It's not fair

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I've developed a fascination with old abandoned buildings, and I watch YouTube videos of this guy exploring abandoned buildings around the UK, and it's pretty cool.

But I really want to explore abandoned places myself, but everywhere is "private property" . In my own town apparently there's an abandoned mental hospital that's been abandoned for decades, but my brother once went there to explore and some twat called the police on them. Who the f**k owns an abandoned mental hospital? They didn't get into trouble, but he was told by relatives that it's embarrassing getting in trouble for visiting abandoned buildings when you're an adult.

But I don't think it's immature at all. Visiting abandoned buildings is exploring, and fascinates lots of people. There's also an abandoned movie theater in my town but I heard it's inhabited by homeless people, and around here homeless people are usually high on drugs and can be violent so I'm a bit reluctant, but I would love to go in there and explore because old movie theaters can be really creepy too.

I hate this day and age; everything's private, there are cameras everywhere and you're always being watched. No freedom, all health and safety.

i explored abandoned places when i was a kid. but thats kinda of boys thing, trespassing, climbing,exploring.

I share this fascination and have spent many hours watching explorations on YouTube. My favourites include Witley Park in Surrey and the Tots TV house.

The private property stuff is usually because the owner of the property is liable for any injury caused to a person on that property, even if they are there without permission. The buildings are often unsafe.

Plus you add in the fact that many trespassers will cause damage to the property just for laughs and its not surprising they don't want people in there. Proper urban explorer types operate by a code - they don't break in and they cause no intentional damage, nor take anything away. But groups of kids go in and trash these places.

I'm very grateful to the YouTubers and people who go and document these forgotten places. It is history and it's important and too much of the UK's history is off-limits to the general public.

I'm not advocating it, but trespass itself is not illegal - it's a 'civil wrongdoing'. If you go onto property where you haven't been invited you're not breaking the law. It's different if you break in to a secured building - that's illegal - but if you find it unsecured you're okay. If you're caught and asked to leave then you have to leave.

Then they should put signs up warning the dangers, a bit like they do on cigarette packets (the warning covers our ass, the risks are now down to the person's choice).

If I owned a derelict property (but lived somewhere else) and I hadn't been to the abandoned property for years and it was sitting there rotting and falling apart then who cares if some kids decide to play or vandalise? If they burn it down then... insurance?

Over here people can actually get arrested for entering abandoned properties. I suppose arresting explorers is an easier job for the police than to catch dangerous criminals.

Trespassing and going into abandoned buildings is very dangerous.Please dont do it anymore,OP.I knew of a guy who got killed doing it.

I understand somewhat your fascination. I recently, maybe last year or even this year explored some forests despite the freakish pervs in them and the dangers. There are not many people so it's like an escape. There are curious things and plants to see and explore and most of the forest sides have been taken over by buildings so entrances in them are currently just 2, and the 2nd I dont know yet how to get in, I traveled along the forest line but it was property lined so the only way is jumping fences.
Oh wait, moms friend took me once to where there is some grass and the road goes up but its not excessive, cant say i can enter the forest through it.

There are some creeps who make noise in the accessible forest at times as they see you go in and idk, they are there with friends and girlfriends. And in some spots there are many weird women's lingeree hanged on bushes or on the grass, it's so weird.

And this is about abandoned odd building.

I haven't done it at all.

Not all abandoned buildings are physically falling in, some are still standing solid and are just empty. It's just adventurous and thrill-seeking. Watching YouTube videos is timeless but sometimes it isn't enough. I'd love to check that old abandoned mental hospital out that's in my town. But I bet some stupid person owns it and has cameras rigged up everywhere. Just stop owning these old abandoned buildings and give thrill-seekers our freedom to explore.

I like exploring basements. Back in Russia the basements are open and I could just walk in and see all those pipes and stuff. In America they are usually closed, and in a very rare occasions when they are open it would be trespassing to go there.

I used to love exploring abandoned buildings too.

I've been quite lucky that I've been able to explore lots of them in my time. It's kind of magical in a way. I don't know why but there's something mysterious about an old abandoned building. I like derelict swimming baths.

I used to work in an old mill many years ago and although some of it was in use the majority of the building had been left and neglected. I used to start work at 6am and was the only one there. It had such an atmosphere about it. You could hear the wind whistling through the building.

my older brother, about 40 years ago, was in the woods mountain-biking when he found a long-abandoned bungalow in the woods, which apparently grew around the house over the preceding 4+ decades. he went inside, the walls had holes in them, inside was crumpled newspaper for insulation which was the way they did it back in the 20s, which was the date of the newspapers in those walls. he uncrumpled a few and read them, noting in the obituaries that there were LOTS of people who passed away in their 40s and 50s, life expectancy seriously sucked back then.

If one of those kids playing in or vandalising your derelict property suffers injury or dies you are liable under UK law - you can be prosecuted. Putting a sign up saying people enter at their own risk doesn't remove your liability. You are legally required to make it safe, or secure it so it can't be accessed.

I don't know much about insurance but I'd wager that any policy would stipulate that the owner made reasonable provisions to secure the property against vandalism.

I sympathise with your desire to explore abandoned places (and I do so myself, on occasion) but I understand why these properties are not generally accessible. And it wouldn't be such a thrill if it was legitimate and risk-free.



I'm in the UK too. It's not a criminal offence to enter an abandoned property so you cannot be arrested for it unless you have broken in, caused damage, refused to leave when asked by the property owner or are found to have taken something. The only exceptions I'm aware of is railway property and MOD land.

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I do know that's the law but I'm just saying I don't agree with it. I think the law should be that if you put up warning signs then you won't be liable for any injury.
If the place is literally falling down and can't be maintained then it should be knocked down.

My cousin and her friends got arrested for entering an abandoned house when they were 14, and spent the night in a police cell. The house wasn't lived in and the windows were all boarded up but it hadn't been abandoned for very long so it was still in good condition. But some busybody neighbour had called the police.

Wow that's really interesting!

You'd love it where I live. There's an old farm on the outskirts of Abergavenny which is long since abandoned. The farm house is falling down as is the cow barn and old farm buildings. You can get into all the buildings, they're an absolute state. I'll try and get some pictures for you if you like?

The exploring of such places makes me think about a ftp game Perception of the Dead 1 and 2
This is 1

I thought you mentioned living in England in one of your earlier posts?

I'd love to see the pictures though.

"And I'm here, to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away.
It's not fair, to deny me.
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know"