Ethics of eviction personal property grab

[glatt]

I don't think there is anything wrong with thinking about things. It's an intellectual exercise.

The more I think about it, it's the time frame that matters to me. I'm assuming the tenant doesn't know their stuff is on the curb. And that's why I think it's not moral to take it yet. But once the tenant is aware of what is going on and has had a chance to fix it, anything left over is trash at that point.

But I'm convinced that it's both legal and ethical. I'm certain that the rules were followed. The labdlord opens themselves up to too much liability if they didn't follow the rules. They wouldn't do that.

So I'd feel fine taking anything left tomorrow morning. But there won't be anything left then.

I'm leaving now and we'll see what's left of the pile. I walked by mid-clean out, so more may have come out after I walked by.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by glatt

...The labdlord...

See, now, you didn't say it was a lab.

Stuff's probably contaminated.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by glatt

But I'm convinced that it's both legal and ethical. I'm certain that the rules were followed. The labdlord opens themselves up to too much liability if they didn't follow the rules. They wouldn't do that.
.

You have no way to know that, though. In this specific instance, given the high value housing, it is likely (since they are being evicted this is only a likelihood) that they have the resources to seek legal redress had the landlord not followed the rules. In general terms, tenants who are being evicted are often the least resourced to defend their rights - if not generally then at least during whatever crisis may have precipitated eviction.

Personally, unless the owner of the goods has voluntarily and knowingly left them for others to pick through and take - I would want no part of it. I don't care if something I wanted but could not afford sprouted magically from the pavement in front of me - if it's potentially the worldly goods of some poor bastard who is probably having the worst week of his life and desperately trying to sort out storage and board at short notice, count me out.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by DanaC

You have no way to know that, though..

I have no way to know any of what I'm telling you. All I saw was a couple guys putting stuff on the curb, and then later a couple of other guys putting the same stuff into a truck.

The rest is a narrative I created. You accept some of my narrative but not the rest. I think my entire narrative is correct, but if we want to argue facts, the facts are simple. Guys put stuff on curb. Other guys put stuff on truck.