What do you guys think

Fieryafterburnr

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
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39
Location
Central CT/ Northern NJ
There's a house near me that is falling apart and the owner is waiting for someone to buy the land. Owner is a lawyer. I was able to contact the owner after a lot of work. He said he is reluctant to give me permission because of liability. I sent him an example of a form perhaps I could sign to free him from charges (he know how this works). Anyways, he dropped contact after that. People say I should just detect there without official permission. No one really cares about this place, but I've been patiently waiting. I'm going to have a week off for thanksgiving, perfect time to detect.
 
Why does it matter what we think? Do what feels right to you. You will get differing opinions. Some will be adamant that stepping foot on that site would be wrong. I get the feeling you feel the same way. You asked for permission and have been waiting. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
 
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Try reaching out one more time, perhaps asking if there is anything he would like to change/add to the agreement. If no reply, I would take it as a "no", and I personally would not detect on the land.
 
.... He said he is reluctant to give me permission because of liability....

Trust me : It's not about concerns re.: Liability. That's just the old song & dance polite way of saying "don't bother me". Whenever people say "no because of liability" (banana peel slips, etc....), that's not the real reason. The real reason is: They just don't want to be bothered.

I own a business. And as such, carry $1,000,000 liability insurance policy on myself and my company. I have offered people proof-of-insurance, after hearing their "liability" lament (thinking that this would allay their concerns). And they STILL say "no". Showing me that "liability" was never their concern, in the first place.


.... No one really cares about this place,.....

You're asking this question on a forum where some people think you need permission to hunt sand boxes at parks. So .... go figure you're probably not going to get someone to publicly say "go for it, no one will care". Ie.: you are going to get the obligatory answers, of course.
 
It's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

But it could be begging forgiveness from a jail cell. My daughter in law and her sister stopped to look at an old house in Ga. Yep they spent the night in jail for trespassing.
 
Going onto the property without permission is TRESPASSING.

Removing items from the ground without permission is STEALING.

The owner is a LAWYER.

Think this one through. I'd find another place and forget about going there without permission.
 
I'm with the majority here. You do NOT want to be arrested for trespassing.

How would you feel if someone came on your property, after they asked permission and you said "no"?
 
Sounds like he don't want you detecting there IMO. If it were me, I'd steer clear, you don't want any trespassing allegations against you. Plus if you go for it and get caught, you look 2 times as guilty, because you talked to him seeking permission, was NOT granted it, but went for it anyway. I would keep trying to gain permission the correct way, and if it don't happen, move on...
 
You're right guys. Just got really frustrated. But... I was granted permission at a much older house that has a more interesting history. The story of how I got permission is amazing.
 
You're right guys. Just got really frustrated. But... I was granted permission at a much older house that has a more interesting history. The story of how I got permission is amazing.

Wait until the property sells and ask the new owner. Don't mention your previous attempt to get permission. Before you bring up detecting, compliment the property, mention that you live nearby, and tell them you have two reason for calling. One, you're interested in what they're going to do with it. Second, you have this hobby and are always looking for new places to go. etc...
 
Let me preface this by saying I walked away from being a lawyer 8 years ago...I know from experience lawyers can be the world's largest ****s. If anybody can make your life miserable over a trespass it would be an ambulance chaser.
 
The story of how I got permission is amazing.
Well...we're waiting... :)
Also, I see in your list of hobbies you have included "cycling", along with a few others. Is that "cycling" as in the pedaling type, or "cycling" as in the motorized type? I'm just curious, as I am a rather avid mountain biker.
 
I'm totally against asking permission in public places but I wouldn't even consider trying that site after he said no. You could ask again but if the answer is still no......move on.
 
I found a house site on zillow that looked amazing. I researched on the county GIS site to find out who owns the property. It was under an LLC, so I searched the Secretary of State but couldn't find an actual name. Then I just did a google search of the LLC name and the property address and came up with a town report. In the report it stated a name affiliated with the LLC. Another google search of the name indicated one of the owners is a dentist. I was reluctant to call the dentist office for permission but another hunting buddy persuaded me to try. I called one office and they directed me to the office the owner is located. This office took down my info even though I'm a complete stranger AND in 10 mins the property owner called me back. I asked him if I could detect the property and that I would show him anything I found there if he was interested. Also, offered to give any finds he may want (being very generous at this point in my detecting). He said sure go anytime you want, just give me a call. Honestly was blown away:)

OK, I'm interested in road cycling. However, I kind of went crazy my first year of cycling and biked 5500 miles. Somehow my spine really didn't like staying in the same position for all that time, which caused me to partially rupture a disc in the thoracic spine. So I've stopped biking a lot which is sad. I'm trying to continue PT exercises and strengthen my back. A large part of why I started detecting is because I stopped biking as much.
 
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