Is this considered stealing?

I don't think so. I think it's free game. That is very lucky! It was meant to be left there for you!

I would get permission from whoever bought the land first.

If you're concerned about it, find out who the new owner is, and call to ask. Most likely they won't have a problem with you taking "junk" off their hands because it's less for them to pay to have hauled off. The only thing you'd have to worry about if you didn't call was someone calling the police on you for tresspassing

I would find out who the landowner is and ask about it first. It's not your property and anything you take would be considered stealing. The owners may have already told whoever is tearing everything down to take whatever is inside.

Hummmmm I have a question how do you know that the bedroom set is in there if no one has been living there since the 80's sound like someone has already been tresspassing :laugh: !!! I think you will be better off asking the new owners better safe than sorry!!!

I would find out who the landowner is and ask about it first. It's not your property and anything you take would be considered stealing. The owners may have already told whoever is tearing everything down to take whatever is inside.

agreed:drinker:

YES MOST definitly this is a Crime....If the owner of the property wishes to dispose of anything that is owned by him/her that is their right.....Entering any building is considered a Crime in most states. The question is: was there permission to enter the barn in the first place...there is a huge liability, especially if it is in disrepair...
Now if you happen to know the owner and ask for permission that would be the only way that I would "take" and remove anything that did not belong to me.....
You have to ask yourself if it is worth it....in the State of New York it would be Criminal Tresspass and Larceny...If you do not know the owner or have the ablility to get their permission I would definitly error on the side of caution...
Sorry, It sounds like a Great find...But you really should ask for permission..

I'd see if you could ask the land owners for it. just say I'd like to go through and salvage anything i feel is of value. or maybe make up a story that it was your great aunts, cousin's, brother's home and you really liked the bed that was in the house. :laugh:

LOLOLOLOL So you aren't ok with stealing, but you are ok with lying?!?!?!?!

As to the OP: definitely ask.

There's this old house and barn near here that hasn't been lived in since the 70's or 80's. They sold the land finally and someone started tearing the trees off the land to make way for a subdivision. The house and barn will be bulldozed and everything in them will be sent to the dump. In the barn is an antique bed frame (foot board, head board and side rails. It's the kind I have always wanted to have and it's in surprisingly good condition considering the condition of the barn. Is it wrong to take and rescue it?

Of course it's stealing. Unless you have permission from the owner, it is still stealing no matter how many people on this board try to help you justify it.

Just ask the owner -- I'll bet he will let you have it, buty there is always the chance he wants it for himself and just hasn't had the place to store it or the time to move it.

I the child down the street is being mistreated, should you report it to the authorities or "take it and rescue it"?

I wouldn't be comfortable taking it without asking. However, there seems to be some sort of underground rules to his type of thing. Apparently most people in the "garbage picking" business are aware of these rules. I'm not saying I agree, but here is what I found out.

A few years ago when I moved from my house, within a few hours of the last moving truck pulling away, the house was stripped of patio blocks, a rose bush, screen doors, door knobs, carpeting, window screens, faucets, toilet parts, shelving from the garage, closet doors, shingles, tiles, paint, and other misc things.

What I learned is that when its vacant, its free game. Not legally, but on the low. (There are people who do this type of thing when they lose their home to the bank. Its a whole business nowadays. I think 20/20 or Dateline did a show about it.) This house was also directly off of the infamous 8 Mile, so this is TOTALLY normal and acceptable, lol. There is an underground code that everybody seems to know. I discovered the carpet in a friends basement and she confessed to showing up after she knew we were gone. The patio blocks and rose bush were in my next door neighbors backyard....

Anyway, I can see why you want it. I would too. I would contact the city or county and find out how to contact the current owners. Just mention that you were once in there "before" it was sold and wondered what they plan to do with the things that were being stored in there. Ask if you can take it off their hands before they trash it. They'd probably appreciate you coming to take it away as it would be less work for them to have to carry it to the trash. Don't let it go because it will stick with you forever and you will be so irritated with yourself. At least try to contact someone.