Someone knocked on my door late in the night claiming that they used to live here, saying the number of my apt out loud and and that this is a very sentimental place for them. I didn’t want to open my door but my roommate did (before I got a chance to check the peephole) and the stranger was just looking what they could see through the wide gap that was made from opening the door.
They lingered talking about how much this place meant to them but was trying to look past us at our place. They didn’t seem harmful but they did seem nervous. I don’t want to assume the person had any bad intentions but my gut says otherwise.
Though I’ll admit that I’m a rather paranoid person; I felt extremely uncomfortable due to 1) why so late at night? 2) I don’t know you!
I recorded the situation and sent it to my landlord for record keeping if something were to happen in the near future.
Am I being too paranoid or is this something that I should be taking seriously?
We could definitely use better security measures in this complex. Anyone can get in if they can slip past someone who has a key fob and there’s barely any security cameras here. There are some, but frankly not enough. I wanted to install one for the peephole since there are sometimes package issues too.
What would you do?
Comments
First of all, I would not have opened the door to begin with.
Since your roommate did, I would just be cautious and careful with your belongings and information. Make sure your windows and deadbolt is locked, be wary of unknown mail, although since you mentioned package issues try to keep track of your mail. Try to get it as soon as possible each day, that way no one can take it and get potential personal information.
Best of luck, and stay safe!
I think you did a great job recording and sending a backup to the landlord. Wish I could say the same for your roommate!
When I was in my late teens and living with my Dad, a guy knocked on the door. Had coveralls on, all spattered with paint, work boots, super affable. Didn’t get a bad read on him at all, but I was still young. So he asks if this is Mrs. So-and-so’s house, he’s there for the paint job. I tell him no, and he’s apologetic; must have the wrong house number. This was before GPS was common. I left for school immediately after while he was still at his truck. House was well robbed by the time I got back 😂
Just keep your eyes open. My understanding is that most people case places to rob during the day so they can see who will be at work and who stays home. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to do it in the evening. But maybe they wanted to see what all you had in there. Stay vigilant. Recording everything was a great move.
You are not being paranoid. It’s not entirely unusual for someone to want to revisit a childhood home or somewhere that holds meaning, but doing it late at night is VERY weird. Always trust your gut in situations like this. You did the right thing by recording him and sending it to the landlord, and I getting that peephole camera is a good idea.
Best case scenario, he really did want to see a home that meant something to him and was just a little weird with poor timing.
Worst case scenario is he had bad intentions.
Either way, it sounds like beefing up security is a good plan.
a year after i bought my house a woman with a baby on her hip knocked on my door and said she was the previous owner. i let her in and she walked around talking to the baby about where he used to sleep and how he took his first bath there etc. she noticed which rooms id painted and how big the plants by the kitchen window had gotten. not everyone is nefarious.
late at night is sketchy, and if they show up again, you dont have to let them in. but what exactly is the threat now that they’re gone?
Goddamnit I’ve always wanted to revisit one of my childhood homes but now some fucker made it seem creepy. Man fuck earth nuke this shit already.
I hope you talked to your roommate and set some rules
I JUST finished watching the first episode of The Night Agent (on Netflix). The scenario plays a pivotal role in the storyline. Go watch it.
When my family in Texas visited my grandparents old house in Wisconsin but we did it in the middle of the day with a few little kids. Thinking back on it now it seems so annoying, but my grandma and mom loved it.
An apartment having sentimental value is weirder to me though.
Soon after we bought our home and made some improvements, someone parked in our driveway. I went over to the car and asked them if I could help them.
Turns out their parents owned the home years ago; they used it as a summer getaway and grew up in the house. Their parents became ill and died and the three adult children inherited it. All three families were using it as a weekend or summer getaway for a while, and then their kids grew up and had their own lives, so they sold it.
She wanted to know what became of the house, which held wonderful memories for her. We still had construction going on, but she saw we replaced the hardwood floors and she loved the fact that we had kids running around.
Sometimes people just want to reminisce.