Am I Paranoid?

[blas]

This morning I got home, took out the garbage and was relaxing outside for a bit when I saw people from the property mangagement company walking around all the buildings with clipboards, stopping by each building, and what it seemed like, taking mental notes of something.

I came to the conclusion they were looking to see who was home and who wasn't, because they went inside a couple of apartments in another building, and those were ironically, the ones without cars parked in the spots that coordinate with the apartment number.

Then a bit later, they went into Old Bitch's apartment (which, they could just be checking on her place because she's moved out for the winter), but then they also went into two other ones downstairs, and those people also weren't home and their vehicles were gone.

I didn't hear them come upstairs.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I have this feeling that they were just walking into people's apartments because they weren't home and inspecting them.

I'm worried because they didn't come to mine, and on Friday mornings (which is tomorrow) I usually don't get home until later in the morning.....and if they come at the same time that they did today, I won't be home or I'll be just getting home.

It's not that I'm smoking inside or I have drugs or a pet or I've been decorating or doing something against the lease rules, I just HATE the idea of them just walking in without my permission or without any notice and going through my place. I have seen the landlord himself going into people's places before and I've always been ready to tell him off if he did that to me. It's never happened to me (AFAIK) because on most weekdays I'm always home in the morning.

Should I be worried?

I also have to pay rent tomorrow morning. Anyone think I should ask the landlord what's up when I go there?

[Bandit]

Don't they have to give notice of entrance or inspections?

By law here, any landlord needs to give at least 24 hours written notice if they want to do an inspection or the such.

B

[TTAZ]

Could be any number of things, really.

-Every year the property needs to be assessed for tax and insurance purposes, they could very well be going into vacant places and places they know are not occupied (like Old Bitch) in order to avoid the hassle of giving everyone notice and having a big chunk of your time taken up with residents calling up and yelling at you to "Stay outta mah place I pays mah rent and dee-serves mah prahvicee! Whatchoo lookin' fer anyway, sum a dem eeeeeeeeligulls?" You don't have to be in this business for long to get sick of that shit.

-The highups in the management company are looking at a sample of places to try and put together a new budget for the owner. For example if they see that all the places they go into are sporting old carpet then they can try to get the owner to fork out more money for flooring.

-The owner is looking to sell, and wants a survey taken on certain selling points so they know what to fix up prior to the appraiser coming.

I don't know a single damn state that allows entrance into an apartment for anything less than a maintenence emergency without at the very least 24-48 hours notice. Check your lease, the policy should be outlined quite clearly within.

Now, there is the possibility (since they did enter a known to be occupied unit) that they are dicks, and I would set up a trap for them upon leaving for work. Penny on the doorknob. Put a book or something on the floor as close to the door as you can when you leave so if they come in the book will be pushed farther away.

Anybody out there who had snoopy brothers and sisters growing up could likely give you tips on things to do to check and see if someone's been snooping. Good luck.

[JustaCashier]

I'm stunned as hell that they would do this.

It's the same thing where I live, as with the previous two posters. A property landlord/manager needs to give either 24 or 48 hours notice, (don't remember which), before entering an apartment, unless, as was mentioned above, there's an emergency, such as a busted water pipe. I just figured this was one of those laws, that would pretty much apply everywhere.

If there's nothing in your lease regarding this, check with your tenant's union, if there is one, or the appropriate department of your local municipality.

I don't know if it's something to be neccesarily "paranoid" about, but it's a bit disturbing on at least two levels. One, could they be stealing tenants' stuff? Or, as you alluded to, are they checking to see if a tenant is smoking, or hiding a kitty? I mean, 1984 was 25 years ago, but, Big Brother hasn't taken over our society. (Yet. )

I like the booby trap idea. Don't forget to put the marbles in the medicine cabinet!

Mike

[Eric the Grey]

The easiest way to detect if someone has gone through a door is by using a piece of scotch (clear) tape. Note that this only works when you're leaving.

Get a length of tape, fold about an inch over on itself, sticky to sticky, leaving another inch available to stick to the door. Tape that to the door edge facing out, so that the folded part bends in an L fashion against the jam. When the door is opened and closed again, the tape will end up folded the opposite way in between the door jam and the door. Place the tape high enough that it won't be seen by casual glancing. If someone is looking, they'll probably see it, but a casual look will not notice it if it's up high, or down very low.

If you come home, and find that someone has been through the door, call the cops and report someone has trespassed in your home. Don't touch the knob until they dust it for prints.

I have a real problem with a landlord coming in without my invite unless it's an emergency. Take steps to protect yourself, whatever the reason for them doing this is.



Eric the Grey

[MaggieTheCat]

The law in Texas states that a landlord or property manager CAN enter a tenant's property without notice, IF it is stated in the signed lease that they may do so. If there is no such clause in the lease, then the landlord/manager must give proper notice unless it's an emergency or the tenant requests entry (for example, if we call up management and ask them to send a repair guy over to fix our AC unit.) So yeah, definitely worth looking into. And the traps sound like a good idea if you're worried.

[NightAngel]

It might also be that the tenents who's aparments they inspected were notified.

Before my last apartment complex went up for sale they looked at a small sample of apartments to decide what needed to be done to make the property value higher. My apartment was one of them- I received a note explaining but my upstairs neighbor did not since they weren't going in hers.

[blas]

I do know for a fact that they do go in some people's apartments without a word, such as some of the elderly people downstairs, but I'm willing to believe that those people gave them special permission....it can be hard for elderly people to replace things that seem simple for younger people (except I always need help with light bulbs on the ceiling fans but I call my dad, not the landlord).

I didn't set any traps last night before I left, but everything seems the way I left it.

I do thank you all for the tips, though.....I can also look back into my childhood and see if I can remember anything I used to do to try to prevent my kid brother from going in my room.

I have to find where I hid my copy of the lease....because I have heard of landlords putting in a spot where you can (knowingly or unknowingly) sign off that they can just come in whenever they feel like it.

[tacohuman]

also, does your complex have a fire sprinkler system, or are you provided with extinguishers? if so, those have to be inspected and re-certified annually.

[blas]

The fire extinguishers are outside and in between apartments.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Geeze, I used to have a renter at my old place, and even though he was a friend, and even though I had his standing permission to come in whenever I wanted, and even though I knew he would not be offended, I never came into the place while he was living there without giving him a heads up or getting permission..

I mean, that's just respect.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Hell, even when I call to ask them to check or fix something, they specifically ask for my permission for the super to come in if we're not here. And they always leave a note on the doorknob saying that they came in and what they did.

It is possible that the elderly folks you mentioned who might have trouble with certain tasks have called them and asked them to come in to do those things. We've had to have them change the bulb in the stairwell; although, that's not inside our apartment so it's not really our responsibility, and it's also in the ceiling at the top of the stairs, and we have no way of reaching it safely, even if we were so inclined to change it ourselves.

[Bella_Vixen]

Wow. 24-48 hours notice? Every place I've lived has been at least 12 hours notice.

[AccountingDrone]

I know that I have previously had the 24 hour clause in my contracts. I had to get nasty when one maintenance guy just let himself in as I was getting out of the shower. Luckily I use a terry bathrobe instead of a towel so I was covered up totally.

Just because there wasn't a car in the assigned parking place does not mean nobody is home!