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Original poster

Someone was in our house last night.

470 replies

worried91 · 10/04/2022 10:59

Am so worried and confused about what happened.
1am- DH and I go upto bed, dd1 has popped out to pick up her boyfriend from the pub and bring him back here and dd2 has just arrived home from work. Younger dc have been asleep for hours.
5am- I hear a phone vibrating in the house and what sounds like an alarm, dh puts his ears to the older dc's doors but thinks it's coming from downstairs. Goes down past the (closed?) front door and locates the phone down the back of the couch. Knocks on oldest dd's door and throws the phone to her sleeping boyfriend saying he'd left it downstairs.
8am dd2 goes downstairs for a drink and the front door is wide open. I hear her coming up to check on the little two who are still asleep in bed.
At this point I start getting concerned so go into dd1s room and her boyfriend says the phone isn't his! He thought dh had got confused about who he was giving it to at 5am so just put it under the bed and went back to sleep.
Dh insists the door was closed when he walked past it at 5am (Yale lock no handle so when it's not clicked closed it swings wide open so I believe it was closed)
Back door is locked with the key in the door and the conservatory has an added locking system over the original lock that hasn't been moved.
We live in a nice area, we are on the edge of town with fields all around so you wouldn't walk past our house going anywhere else iyswim, you'd have to be deliberately coming this way.
We rent our house (moved in 18 months ago) so we don't know who all had keys before us which stupidly never crossed my mind until this morning 😕
Nothing seems to have been touched, my bag is over the end of the stairs, the cars and keys are all there and no laptops etc are missing.
I've no idea why anyone would have come in, lost their phone on the couch then left again without us hearing anything.
I'm worried that the person must have still been in the house when dh went downstairs then left the door open when he went out.
The only other thing to add is one night a few weeks ago dd2 came in at 1am then I went out at 5am and the door was wide open. I told her to be more careful when she came in and she insisted that she had closed the door properly but now I'm wondering if someone has done this before.
We've phoned the police who are coming out at some point to talk to us and pick up the phone (phones locked with a gaming picture on the Lock Screen) and will be going to B&Q to get new locks but I feel so on edge wondering what's been going on 😔

OP posts:
100problems · 10/04/2022 18:54

Crikey @QueenCamilla you're quite the guesser.

Whatalovelydaffodil · 10/04/2022 19:19

@colosmbo

could you get a ring or similar doorbell
Or just a camera, doesn't have to be a doorbell.
Batshitkerazy · 10/04/2022 19:23

@QueenCamilla

OP, Did you tell the boyfriend you are calling the police over this BEFORE doing so?

My wild guess is that it's the boyfriends second phone and possibly for dealing.
He stashed it down the back of the sofa to retrieve later.

But why would the boyfriend say it wasn’t his and hand it back to the dad?
Whatalovelydaffodil · 10/04/2022 19:25

We have TP tapo camera, you can see the fotage on your phone and you can speak through it as well.

ouch12345 · 10/04/2022 19:26

Have you had any workmen round or any guests, younger DC's friends that might have just dropped their phone out of the pocket?

I would assume that the door just wasn't closed properly when DD came home and wind blew it open and the phone has just fallen out of a random persons pocket who was visiting been round.

I would be very creeped out too. But hopefully something innocent.

StScholastica · 10/04/2022 19:31

When I was a student I once came down to find 2 young lads asleep on the sofas in our sitting room, turned out they were friends of the previous tenants and decided to kip at his after a night out. They'd let themselves in with their own key.
Half of Liverpool had a key to that house, we changed the locks.

WhackingPhoenix · 10/04/2022 19:33

Also, people suggesting it’s from a visitor and might have been there weeks; if you lost a phone and OP’s house might have been one of the last places you last had your phone, wouldn’t you have already alerted them that you might have left your phone there? Confused

MargaretThursday · 10/04/2022 19:34

@QueenCamilla

OP, Did you tell the boyfriend you are calling the police over this BEFORE doing so?

My wild guess is that it's the boyfriends second phone and possibly for dealing.
He stashed it down the back of the sofa to retrieve later.

In which case why didn't he simply slip the phone into his pocket when dh threw it at him and say nothing. No one would have known. I doubt even the dd would have noticed if he'd just quietly put it away that it wasn't his.

