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What should I do about this unauthorized entry in my apartment building?

  • An unknown person let themselves into my neighbors apartment, stole her pot, and then left, and my landlord isn't doing anything about it. I'm wondering what I should do now, if anything. Details at length inside. I live in a 16-unit building in a small town in Western Massachusetts. Possibly relevant information: We are moving out at the end of the month. A new landlord bought the building in November, made some improvements, and has increased the rent 25% since then, turning what was once an affordable home for retired people, young families like mine, and single mothers, one of whom has a disabled son, into a place that is marginally nicer but unaffordable for the people who have lived here for years. He has explicitly told me that he wants to make all the current tenants move so he can renovate and charge higher rents, which he has done to the vacant apartments, and he doesn't want "working class" people living here. My neighbor is a 60-something transwoman who has lived here for 11 years, and is a few years from retiring from her building maintenance job. On Saturday my husband and I saw someone let themselves into our across-the-hall neighbor's apartment (through the peephole), stay for a few minutes, and then leave. My husband was walking by our door when he heard someone come up the stairs and looked out to see if there was someone leaving a note, since the landlord is constantly leaving notices for everyone. After he saw the guy go in he told me to come look, so I watched him leave. He let himself in with a key and then locked the door after he left. We thought it was just a painter or one of the many workers around here lately, and later that day saw the painter and his son, who was wearing a black hat like the guy we saw, working on the outside of the building. We didn't think much of it, other than that it seemed a little odd, until Sunday when our neighbor came over to ask if we had seen anyone in her apartment because her small pot stash was missing when she came home on Saturday. We told her what we saw, and she called the landlord. He basically blew her off, said that we "don't like" him, and said that he would talk to the painters, but it was probably the former manager's husband because he suspects him of having a drug problem. (This former manager quit suddenly and last I heard was pursuing a sexual harassment lawsuit because he repeatedly let himself into her apartment, including one time when she was in the shower and refused to leave when she told him to. We have also heard from other tenants that he has let himself into their apartments without notice.) Later that evening he called my husband to find out what we saw and told him the same thing about suspecting the manager. I emailed him on Monday to find out what he was doing to ensure the safety of us and everyone else in the building and he told me he was "investigating," we're leaving soon so we should be safe for two weeks, and "good luck in your new home." Today the painter came to my door and told me he would never do something like that, his son wouldn't, sorry if I felt unsafe, etc. I emailed the landlord back and said I didn't appreciate him telling the painter we said it was him, if he truly thinks a drug addicted former manager has keys to the building I hope he plans on changing the locks, and that though we're moving soon everyone else in the building deserves to know they are safe and secure too. He answered, in full, "Thank you for your thoughts. Good luck in your new home." So. What do I do now? Contact the police? Tell everyone else in the building what happened? Let it go? This whole situation is so shady, but even without the alleged pot stealing it is a problem that some random person was able to let himself into an apartment. I just can't tell if my judgment about this is clouded by my irritation with the landlord and his ongoing bullshittery.

  • Answer:

    Many areas in the US have tenant's rights associations. I would contact yours, even if you personally are leaving, plenty of others aren't. I would also strongly consider a camera setup to see if anyone enters your apartment without notice; it really isn't ok for anyone to be entering your unit without notice.

apricot at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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Uh, was nothing else stolen? How did the thief know where the pot stash was, since, it was presumably stashed away? Is there someone close to the neighbor who would be a probable suspect instead?

suedehead

If you're going to stay for more than another day, install your own lock (or get a locksmith to rekey your door) ASAP. It's a drag to put money into a place you're about to leave, but this isn't something I would mess around with.

zachlipton

If you want to add an extra lock that can prevent someone from getting in (when you are inside) even if they have the key, this is a handy little device: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00186URTY/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/

ainsley

rekey your lock if you suspect an unauthorized person has a key to it, otherwise do nothing, because you're leaving at the end of the month and this isn't any of your business. your opportunity to do something passed when you decided not to confront the intruder. the problem of someone habitually accessing women's apartments will solve itself when he does this to the wrong woman and she sprays him with .38 spl copper-jacketed hollow points.

bruce

Definately change your locks: it'll be worth it, since you're now on the painter's and his son's radar. As for calling the police: a question --- is pot legal where you are? If no, then there's a good reason why your neighbor doesn't want to make a police report. Either way, to report or not is her decision, not yours.

easily confused

Oh, and my husband works from home and I'm a grad student on break (I have actually met you, brianogilvie!), so we should be able to have one of us be home at all times for the next couple of weeks. Beyond that I think I'll see what I can find in the way of tenants rights. Maybe something through the university.

apricot

Also, calling the cops because your weed is gone seems like a pretty bad plan in the United States.

oceanjesse

I'm not sure where in Montague you are (if that bit of your profile is still accurate), and if so, what building you're in, but my advice would depend a lot on whether you need a common key to get into the building, or whether each unit has only one key. If it's the latter, your neighbor might have given out many copies of her key over the years, or previous tenants might have done so. In that case, it's unpleasant for her, but probably not an issue for you, since you're moving soon. If there's a common building key involved, though, you might want to be more active in keeping an eye on unusual comings and goings. You can find out more about tenants' rights in Massachusetts here: http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/tenantsrights.pdf (PDF).

brianogilvie

Obviously this is not safe, reference http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/83851612.html?device=phone if needed. My daughter lived at these apartments at the time this happened and had the maintenance come in while she was in the shower also. Make sure all the neighbors are aware that this man has unauthorized access to their apartments.

tamitang

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