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Someone is trying to get in to our house

263 replies

piscofrisco · 15/12/2023 13:36

....it started in summer. I came in through the door, shut it behind me and put my keys down on the side. Went to go out later and the keys were gone. The car was still there on the drive. Two days later Iwa idly scrolling through Facebook and saw them on our local towns lost and found type forum. They had been found on a bus in an area of town that I have never been to.
We had a lot of people doing work on our house last year after a huge house fire. Any number of them could have copied the key.
We changed the locks and although very freaked out, just kind of carried on as usual.
A few months later dh was away with three of our kids. I was at home with dd1. We distinctly heard someone try they handles on all three our our exterior doors. The dogs were going off it. We were terrified. We called dh who thought we were winding him up. We told the police who said there was nothing we could do bar put a camera up. We duly installed a ring doorbell.
A few months passed with no incident until this past few weeks. Dh and I both laid up with Covid. In the lounge with the blinds shut. Someone aggressively knocked on the window right behind us. When we looked there was no one there and no one showed up on the ring camera (which shows the whole front driveway).
And now today. I'm
Wfh and I could hear someone rattling the side door handle. Dogs going mad. I thought it was dh back early and not taken his key. Went to look-no one there. Dh is at work still.
Ring camera is charging up so not on to check.
I am now pretty nervy when in the house on my own. I'm going to work from Starbucks this afternoon.
We have a sort of granny flat thing in the back garden which I daren't look in.
The police basically said just keep your doors locked.
What else can we do?

OP posts:
FofB · 15/12/2023 16:27

I think the battery operated trail cam is a good idea. But put it down your garden, looking up to the house. We have a motion sensor one and it's very good- ours is for wildlife watching but you can clearly see us going down to close up the chickens etc.

EmmaEmerald · 15/12/2023 16:28

Could any of your kids have given keys out?

WildFlowerBees · 15/12/2023 16:34

You can get relatively cheap wildlife cameras to put in your garden facing the door. We had one for our horses tucked away couldn't ever see it so no one knew it was there. Doesn't work on WiFi it's battery and you check it daily so no one could block the signal.

Unicorntastic · 15/12/2023 16:35

One thing that struck me is it’s a bit of a coincidence that your keys were found the day after and that someone bothered to post that on Facebook when they could have been from anywhere-not impossible but a bit of a coincidence nevertheless. Also how did they get in to get the keys,if the door was locked? Have I misunderstood that part?

RougeFraise · 15/12/2023 16:38

Get proper cctv covering your entire grounds. We have 4 cameras plus a ring doorbell to cover the entire garden and front driveway. We can access it remotely at any time so live and recorded.

have security lights installed.

have a house alarm installed. You can get heat sensitive exterior alarms for overnight as well.

DragonMama3 · 15/12/2023 16:42

install cameras and have sensors on windows x i'd ring police and ask for advice tbh.

ChilledToTheBone · 15/12/2023 16:45

Get proper cctv with adt or similar. That may be a start.

Chilicabbage · 15/12/2023 16:50

If you don't have much spare for full alarm ayatem, you can get individual door and window screamers. I had them for peace of mind when DH was away for longer periods. They ARE loud as I confirmed every time I forgot to turn them off before opening door😂

MrsAllsorts · 15/12/2023 16:51

OP,

So, somebody got into your house and took your keys, despite the fact you had closed the door behind you. The intruder cannot have entered via the back, because at least one of your dogs would have noticed, and you might have seen them too.

I am wondering who has legitimately entered your house, perhaps to carry out work - or even for a few minutes, and whether they might have deliberately stolen your keys in order to harass you, for whatever reason, possibly because they are just odd. Where do you usually keep the keys, and had you tended to leave them where they were easy to see?

I think you should provide the police with all the details you describe. They might want to know who has entered your property, even legitimately. I cannot otherwise explain how they entered a closed door to steal your keys. Also, who, in your family, has a key? Have they lost it and not told you, and was your address written on the key fob?

It seems the key thief may have left the keys on the bus, possibly even deliberately - perhaps to scare you for some reason. So they may have travelled to within walking distance of your property to ensure no recognisable vehicle was nearby. But why did they not simply park their car a few streets away? Maybe they don't drive, have a car, or maybe parking is difficult?

Take care OP!

Wildlife cameras are a good idea, and can film in the dark.

pastypirate · 15/12/2023 16:51

Can you put gravel or something down on the approach to the house.? I suggest this because I inherited a gravel drive in a previous property and no one approaching the house could take a single step without us and the dog hearing it. The crunching is so loud!