If we're making wild guesses I am guessing that the neighbours cat has a habit of collecting phones and taking them back to their house. She arrived in in the middle of the night and the neighbours decided to frame you by crawling down the chimney with her and leaving the phone behind. They opened the door with the key to get out and the cat followed later by opening the door.
Or maybe it was aliens.

PrivateHall · 10/04/2022 20:06

@worried91

I'm sure we are nightmare neighbours 😂 I asked my dd how her night was while she was directly below me and my eldest dd went out to the pub on a Saturday night to pick up her boyfriend. We're practically what nightmares are made off 🙄
All the coming and going in the middle of the night would be mildly annoying, but the calling out the window to have a conversation with dd 'on the drive' rather than waiting for a minute for her to come inside would drive me barmy!
Silverclocks · 10/04/2022 20:11

I reckon DD2 let someone in during the night and they spent some time on the sofa...Does she know police now have the phone?

Mintyt · 10/04/2022 20:12

I think you sound like a lovely family, and changing the locks, I'm sure will sort it.

QueenCamilla · 10/04/2022 20:16

I'm obviously more likely to be hanging around dealers than finding random drunks on my sofa... Grin
I'm damaged!

QueenCamilla · 10/04/2022 20:22

@MargaretThursday
Maybe he couldn't explain away to his girlfriend? So decided to deny it's his.

I know that dealers stash their phones (and money) down the sofa. I should watch less real crime TV!

DoorWasAJar · 10/04/2022 20:33

@mumda

Advice for tenants. Change your door locks by all means. Your landlord can only come in with notice and permission. Put the old barrel on when they're expected. If they ever randomly discover you changed the lock they were coming in without notice and permission.

Changing locks gives you security of knowing who has access to your home.

My landlord tried to force his way into my flat with another man and sexually assaulted me in the process, police woman finally came out hr after he had gone to tell me he’s ENTITLED to come in whenever he wants using his key!!! That’s in a town in Cornwall and I have it all on video, but due to mental illness and poverty I can’t take any action against him. Just thought it’s absolutely sick that police refused to help me, I already have cptsd due to sexual abuse in foster care.
Blondeshavemorefun · 10/04/2022 20:35

I’m assuming if innocent and phone was lost /picked up by mistake that the owner would Try and ring it or use find my iphone

And make a noise

I accidently picked up someone phone at a family party and put in bag

Saw on fb they lost it. Thought oh no

Was in house and awful loud noise happened
And they had set it off

I found it via noise and went on fb to message them to say I had it

Shame uou have to police in some ways as wouid have been interesting to see if anyone rang it

Or as another poster said earlier to try and send a pic and see if phone found it or had it named

Haveatakeaway · 10/04/2022 20:39

Your dd's bf is Heisenberg 😎

palmplantcirca1980s · 10/04/2022 20:41

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

ellebelli · 10/04/2022 20:43

Now you have given the phone to the police you probably will never find out whom it belongs to!
I think it will be something to do with one of your children.
Also it sounds like a very busy house with lots of coming and going in the early hours! would drive me mad!!(how do you manage to stay up till 1am?? i am in bed for 11 30 at the latest even on a weekend haha

Crikeyalmighty · 10/04/2022 20:53

@QueenCamilla. I think this too.

Mommy45 · 10/04/2022 21:14

OMG! Purchase web cameras, please; the situation is awful...Your description made me worried and anxious, I have never felt that

mumwon · 10/04/2022 21:15

Contact your Landlord & tell him & ask if he could change the locks & tell them that you will be forced to do this if he doesn't ( & I am a landlord by the by) it would be in his interest

LavenderBrownWeasley · 10/04/2022 21:16

Hope it's an innocent and not sinister ending to your story OP.

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 10/04/2022 21:17

Why would a drug dealing boyfriend hide his phone down the ops sofa, especially without turning it off 😒

Heracles1000 · 10/04/2022 21:20

It has to be something to do with the comings and goings of your daughters, surely? I don't understand why you gave the police the phone immediately rather than wait for a phone call or something

Gwenhwyfar · 10/04/2022 21:32

"Your landlord can only come in with notice and permission."

Unless there is an emergency.