applies to farms and alot of small scale explores really. Going on peoples private property for nothing more than the fun of rifling through their stuff or getting 'likes' off similar minded people is a cunts game.

 

[Nyrian]

The only proper reason to be in other people's houses is to loot them and I wouldn't really accociate yourself with that online.

Going on peoples private property for nothing more than the fun of rifling through their stuff or getting 'likes' off similar minded people is a cunts game.

You seem to have a huge problem with residential explores. You been broken into a lot or something? Either way doesn't matter. If I post that my daughter enjoys residential explores and you reply that residential explores are for criminals and 'cunts' - you've crossed a line. She's my daughter. She's 16. You've got a serious problem if you think that's appropriate.

My daughter enjoys finding old stuff. Books and letters and furniture from times before I was even born. Seeing history instead of just reading about it is fun for her. The only modern house we did was the footballers mansion in Liverpool and that was to see the effects of fire since we saw the house has a wide range of fire damage from burnt, to melted, and smoke. It was interesting. She has never requested we find a new house someone has just vacated and 'rifle through their stuff'. I don't know any urbexer I share information with or reports I've read on here where people are just rifling through other people's stuff. Every house I've seen posted is abandoned. Typically no-one is coming back to it, ever. Except maybe to bulldoze it once it's fallen apart enough.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

You seem to have a huge problem with residential explores. You been broken into a lot or something? Either way doesn't matter. If I post that my daughter enjoys residential explores and you reply that residential explores are for criminals and 'cunts' - you've crossed a line. She's my daughter. She's 16. You've got a serious problem if you think that's appropriate.

My daughter enjoys finding old stuff. Books and letters and furniture from times before I was even born. Seeing history instead of just reading about it is fun for her. The only modern house we did was the footballers mansion in Liverpool and that was to see the effects of fire since we saw the house has a wide range of fire damage from burnt, to melted, and smoke. It was interesting. She has never requested we find a new house someone has just vacated and 'rifle through their stuff'. I don't know any urbexer I share information with or reports I've read on here where people are just rifling through other people's stuff. Every house I've seen posted is abandoned. Typically no-one is coming back to it, ever. Except maybe to bulldoze it once it's fallen apart enough.

Nothing wrong with residential mate it's what is known as "urban exploring" some people just think they are above it.
The only people who are cunts are the ones who trash & steal from these places

 

[Oxygen Thief]

Two words...

Tony Martin

 

[Bugsuperstar]

I’ve never understood the obsession with residential places really. When I joined 28DL and got into exploring myself I don’t remember it ever really being a thing. I usually just scroll past them on the forum.

If it’s your thing then sound but I’d just pop around to see my grandma if I wanted to see an old house full of an old persons stuff.

 

[Parysperspective]

I was having this convo with a mate last night.

I rarely do residential explores these days, had this feeling not to do them for the past year. Unless finding one in passing or I already have one pinned from over a year ago. Or if any exploring buddies really wanna go then I’ll tag along. They’re just so cluttered for me, it’s a bit of an overload. Those types feel too personal and sad. It can also be in dodgy ground as, even if it’s been stood decaying for years (eg Brass House) the house was actually in probate and the family have now taken it on at the start of this year. So it can upset family members when they find out their property is being tour bussed.

Also they cause a lot of drama. Like certain people rushing to the papers to sell it. And people looting. And then family or neighbours getting involved.

That house that was some eccentric guy in Huddersfield. Wurzel? That bearded reality explored his house only a MONTH after the guy died. People wanted me to do it as I flat out refused.

This said. I’ve nothing against people exploring a residential as they’re quite the curious explores so I can understand the intrigue. Each to their own.

I started to scope out a scrapper of a place two years ago. But the tv was on! So I slowly backed away and left.

Check bins for anything recently dated. Online car checks. Any footprints/ trodden down areas. Look through windows to see if anything is dated (newspapers, food). Look through the window for any recent technology like Alexas. I like the tip of scoping it, putting something somewhere and see if it’s moved in a few days. I’d even say “hello” if I wasn’t sure and just pretend google maps took me somewhere random and wanted to double check the best way to “xxxx”.

 

[Speed]

Two of my mates have had their farms and workshops broken into by wannabe explorer's. One of which even posted a fake report on facebook claiming it was abandoned and inviting others to follow after having been caught and told otherwise! There's property owners telling the same kind of stories every other week! Part of the problem is this attitude it's OK 'because I'm just exploring' or 'my daughter just really likes seeing old stuff' 'oh but im not taking anything' Bullshit.. People are just swanning about on any property that looks even remotely abandoned not really caring if they get caught because 'trespass isn't a criminal offence'.. Long gone are the days of people doing real reasearch and ensuring houses are literally abandoned before going near them. Its a quick browse of rightmove and then its jumping over the front gate (and knocking on peoples doors ffs. What about if they are out!!??) Even if it's just for a look it's wrong but it's most definitely not OK to be photographing and encoraging others at the same time.

Quite frankly I think it's even more cuntish to be bringing up your daughter to be part of that shit.

World needs more Tony martins!

 

[Nyrian]

Two of my mates have had their farms and workshops broken.... Etc ... Quite frankly I think it's even more cuntish to be bringing up your daughter to be part of that shit.

So that's a huge 'yes'. You've had arseholes break in places that has upset you so you scream 'cunt!' at anyone interested in houses. That's your mental problem to deal with. Don't take it out on us.

You've clearly missed the whole point of this thread I started. Obviously I DON'T WANT to go into places that will upset people. I've started a thread asking how to NOT make that mistake. These were abandoned buildings as far as I was concerned. The fact someone was living in one of buildings was a shock. They all look like ruined outbuildings! We didn't go to raid someones house. So I asked for tips on how to make sure a place is completely abandoned. And you start saying my daughter is a 'cunt' for liking old homes and I'm a 'cunt' for taking her to them. It's totally overboard. I'm clearly not one of people you're hating. Yet you can't seem to see that. Even when I start a thread saying how terrible it was that we nearly upset someone and how can we make sure not to do it again. Talk to a therapist or something. That's blind rage you have.

 

[Nyrian]

P.s. I'm also the one that started a thread a few months back asking for a private section on the forum for vetted urbexers as there were a lot of places I wanted to share but not publicly because of the risk of arseholes going. I absolutely am not one of the people you've just excessively ranted about. This is the first mistake in two years and 50+ explores. And I've only posted 13 of those explores on here for the ethics you've just accused me of not having. I've just done a place thanks to a tip from a fellow urbexer on here and we both agreed not to post it publicly either. Whatever mental breakdown the word 'residential' gives you has nothing to do with what any urbexer I know and share details with thinks it means.