You found the perfect house to shoot at, but.....

It all depends on what you want to shoot.
Dou you just want an exterior shot, or have you been inside and want to use certain rooms.?
Do you know the people or have you just found the place by scouting?

The thing is, if you dont ask, you wont get. If its a residential property, jst ask them nicely and explain what you would like to do.
Tell them you cant afford to pay them but would gladly put a 'Location Assistant' credit on the final film, this usually sways them.
If not and they do demand cash then you have to decide if you can afford it or if you really need it.
As for abandoned buildings, personally i would just go ahead and shoot.
If you know the place has been empty for a while and its not on a main road where you'll get spotted then just use it.
If it is actually derelict and has the usual 'warning' signs about it being unsafe then its up to you.
Personally i would shoot wihtout asking permition, which is done all the time but if you really feel the need then contact your local council as they should have a list of owners for all the abandoned buildings in its city limits.

Well i know some necks of the woods can be quite difficult but if thats the case then i would look elsewhere mate.
As for fines for shooting buildings this is only likely to happen if you trump up outside the Whitehouse and start shooting.
But thats over here in Blighty you might well have different rules over there pal.

Out of insterest whats the movie?

No offense, but this is the reason that filmmakers have a lot of problems getting permission to shoot. Can you guarantee that you're entire cast and crew won't sue if they get hurt? Will they sue you? Probably not. They will sue the owner of the property and they will win. Again, I've had no end to problems getting permits and location okays because of this attitude that the world is the filmmaker's oyster. Just ask for permission and have everyone sign the waiver. Nothing will stop your film faster than you and the two leads getting arrested for trespassing. And try to have some respect for the property you wish to shoot on.

No offense, but this is the reason that filmmakers have a lot of problems getting permission to shoot. Can you guarantee that you're entire cast and crew won't sue if they get hurt? Will they sue you? Probably not. They will sue the owner of the property and they will win. Again, I've had no end to problems getting permits and location okays because of this attitude that the world is the filmmaker's oyster. Just ask for permission and have everyone sign the waiver. Nothing will stop your film faster than you and the two leads getting arrested for trespassing. And try to have some respect for the property you wish to shoot on.[/QB][/QUOTE]

And none taken.
"They will sue the owner of the property and they will win"
Its well known that the US has a 'sue for sue's sake' mentality and i can well imagine that you need to cover all your bases so your water tight when it comes to shooting, thats why i said there might be different rules.
Fortunately over here we dont tend to scream for our lawyer when we scratch our shin and pretty much all the actors ive worked with are just glad to be working and get on with it and i always scout out the locale for safety before hand, if it looks dangerous etc then its not used.
And i did also say to ask for permission where you can.

"I've had no end to problems getting permits and location okays because of this attitude that the world is the filmmaker's oyster."
Sorry but that doesnt make any sense, why would you have these problemns if you are asking for permission, surely the people/company your asking would be glad that your doing so and not going behind their back.?
And why isnt the world a film makers oyster, i never said that you should just go ahead and shoot where you like without asking read all the posts. I merely said that if you wanted to shoot at an abandoned building and knew it had been that way for some time then i personally would just shoot.

"And try to have some respect for the property you wish to shoot on"
Excuse me, who are you preaching to.? Im not some jumped up college kid on mission. Any property/location ive ever used is left in exactly the condition it started in, if not better in most cases after we have cleaned up.