good basic advice from the anon poster – but check the area thoroughly. some industrial buildings are very near residential areas; other times single houses are found in secluded areas and these are invariably owned by the rich middle englanders who call the old bill. it is these types who are mainly responsible for cops shutting down parties; far more so than any surveillance or undercover operations of the cops
consider also how you will get electric power for the rigs – if the electric has been shut off to the building this may be because much of the wiring is not in a safe state – the street cable may even have been taken up if a building has been unoccupied for some time!
Even if it is on and you can find a safe connection point providing sufficient power for all the rigs (not always simple!) using it can mean the cops will arrest people on “suspicion of abstracting electricity” charges; cops sometimes make you pay the bill and pass your details on to the building owners so they can try and claim through civil courts for damage etc!
Often a note is posted to the electricity meter area with a meter reading and a statement that the power used will be paid for; this sometimes appeases the cops but not always. I’ve known the Met CID to read meters at free parties for evidence [does this mean that if Londoners see people trying to nick cars and no bobby is available they should also call London Energy? 😀 ]
Generator sets if used for urban parties must be kept away from people and the exhaust gases diverted to the open air. – people have been killed by letting CO from genset exhausts get into buildings. Storage of fuel also presents an obvious fire-hazard problem which must be addressed, and earth bonding can be a problem.
Also think about access issues and parking – badly parked vehicles in the adjoining streets blocking in residents and workers (remember many businesses do a 7 day week nowadays!) is a sure-fire way to get the party investigated and/or turned over.
