A man just walked into my house...

[luciapenguin]

I was upstairs, and went to open the window when I see a man walking out of my house (out of my front garden). I watched him from the window and he didn't go into anyone else's house, and left our street.

I thought it was really odd as he wasn't a Royal Mail postman or anything, but I went downstairs to check whether he had put anything through our letterbox. Nothing there. I opened the door to see if anything he had put in the letterbox had fallen out- again, nothing.

Can anyone think of a logical explanation (I have anxiety) or is this really dodgy?

Surely in some ways OP, it's a positive event?

You keep your front door locked when you're not going in and out of it OP (which EVERYONE should do) and because of this, if he was a potential burglar, he wasn't able to get in. Hurrah!

Another possibility - when you're going to someone's house to pick up something you've brought off eBay, it's a nightmare trying to see the bloody house numbers! You have to park up, get on your feet and start walking back and forth peering at the frontage and see if you can see it, if there even is one, so it's not outside the realms of possibility that he could have been looking for a particular address. Sometimes you can't even see from the pavement and have to go up the drive and peer more closely (people should get bigger more clear to see numbers). I remember picking up some adopted pets from an RSPCA fosterer once - me and my and DD walked round for a good 10 minutes round 2 or 3 different roads and approached several properties pretty close up before we could find the place.

However, we have break-ins, car thefts and the like round where I live. Join Nextdoor for your neighbourhood area - you can post about this stuff all the time there. Mine is full of posts about 'suspicious people hanging around must be burglars on the make and with FOREIGN ACCENTS' (shudder, bloody racists).

There is only ONE solution. Cameras are great but not the whole solution when you have burglars who come in non-descript hoodies with a scarf over their face. You have to prevent entry: modern double glazing that can't be prised open, high quality cylinders that can't be drilled or bumped, high security handles especially on rear (French) doors with high quality cylinders, and always keep doors and windows locked when you're not in that room. Keep car keys out of visual sight and not anywhere near entrances. Have cameras as well if you want and get a Ring doorbell so you can vet callers without even having to open the door.

But unless you erect a fence and lockable gate around your front garden you can't prevent someone from coming up your path! Unless they're harassing/intimidating you or causing criminal damage they haven't committed an offence have they.

X-post there myfamily!!

"Lost goth?"

😂😂😂

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

Perhaps he was a mature player of knock-a-door-a-run but he chickened out at the last minute?!

God, that takes me back....

It seems the op is only in her early twenties, I assume this is her family home, parents, grandparents, her, her siblings, at least.

Op could it have been a friend of a sibling ie your brother?

I didn't dare ask about the lost goth @SparklyMagpie as I thought maybe I'd look stupid for not knowing what it is. Then I couldn't think what word autocorrect might have substituted and felt even more stupid!!

I have found random people in my garden a few times. Never occurred to me that they were up to no good. One was at the wrong address, one was looking for a cat and the third was taking a shortcut to the neighbors (I asked him to go the long way round in future and he agreed!).

A man walked out of your garden, not into your house.

A man has just walked past my house and he was picking his nose. Dodgy fucker, the police are on their way.

Looking for parcels left by couriers. We have this problem in our area.

If he looked dodgy, the most likely explanation is he's looking for unlocked front doors and left because yours was locked.

Pokemon hunting?

(But sadly suspect that he knows there are vulnerable elderlies living there so WAS trying his luck)

I'm shocked that nobody has suggested that OP calls 101 yet

Surely what you are asking us is something we could not possibly answer! I would say, to help your anxiety, maybe look at getting a wireless security camera? Sometimes we can invent many 'bad' reasons why a person may have come to the door when really there is a really simple solution..........we always think bad rather than good! You will never know why he visited and it will forever be a mystery........that's the true answer.

So he didn't walk into your house at all

Knock knock

Who's there?

A man

A man who?

A man who just walked into my house

Or garden even

This has to be a wind up, please find other issues

My cousin walked into my neighbours house, right into the kitchen thinking he was in my house. There could be a simple explanation.

I went into the house next to my in-laws one night after a few drinks. I sat down before I realised I was in the wrong house. I left immediately, to this day they don't know I was in their house that night.

OP if it helps even if it was someone dodgy; it’s likely that will be the end of it - as PP have said, the vast majority of burglaries are opportunistic and will just be trying doors, gates etc to see what opens and then grabbing keys, handbags etc that are nearby.

Unless you live somewhere with the chance of really high value stuff (and from your comment about snooty middle class people I doubt it!) most burglars don’t “case out” properties. If you think about it - why would they increase their chance of getting caught by returning to the same property twice?

The chalk markings etc are definitely an urban myth - again, why would criminals use a “code” that everyone on Facebook would know due to the amount of “warnings” about it that get circulated?

If you are concerned then i’d look at saving up to get a Ring doorbell or similar - they’ve been a massive load off my mind since we got them installed.

You’re doing the right thing by keeping your front door locked, so now it’s just making sure your windows etc are all secure and not left open. If you have access down the side of your property, consider getting a gate & padlock installed as well. Full home security systems are expensive, but you may feel it’s worth it for the peace of mind.

Took a wrong turn and realised it wasn't the right house when he saw the front door.

I have done this when visiting a relative after many years. Also a courier might do this if they have a photo of the front door (this is a thing for some companies).

I hope our overstretched police don't have to waste any precious time on this non event

l wear entirely black clothing. l'm also ex police....

Lost goth? :D

Something similar happened to me today do you live in London by any chance?