To feel a little bit creeped out..

[aloneathome]

Hello :)

So I'm really sorry in advance if this sounds crazy.. but I don't know what to
Think.

This morning, I came downstairs to let the dogs outside, to find the back door (goes into the garden) unlocked.

We don't leave keys outside / in 'safe places' or anything like that, and always lock doors from the inside before heading off to bed.
Nothing seems out of place, didn't hear any noises through the night that were alarming, and I am a very light sleeper so most things would wake me up.

The door itself was still shut, it's just the actual lock has been unlocked which I found quite unnerving 😳 as I was home alone last night (DP on a night shift and has only just got home)

When I came downstairs this morning, I noticed the utility door was ajar (always close all internal doors - don't know why! Just a habit - so this was also odd but again nothing out of place from what I can see so far. (Loft hatch is in the utility room in case this is of any importance)

Fast forward to now, working from home and I notice a couple of large handprints on the living room windows from the outside. Too high up for me to reach, and DP wasn't here last night as I say.
Rational me is trying to think 'probably been there for weeks, unnoticed' but at the same time I definitely haven't seen them and we had all of the windows cleaned 2 weeks ago.

Not sure what to think! What would you do? I will keep an eye, but more worried as to how the outside door was unlocked this morning 😩 we have had a spate of burglaries in the area so feeling a bit vulnerable as it is..

Definitely start setting your alarm. Can you have it set up with a setting that excludes where the dogs sleep? That’s what we have.

We also have Ring cameras and a doorbell at the back of the house. The doorbell at the back is never used as a doorbell, but it was the cheapest way of having a camera set up to cover an awkward angle at the very back of the house, with a Ring camera covering the bulk of the back.

Have you read “The Nothing Man” (just released).
(Not helpful)

There was a thread here some years back, a woman was perturbed by some unusual happenings in her home.
I think there was someone in her loft and there was a court case.

Tell police. Change the locks and put cctv on back of the house , though that is not much use if the intruder wears a hoodie and balaclava.

The fact that your dh's van is not there at night may be noted by people up to no good.
I'd be scared sh*tless.
Our dog would bring the house down with his barking at an intruder.

I'm not sure if anyones mentioned, but if you and DH are able to drive each others vehicles, when he works of an evening, it might be best that he takes your car if he can get away with it.

If some weirdo is hanging around during the wee hours of the night, they might just be less inclined to try something if he thinks it's a man who's home, instead of a woman.

I'm completely bewildered....are you phoning the police because you forget your back door unlocked and there are handprints on your window? And yet absolutely nothing else is amiss?

@Pechanga I'm guessing you've not read through the entire post..

I can tell you for a FACT I locked my back door last night. I can vividly remember doing so. Handprints over 5 foot high are very unusual. Not once did I say that they were anything untoward though.
I have called and logged with non emergency police as there have been a spate of burglaries (violent ones included) and nobody has been caught yet. Could be nothing, but if there's evidence here they could use, that's great.

• that should have read handprints over 6 foot high are very unusual.

We are in a new build and the day after we completed on the house (but hadn’t moved any furniture or stuff in) we came in to find all our new post had been moved and put on the windowsill. Presumably someone with a master key had been popping in and using our toilet or something! We changed the locks immediately.

Hope you get some peace of mind OP.

That's scary I hope your partner can stay with you at night.

What about food - is there any food missing?

@FecktheBoss

What about food - is there any food missing?

Don’t say that, that’s Whitechapel territory.

But actually...OP it’s a new build, do check false walls etc.

My sister is in a new build, I don’t think it ever occurred to her to change the locks!

@Bluetrews25

Did they leave a strange ironing board that's not yours? Or a safe?

Was the ironing board mystery ever solved?

OMG I'd be freaking out. I've got a mini loft just above the downstairs loo I've never been into. I'm going to take a look in there in daylight.

@aloneathome go to your local hardware store tomorrow, there are specific locks for French doors.

Something like this www.responseelectronics.com/shop/safety-and-security/child-safety-restrictors-and-additional-locking-devices/sash-jammer-for-additional-window-security/?v=7A002_RE&gclid=CjwKCAiAiML-BRAAEiwAuWVggvp6tA_XLrTzlwp9_RHvBeUbTexUCN9qnY_FMurrnF1a6r7yAmX8FBoCWvIQAvD_BwE

Or ask the locksmith.

Check your purse wallwts and jewellery boxes.
My parents in law were burgled in the middle of the night. He went in to their bedroom in to the wardrobe through Father inlaws jackets and emptied his wallet. Stole my Mother inlaws jewellery and money from her handbag. They slept through all of it. He was a genuine cat burgler.
He was caught by a off duty detective who was in a pawn shop when he came in to pawn the items. He knew of the burglary and arrested him.

We have one door which you think you've locked but sometimes it doesn't! We always check the handle to be sure now!

OP, I'm absolutely not trying to freak you out further but could someone have their eye on your dogs? Maybe keep them with you overnight until the mystery is solved.

Hope you get to the bottom of it OP. We were burgled several years ago after leaving an upstairs window open and it took us hours to realise. They had taken only 3 items, which were pretty small and as it turns out not that valuable (though they may not have realised it). But like yourself, we just noticed little things, a door ajar which I was sure was closed, and some mucky handprints on the stairs (which I assumed was my husband!). We just assumed we'd misplaced the items initially until we put it all together. I'm really sorry, it's such a horribly unnerving feeling. It does get better after a bit!

What type of lock is your door that was unlocked?

@Tomhardyshadabath

OP, I'm absolutely not trying to freak you out further but could someone have their eye on your dogs? Maybe keep them with you overnight until the mystery is solved.

A lot of dog thefts in Essex at the moment.

I’ve never heard of a scenario where a burglar finds a key to let himself in then decided not to take anything? Bit of a coincidence.

Certainly seems strange but are you sure if wasn’t DH?

[quote tenlittlecygnets]Don't send your DH up to check the loft while you stay in the bedroom.If you've seen Luther, you'll know why.

This.

If you really want to know, @Bleughbleughbleugh12, the baddie was hiding in the loft. Of course he was! Homeowners hear noise. Sends husband up to look. Deranged killer wraps husband's head in clingfilm iirc and shoves him through plaster ceiling into bedroom below...

See www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/g25733419/luther-scariest-moments-night-bus-fridge/[/quote]
Oh FFS that's completely unbelievable! A MAN who can unroll clingfilm???

Oh FFS that's completely unbelievable! A MAN who can unroll clingfilm???

🤣🤣🤣 you've won the thread @FlamedToACrisp

Hope you've been able to put extra / new locks on the door OP. I would be sticking hairs across the door frame and flour on the floor like James Bond.

Ugh took me years to get the Luther loft scene out of my head and now it's back along with when the guy creeps out from under the woman's bed in THE creepiest motion ever aaaargh.

I had something similar OP in that I was woken up by what I thought was someone at the back door. Went, looked, no one there. I then found the next day it was unlocked (I know I locked it). Got burgled when I was out 2 days later. Apparently it's not unknown for burglars to do a "trial run"