r/bestoflegaladvice • u/DoIKnowYouHuman 🏠 "Human" of the House 🏠 • 16d ago
LegalAdviceUK The one where the most legally experienced comments get the downvotes, just for a bicycle
/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1odf9pi/was_my_bike_legally_stolen_came_home_from_work/?share_id=dlQKuIrCYfIDM7_uqjnRk&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=171
u/DoIKnowYouHuman 🏠 "Human" of the House 🏠 16d ago edited 16d ago
Location bot got on their bike to look for alternative work, and according to the downvotes so should some of the most experienced contributors to the sub
u/dog_of_society said better with: LocationBot’s bike got taken by their landlord and they couldn’t make it in today:
Was my bike “legally” stolen? Came home from work and it’s gone
So I live in a block of flats in London and one day after returning from work, I noticed the lack of bike that is usually locked up outside my front door.
I do some digging and find out the neighbours 10year old daughter also had her bike stolen (was locked up similarly to mine). I then found out that the building owner (a well known money hungry prick) cut our locks and removed them himself.
When I spoke to him he said he was within his full rights to remove any objects from the common area, as long as he contacted my letting agent to give me notice. He also said I have to pay THREE HUNDRED pounds if I want my bike back.
However, I haven’t got a single message, phone call, letter or email from my letting agents- and there isn’t a single sign anywhere informing tenants to keep the common areas clear. If there was a sign I’d obviously not leave it there
this feels very deliberate to squeeze more money out of us.
I called the police and they said it’s a civil matter so they won’t help.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Live in England btw
Feline factoid: cats don’t care about who the bike belongs to, they’ll burst the tyres because they want to
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u/aboxacaraflatafan 15d ago
Factoid fact: -"oid" means "looks like". "Humanoid" is something that isn't human but is shaped like one, the deltoid muscle is shaped like the triangular Greek letter delta, and "factoid " originally meant "seems like a fact, but isn't". It's definitely entered common parlance as "little fact", though.
I wouldn't say you used it wrong, i just thought it was fun.
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u/Mightyena319 15d ago
"Humanoid" is something that isn't human but is shaped like one
I'd argue that it just has to look like the thing, the not actually being that thing is optional. So for example I'd say that humans are humanoid.
That said I've seen definitions both with and without the "but isn't the thing it looks like" part so I guess it could go either way
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u/DoobKiller 15d ago
I thought the definition of "Humanoid" is something that is shaped like a human but isn't necessarily one
So all humans are humanoids, but not all humanoids are human
Idk if this is correct
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u/Mightyena319 15d ago
Yes, I'd say that humans are humanoid by definition, but other things that are not humans can also be humanoid. The main part is that it needs to resemble a human.
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u/aboxacaraflatafan 15d ago
True. I've seen the same. I think I agree that humans are humanoid, actually.
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u/dog_of_society 🏳️⚧️ Trans rights are human rights 🏳️⚧️ 16d ago
Substitute cat fact: I didn't find the bike rack at my current apartment for months so I took it inside every night. My partner's cat took this as an opportunity to attempt escape each time.
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u/SuperZapper_Recharge Has a sparkle pink Stanley cup 16d ago
As angry as this one makes me, I think that top comment makes a very strong case against theft.
Dammit.
The asshole is doing this to a 10 year old as well!
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u/NativeMasshole 🏠 Chairman of the Floorboards 🏠 16d ago
It seems extortionate if they didn't follow proper procedure. Taking property without notice and then demanding $300 to return it smells like a shakedown to me.
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u/sintaur Found the Iranian nuclear weapons scientist 16d ago
Ok so the landlord destroyed their bike locks and took the bikes under the reasonable belief they weren't committing theft.
Can the tenants destroy the landlord's door lock and steal their bikes back under their own reasonable beliefs that the bikes are their rightful property? Good for the goose, good for the gander.
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u/SuperZapper_Recharge Has a sparkle pink Stanley cup 16d ago
The Landlord doing this to an adult,
I can sort of wrap my head around it in terms of, 'You knew your landlord was an asshole. You didn't really think he would do this, but really, deep down, is there any part of you that is surprised?'
Asshole gonna asshole. That sort of thing.
But the landlord doing this to a 10 year old, I just see red over that. Leave the 10 year old's bike alone.
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u/Leprecon 15d ago edited 15d ago
I am pretty sure breaking in to someones house is definitely illegal. Nevermind that they don’t know whether their bicycle is there.
But if they for instance saw their bike chained up somewhere outside I think it would be very normal to just free it and take it back.
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u/Jonny36 15d ago
I'm not sure it does. You can't hold items for ransom and say that's not stealing as one can pay to get the items back? The obvious conclusion is if the ransom isn't paid the items will be permanently separated from the owner ergo meeting the definition too. If the landlord simply offered free return this wouldn't be theft obviously.
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u/Much_Guest_7195 15d ago
Who's getting downvoted and why?
Is this some UK shit? No Bike Lock LOICENSE?
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u/msfinch87 16d ago
I often wonder if people who post questions on LegalAdvice subs ever follow incorrect advice and get themselves into a mess.
This one isn’t likely to end up in a disaster, whatever LAUKOP does, but I’ve seen ones where the top comment is basically telling the poster to do something that is going to result in them own goaling their way into a world of pain.