Just Curious

[a.niggle]

What is the name of your state? OH

About a year ago at a previous apartment complex (same management company as our current apartment complex) my husband and I found a sign in the trash compactor. Last night I came home and found a nasty note on my door from our old complex calling us thieves and if we dont return the sign immediately that we'll be billed for it. (the current landlord came and changed the furnace filter two weeks ago)

I have no problem returning the sign but just curious - Can a landlord (or maintenance) snoop around your apartment, find something and then accuse you of theft? Its not like we went around the complex with a screwdriver and hammer to steal it - it was discarded in the front of a trash compactor. I just dont appreciate being called a theif or people obviously going through my things.

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: Can a landlord (or maintenance) snoop around your apartment, find something and then accuse you of theft?

A: According to your post, yes.



By the way, taking or keeping stuff that does not belong to you is theft.

 

[a.niggle]

Can I be held financially responsible for something I found in the trash a year ago? If we hadn't of taken it out of the compactor it would be in a dump right now.

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: Can I be held financially responsible for something I found in the trash a year ago?

A: Yes, you can be held financially responsible for something you stole.

 

[a.niggle]

still doesnt make sense it was thrown away but thanks

 

[seniorjudge]

still doesnt make sense it was thrown away but thanks

It was not yours.

Makes lots of sense.

 

[ecmst12]

It's your word vs theirs that it was in the trash. Maybe someone else stole it and left it in the dumpster; all they know is that you have it.

 

[mwbarton]

Q: Can I be held financially responsible for something I found in the trash a year ago?

A: Yes, you can be held financially responsible for something you stole.

It depends on the location of the garbage. The US Supreme Court ruled long ago that once items are thrown out in the garbage and placed in the public domain that they are free for the taking. The same ruling that applies to the police searching garbage for evidence may apply here, if the item was found in garbage that was placed in a common area.

 

[a.niggle]

true and like i said I'll return it
the sign wasn't on the wall or anything whoever found it had to be going through my apartment - which i didn't appreciate - nor did i like being called a theif. I guess I should've left in the compactor

 

[seniorjudge]

It depends on the location of the garbage. The US Supreme Court ruled long ago that once items are thrown out in the garbage and placed in the public domain that they are free for the taking. The same ruling that applies to the police searching garbage for evidence may apply here, if the item was found in garbage that was placed in a common area.

I think you need to re-read that decision.

 

[mwbarton]

I think you need to re-read that decision.

Yup, still says the same thing. That same ruling has also been used in several lower court decisions, more than one concerning items taken from dumpsters at apartment complexes.

 

[nuvola09]

I think you need to re-read that decision.

Why don't you re-read it and then explain to us why she's a thief before you go around here patronizingly calling people thieves?

You guys need to realize that this is a site where people come for basic advice, not to be spoken down to. It's called freeadvice.com, not getspokentolikearetardedthreeyearold.com.

 

[a.niggle]

mwbarton do you have a link to what you're reading? Thanks in advance.

 

[Cvillecpm]

RETURN THE SIGN and DO NOT TAKE ITEMS THAT DO NOT BELONG TO YOU.

You knew who the signed belonged to BECAUSE of where you found it AND what is written on it...you should have brought it to the attention of mgmt so that they could retreive it or discard it appropriately.

"...my husband and I found a sign in the trash compactor"....and then you wrote "...it was discarded in the front of a trash compactor". In either case, you should NOT be "dumpster diving" in or around a compactor. They are dangerous.

Yes, mgmt and staff can "inspect" your apt since they gave you proper notice...obviously the sign was not hidden so leaving it out to be viewed was not SMART!!

 

[seniorjudge]

Why don't you re-read it and then explain to us why she's a thief before you go around here patronizingly calling people thieves?

You guys need to realize that this is a site where people come for basic advice, not to be spoken down to. It's called freeadvice.com, not getspokentolikearetardedthreeyearold.com.

You don't know the law and you don't know basic English definitions. So here you go:

Definitions of thief on the Web:

* a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* In the criminal law, theft (also known as stealing) is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief

* Thief is a 1981 noir crime drama written and directed by Michael Mann, based on the novel The Home Invaders by "Frank Hohimer" (the pen name of real-life jewel thief John Seybold). The film's cast includes James Caan, Tuesday Weld, James Belushi, Robert Prosky and Willie Nelson.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (film)

* Thief is a popular interface for Internet Chess Servers at Chess Live, the Free Internet Chess Server and the Internet Chess Club. It was programmed substantially by Zon Jan (WhoAmI) and optimized for bughouse support. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (chess)

* Thief is the first Destroyer album recorded with a full band on every track. Thief is thought to be an attack on the music industry perhaps a response to the lack of success that Bejar's other band, The New Pornographers, were having after releasing their EP.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (album)

* Thief was an FX Networks television drama which debuted on March 28, 2006.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (TV series)

* Thief is a 1981 arcade video game which is extremely similar to Pac-Man.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (arcade game)

* "Thief" is a popular song by Third Day. It originally appeared on their 1995 self-titled album. It was written by vocalist Mac Powell.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (Third Day song)

* The Thief or Rogue is a character class in many role-playing games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, and many MMORPGs. Thieves are usually stealthy and dextrous characters able to disarm traps, pick locks, and perform backstabs from hiding. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (character class)

* Thief is a song written and performed by Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace and released in 1999 under the album Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch. Lead singer Raine Maida provides the vocals.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (Our Lady Peace song)

* "Hammerite" redirects here. Hammerite is also a brand of paints used for painting metal surfaces .
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (computer game series)

* Thief (1981) is a soundtrack album by the German band Tangerine Dream for the film Thief, directed by Michael Mann.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief (Tangerine Dream album)

* is a tubular instrument for removing a sample from a cask or barrel.
www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/references/Glossary.html

* Glass or metal syringe used for taking wine samples through the bunghole of a barrel.
www.princemichel.com/princemichel/page/glossary.jsp

* Syringe like instrument used for sampling wine from a cask, tank or barrel.
www.gotastewine.com/glossary/wine-glossary-t.htm

* Be thief in an 8-bit movie.
apfilms.corradiation.net/badgeglossary.htm