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Original poster

Loft hatch wifi burglar/poo leaver? Help me through the night please.

358 replies

Thattwatoverthere · 05/04/2018 22:43

There was a thread similar to this a while back that I can't find now but I promise I'm not a copy cat troll!

Last night i noticed that the loft hatch was open in the babies room. I definitely didn't do it, OH says he didn't do it. The cupboard under the TV where the electric and wifi box are was open yesterday, again, neither of us had opened it.
I called the police to report this last night and explained that I'm often alone with an 8 week old baby and that the house is really not secure (rental). Their next steps were to raise with their team manager and to contact me within 24 hours if they felt they needed to take it further, put it on record if not. Presumably this would be useful when I've been murdered in my sleep but whatever.
I've called the lettings agent who would get someone round to look at the locks that aren't locking.
I've heard nothing back from either. My life has no value clearly.

I've been blamed twice in the last fortnight for leaving a poo in the toilet by OH when I definitely, definitely haven't. Clothes have gone missing presumed lost somewhere and the wifi speed has dropped significantly over the last few weeks.

I'm concerned.

I have a CCTV style baby monitor that wasn't being used that I've set up in the living room to monitor anyone getting in which I thought was a pretty genius idea but forgot that you can talk the other way too. Tonight I'm pretty sure someone was talking through it. OH is working away but swears that it wasn't him. I need to be brave enough to get close enough to unplug it now.

There is access through the lofts from the other houses and only one key was given from the lettings agent so presumably another key is somewhere else out there. I can always hear footsteps from the houses either side of me which used to be reassuring when I was by myself. NOT ANY MORE!

Tomorrow I'm permanently closing both loft hatches, changing all locks and learning self defence. In the meantime help me get through the night. What can I do to make it as safe as I can? or channel Kevin from Home Alone And can I do anything on the wifi to see if someone else has signed up to mine?

I was a lot braver in the daylight...

I've got my baby asleep on me and I don't think she'll be much use if I'm confronted.

OP posts:
Pettynotvindictive · 08/04/2018 09:14

Thank you pancake

I've never seen it.

Always thought I'd get to distracted by the lovely Idris!

Janus · 08/04/2018 09:17

Petty, honestly it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever watched!!! It freaked me out big time! Let us know what you think! I couldn’t watch it again!!

wombatron · 08/04/2018 09:29

Sounds so scary OP. Thankfully I've converted my loft and currently sleep in it. Def no access points!

ememem84 · 08/04/2018 09:35

Wasn’t there an episode of Whitechapel (maybe) where someone was living in the walls of the house?! That was ace.

Haven’t seen any of Luther but may go in today!

Dh refuses to watch “shit like that” (his words) because we started watching the following a while ago and there was a scene where a woman was murdered - adjoining houses and her bff neighbours had put a door in their adjoining wardrobes and got a bit stabby.

Littlewoo · 08/04/2018 09:40

That Luther episode scared me for weeks, properly shaken up by it. Was that the same one where the female flatmates were in the kitchen and they heard banging upstairs? I was yelling,don’t go and look!!!

Pettynotvindictive · 08/04/2018 09:45

I'm quite excited now!
Everyone is going out soon, so I'll be alone...
I'll have the dogs but otherwise alone. Am I mad?

bruffin · 08/04/2018 09:46

Also an episode of Casualty where Lofty was living in the loft (just clicked where the nickname came fromGrin)

Juells · 08/04/2018 09:46

When my husband left me and I was alone with 14 month old and toddler I used to feel there was someone in the house/ I was being watched.We lived in semi detached house . Talked to neighbour who said it was probably squirrels in the attic. One night heard a noise like a radio above me for a second. Called police, they came straight away. Found my ex- he had been there for two weeks apparently.

He didn't go far, did he?

