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What do you do when the previous owners break into your house?

Weird neighbours may have been in our house?

  • I have no concrete proof (i.e admissable in a court), but since we bought this house a couple of years ago we kept noticing that something was going on while we were out of the house. We were both working full time to start off with. We'd notice that a door that we'd locked to stop our pets going upstairs was not only unlocked but open, and the pets upstairs, things not in their usual place, and on one occasion we found a WET footprint at the bottom of the stairs when we came in from work - a man's by the size of it. Then one night my husband was away and I awoke in the middle of the night to hear my bedroom door creaking open. I was terrified and sat up just in time to see a shadow of a person dash across the landing heading downstairs. No sign of a break in, though. Our outdoor security light has often come on through the night, but we thought it might just be a cat or something - we've never actually seen anyone. We tried putting in an indoor "spy" camera, but it was temperamental and didn't work every day. Then I came home from shopping one day (I gave up my job) and the garage door was open - only opened by a remote which we keep in the house. We came to the conclusion that whoever was doing this stuff KNEW when I went out. We put up security cameras outdoors and watched them for a while, but hey we have more to do than watch what the cameras recorded every single day. In the end we changed all the locks - success!! No more weird stuff! Very recently, though, a neighbour asked me for a key to our back door; she said that she'd had one when the previous owners lived here . . . . She was quite pressing about it, and we've come to the conclusion that it all fits. These neighbours would be the only ones who could see when I went out, and if we came back unexpectedly she could get over the low wall between the back gardens - and she had a key that would have fitted our locks before we had them changed! And who would think anything was wrong if a neighbour came round while we were out? But now I feel really uncomfortable - who knows what she (or her husband?) was looking at, our bank accounts, salary slips, personal stuff? How should we tackle this? We can't go to the police because we have no real evidence (although we did report to them that we knew someone was coming in our house). Does anyone have similar experience, or advice on what we should do? By the way, it's not possible for us to move house for at least another couple of years, we just couldn't afford it. Thanks in anticipation.

  • Answer:

    Well for starters don't give them a copy of the new key.....but apart from that, if nothing else is happening now i don't think there is anything you can do. I would also be careful about tackling them about it because it could be seen as accusing them without proof of anything and they could get nasty, if you cant move the last thing you want is to have nightmare neighbours. i would just maybe keep an eye on your personal accounts and speak to your bank so that they can be watchful if any suspicious spending occurs. i hope you get it sorted....

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strange story but how do you know you do not have evidence as you did not or have not watched the recordings, which I think if it were me it would have taken priority.Yes give them a key but not one that fits and see if they say anything later. ps you only needed to watch the recording from time you left till time you got back home and if it was fast replay it would not have taken long to watch

Q

Hopefully the change of locks will have kept the persons concerned out and in time this feeling will pass as they cannot gain access. The only way is to run a camera system 24hrs a day and that is tiresome. The neighbour at the back may well have been a key holder for the previous owner but you do not have to follow this at all and can just say no, you do not need a key holder and add something simple like your mum only lives five minutes away and she has one. It is strange that having had the lock changed she suddenly needs to ask for a key. Creepy really. I key hold for two neighbours with alarms and have never been in unless asked by the alarm company and I keep a spare key with a friend round the corner but I trust him and he lets my animals out if I am delayed. But this is very different indeed. But nothing has been done to harm you and it has only spooked you so far. She now cannot get in and has even had the audacity to ask for another key. This is why you should change the locks when you move into a new property. You should have a named community police officer if you enquire and you could ask him to pop in for a chat and run it past him.

Monstermunch

Oh my god! I would be so freaked out by this! Just out of curiosity, what did she say to you when she asked you for the key? Like, what possible reason could she come up with for asking you for a key to your house??? I would definitely go back to the police and tell them, even if they can't do anything then at least it will be recorded just in case anything happens. I also think you should confront them - go round with your husband and ask them directly why they wanted a key and if they have been in your house. Keep an eye on all your bank account and things, and keep the cameras!

JL

That's kind of creepy that your neighbor would come up to your room in the middle of the night. I would be very cautious and if I could afford it, I would install an alarm system. Also, now that you know (or at least are pretty sure) that it was the neighbor coming into your house, you could put cameras up in that area, facing the neighbor's home. You should also notify the police so that if it happens again and you have concrete evidence that it was your neighbors, they can already be aware of the situation and be ready to take action. I hope this helps, and if not, I hope you figure something out :)

AM

report them to the police stick hidden cameras up

chip

The minute I seen someone (a shadow) in my house I would have called the cops! Why didn't you? I also would be watching the security tapes everyday (fast forward until you see something on screen), because I would feel scared enough to figure out what's going on. Don't give these neighbors a key, keep a security camera put up outside, & keep motion lights on. My goal would be to turn these people in if I caught them trying to get into my house &/or garage. What creepy, nosy, weirdos. They could be trying to steal money, nice things, your identity, set up tiny cameras in your house to record sex acts between you & in your husband, or anything! Hopefully now the problem will be taken care of, but I'd still keep my eye out. Make sure you lock your car doors too.

Re-key your locks. Costs a little, but worth it. Change your garage door code (call a garage door company and they'll usually tell you how to do it over the phone). DO NOT give a key to this neighbor - very weird people. Tell them you do not want them in your yard or in your home. This is normal to say. Call the police and alert them, get their advice. Add a motion detector to your security camera so it comes on when it sees motion. Then there isn't so much to review - it only comes on when something in its field of view moves. Keep a record of each strange activity you run across, and share this with the police so that they can build a case. Most of all, work with the local police and follow their advice!!

Garage Door Guru

yes I would do what now and then said about giving her the old key and then wait and see if she says it dos not fit.Have you checked the attic and the adjoining wall they may have got in that way and left by the back door.I do hope it has stopped by now but keep vigilant.Good luck.

joannie

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