SgtJuneAckland · 15/12/2023 16:51

We have a eufy system after it became apparent people were using our (grassy) alley for all kinds of things and then a group of thugs got into our garden late at night and when DH confronted them they threatened to burn our house down (police attended within 3 minutes I was very impressed). We have two cameras, a ring type bell, contact sensors on the doors and motion sensors downstairs, it's not an expensive set up but very flexible and user friendly. The cameras have motion activated lights and speakers so the first couple of times we spoke through them told them the alley was private property and they were being filmed. We've not had anything other than Foxes and cats for some time now. They also have loud sirens but I only know that because my dad set them off dropping something off for us without realising we'd had it installed and let himself in when we were out

REP22 · 15/12/2023 17:06

I wonder if it could be an elderly person with dementia, who is wandering and confused/lost? We used to have a lady reasonably local to us that was convinced that our house was hers. Although very unwell with the dementia, she was physically very strong. She would hammer on the doors, try the handles and the windows. She was insistent that it was her house, even though she had never lived in it. My dad would take her home every time (she actually lived over three miles away and walked everywhere, eventually arriving at our house). Sadly it only ceased when she went into a care home.

Just wondering if this is a possibility unrelated to the keys issue.

Whatever it is, I hope it gets resolved soon and without too much more worry and hassle.

Fraaahnces · 15/12/2023 17:22

I was going to mention elderly confused person too, but suspect something more sinister I’m afraid. Hope they’re not camped out in granny flat!

piscofrisco · 15/12/2023 17:24

The kids don't have keys themselves on the grounds they would lose them immediately!
We can't get gravel on the drive I don't think. It's bricked and slopey.
No alarm system but I think we'll have to get one :(.

The keys thing remains a mystery. The man that found them was a total random and he came and met dh somewhere neutral to hang them over with no bother. Dh said he seemed nice enough and we offered him £20 for his trouble which he refused. All organised via fb messenger.
The door was closed and locks automatically behind you when closed. We were out of the house for a good 9 months after the fire during which time the house key was kept in a lock box which the contractors had the code for. We changed the code when we got back but not the locks. Any number of workers in various trades were in and out during that time-we have no idea who they were or where from as it was managed by the insurance company until we got back in and took over for the finishing off bits.
We changed the locks after the keys incident and have had no more evidence of anyone in the house-just someone outside the house seemingly trying to get in :(

OP posts:
piscofrisco · 15/12/2023 17:26

Home now and turned all the lights on (and looked in all the big wardrobes and under the beds for good measure) now ensconced in the lounge with the doggies waiting for everyone to come home. I find the kitchen/diner unnerving as we don't have any curtains, just glass doors and it's black as a hat out there. Keep thinking someone will suddenly appear against the glass 🫣 I need to calm myself down!

OP posts:
piscofrisco · 15/12/2023 17:28

When dh gets home we are going to look in the granny flat with a baseball bat just in case!

OP posts:
piscofrisco · 15/12/2023 17:28

Bloody hell @SgtJuneAckland that must have been awful!!

OP posts:
3ornotto3 · 15/12/2023 17:34

Fraaahnces · 15/12/2023 17:22

I was going to mention elderly confused person too, but suspect something more sinister I’m afraid. Hope they’re not camped out in granny flat!

Yeah get that granny flat checked out asap

Teaandtoast12 · 15/12/2023 18:17

Oh wow! No advice just hope everything is okay that sounds so scary

penjil · 15/12/2023 18:20

Get some curtains up in your kitchen/diner ASAP.

You don't want people viewing you, especially if it's dark out....you won't see them!

mynewusername2023 · 15/12/2023 18:41

We have hikvision cameras and they are hardwired into a harddrive but can be viewed online from anywhere. You can set them up to send a trigger notification from various areas. During the day it alerts if someone comes into the front garden. At night the trigger is if someone walks past our house on the pavement. We did this to protect the cars that are parked on the road. We also have one at the back. Worth every penny.

I've had someone trying to get into the house when I was alone so our doors are locked 24/7 unless we're walking through them.

Reliy · 15/12/2023 18:50

I had a stalker and it made me feel so unsafe at home, things I did was alarm system, motion lights, more cameras and I got one lf those electric peep holes that you can click to see who it is rather than squint through the little hole and like myuser doors are locked unless I’m passing through them.
get yourself some curtains and defs check out the granny flat too for ease of mind!

Ivakhunt · 15/12/2023 19:02

I've had someone trying to break into my back garden. I now have two large dogs, German shepherds - one is a trained protection dog, the other has a loud and heavy bark (but soft as warm butter) which is quite the deterrent. I have cctv, floodlights, etc.
It's awful to feel so afraid in your own home

HamstersAreMyLife · 15/12/2023 19:14

Hoping your granny flat was empty OP!

piscofrisco · 15/12/2023 19:15

Nothing in the granny flat really. There is a bed in there with old sheets and a duvet on. Can't tell if it's been disturbed or not really as it was sort of a mess before 🫣. We will get the locks changed on that next week for peace of mind.

OP posts:
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