Littlewoo · 08/04/2018 09:47

petty it is possibly the most heart hammering scary episode of Luther I’ve ever watched, like I said upthread, I was freaked out for weeks! Enjoy Smile

drinkswineoutofamug · 08/04/2018 09:50

Yes ememem there was a Whitechapel episode. He killed everyone in the house apart from the selfish nasty person.

ememem84 · 08/04/2018 09:54

drinks that one scared me so much. I’m excited for the Luther one now.

mommy2018 · 08/04/2018 11:23

@OP Just speaking to dh as this has been playing on my mind now and he said to tell u to get it oh to go in the loft and see if the lofts are open to each other or bricked up.
Ours are apparently not bricked up on 1 side so he's going to get the appropriate materials for that and new locks so that I have peice of mind. We aren't private renting thou so, while I know you CAN change the locks (at ur own cost usually), I'm not sure about bricking up the loft boundaries so u would need to check.
xx

AnotherOriginalUsername · 08/04/2018 11:54

ememem84 Luther is fantastic, you should watch it. With DP. Make him eat his words!

BigFatBloomers · 08/04/2018 12:09

So did the op go to her mum’s and never come back to the house?

QuinionsRainbow · 08/04/2018 12:13

OH has been back for 36 hours. Haven't you sent him up there yet to investigate?

myluckycharm · 08/04/2018 12:37

I grew up in a large Victorian terrace of 8 houses, the whole row of attics were originally open.

I live in terrace like this. Not only were ALL the attics open, but when we lifted up a hatch in the front room floor, we found an open crawl space that ran right UNDERNEATH all the houses in our terrace. We all had a small, bricked off cellar under the kitchen floor, but a clear route from one end to the other under the front room floorboards.

Lost our cat for a few hours that way.

field10 · 08/04/2018 13:23

This sounds scary. My husband works away and beside my bed I keep 2 hammers. Spray )any will do its going to hurt if it goes in the eyes) and a torch. I used to have a sword under my pillow but husband was worried I would some how stab myself. After being burgled in broad daylight and going into the house with my children only to find out later the burgler was still in the house and picked up one of my husbands tools to defend himself, I know how terrifying it can be. I never felt safe there again. I would definitely ring the police and try to stay somewhere else until you have the loft hatches fully locked and new locks on the house. And get some protection at your bedside.

Sty90 · 08/04/2018 13:28

In that situation DH would spend the night camping out under the loft hatch with some kind of weapon

Original poster
Thattwatoverthere · 08/04/2018 14:18

Well the policeman came, he was very nice and went through what had happened. Sadly he couldn't do much today as he couldn't go into the loft himself but basically my OH will have to have a look up there again when he gets home today to see if anything has been disturbed since he was last up there then we have to list anything that might have been taken that we hadn't noticed. He'll then be back around. I'm under strict instructions not to mention it to any of the other neighbours.

So no conclusion yet but we're on the right track at least... and I feel a bit better that he was quite calm about it.

He also said about checking if there had been any drill holes through the ceiling which got me a bit Confused. I hadn't considered that until now!

And it's illegal to not have a firewall in place between lofts now so we'll have to have it bricked/boarded up Smile

The agency is getting a piece of my mind about the locks etc tomorrow considering I've reported it all before and had nothing done. Including not giving a shit when I called them last week with no return phone calls or the promised handyman visit. Pretty crap that we've had to sort it all ourselves. BUT at least it's all getting sorted now and I have the police on side in case they push back on it. i feel quite shit for being so blasé on security before this happened. I'm definitely not any more!

I REALLY want to watch Luther but probably best to wait a while...

OP posts:
RunMummyRun68 · 08/04/2018 14:43

But it's not getting sorted is it??

Nobody has even been up to look yet..... why not?

AlonsoTigerHeart · 08/04/2018 14:50

I can't believe no ones been up yet

RunMummyRun68 · 08/04/2018 14:50

Me either!

unicornpoopoop · 08/04/2018 15:03

I would sprinkle flour over the floorboards so you'll know if anyone has walked over them

Original poster
Thattwatoverthere · 08/04/2018 15:16

My OH was up there the other night? Now he needs to go up again which he'll do this afternoon.

OP posts:
N2986 · 08/04/2018 18:59

Did he survive op? Wink