Barrel used as stash is no longer neutral

I was using one of the barrels around Raven Rock marketplace as stash. This worked very well for quite a while. Now that I have uncovered most locations, the barrel suddenly went from 'neutral' status to 'owned' and everything in it needs to be 'stolen'.

I am not aware of anything I did to offend the citizens of Raven Rock and it seems that only the marketplace barrels are 'owned'. Using other barrels as stash, e.g. the ones close to the water, still works. Also, people compliment me for clearing the mines.

So - couple of questions:

Is there a way to tell what might have offended the owner of the marketplace barrel?
Can it be reversed through gameplay?
If not, is there an alternative to using the console 'setownership' on every item? It's a three-digit number of objects, so that might take a while. I do not have a follower on the island

the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim

Best Answer

It sounds like you already have a solution, I just wanted to add a possible explanation for this, which doesn't involve any bugs:

If someone likes you enough, you can take stuff they own without stealing it, as long as each individual item is below a certain value threshold. This mechanic is called Disposition.

Here's a chart of relationship ranks, and the maximum values of items you can take without stealing:

Value   Console name    Item value
-4      Archnemesis     
-3      Enemy   
-2      Foe     
-1      Rival   
0       Acquaintance    
1       Friend          25
2       Confidant       50
3       Ally            100
4       Lover           500

So, if the owner of the barrel was fond of you, then you could put cheap items in the barrel and take them out without ever knowing that anyone even owned it.

If you then did something that made them like you less, you could lose your privilege to take the items.

You didn't say what the items were, so maybe none of this applies, but it's a thought.