Partners step dad has a locked room in family home

[axopa]

They have a spare bedroom which he has a padlocked door on.

They live together partners mum and him and there two children. Age 15 and 12

He works from home drawing up roofs. He didn't go to uni etc and isn't top of his company etc (not to be putting it down) but there's no reason for the lock on the door for this work. He isn't doing really big deals. Just there regular things. People in the office wouldn't have a lock etc. it would all just be out on the tables. My partner works there too so I asked about set up. No one's work is locked away. It's open plan. They have visitors in etc. only certain people do the big jobs even they aren't locked away.

His kids are much too old for going in and messing up his work. And they could easily be told don't go in and touch the work.

I don't like him. Hes very narcissistic and inappropriate and creepy. Especially to younger girls

No one has ever seen in his room. His wife doesn't go in, he spends a lot of time in it. It is very much don't go in or he will be very angry if anyone did or tried to. Not that they could because it's padlocked off.

Am I right in feelings it's off or is it just because he's very narcissistic? I personally would hate it and feel very uncomfortable if it is just for the work I'd want to know the code too. But his wife doesn't and isn't allowed in

Call the Police 😂😂😂😂😂. Really ??? Apropos of nothing - other than a “weird feeling” with zero substance. We don’t live in a Police State, you can padlock any room you like in your own house … fill your boots.

I would love to hear that 999 call … “can you send help quick, someone has a padlock on a door”

Lock him in there for a laugh

Is the room his office, or does he have an office and a locked room?
I think it's quite sensible to keep anything of value or important documents (passport etc) in a locked room. My dad used to lock his office because he got thoroughly pissed with us kids 'borrowing' his tools and never remembering to put them back; I now feel his pain as my scissors and screwdrivers are forever going missing.
The creepy vibe is different, if someone gave me the heebeejeebies I'd been avoiding them like the plague. In what way is he a narc?
It's fine for you not to like him, and if he does your head in, it's fine for you not to see him. Have you talked to you partner about your feelings?

This. The wife knows.

I can only guess that he's watching things that he doesn't want anyone else to know about. The fact the wife puts up with it and doesn't go in there is giving me serious Fritzl vibes.

So what happens when he is ‘working’ in there? It’s locked from the inside?? Really odd and can’t think of an innocent explanation when everyone in the household is old enough to understand ‘don’t touch my work stuff’.
My DH has our garage/workshop largely for his ‘stupid boy projects’ and I rarely go in but everyone can access it. I would be quite suspicious if he wanted to lock it in a way I couldn’t go in.

Yup, this

@IdentifyWithNotAs 😂

Yeh that’s not a room used for work sorry

could be innocent, could be not. My husband keeps his office locked (but I know where the key is and can go in). Kids are allowed in when he is there or if i let them in. (to use the printer for example). Its just messy and he is vey private in general, he is convinced someone (eg the cleaner) might steal his identity or i don't know what.

Smash the door down?

Erm you do. I'd be for the bloody high jump if I didn't keep my files in a locked filling cabinet in a locked room....that said it's not out of bounds if I'm working in there! But there are lots of jobs where security and confidentiality require locked files, locked rooms and locked buildings!

You want her to call the police and say “a man has a locked room in his own house”?

Whatever about an ordinary lock with a key, plenty of people have them on internal doors for one reason or another, but a bloody great padlock screams "dodge city, stay out" doesn't it?

Yeah it's the padlock that tips it into dodgy.

You are going to report to the police a man has a locked door in his own home 😂😂😂

I expect he's doing something illegal in there that he would get into trouble about if people knew and thats why he's padlocked the room.

Whats the housing situation? IE, who owns the house?

The only reason I can think of to legitimately have a locked room like that is if there is a gun in there. Which is all well and good if he has a firearms certificate, guns SHOULD be kept under lock and key. But if the reasons for owning it are above board, why get so funny about it?

He probably just smokes weed or something and doesn't want the kids to find it

That's bizarre, I get having a secure area for work as both me and DP do. But ofcourse we go into each others spaces and the cleaner does too. I'd trust your gut and (people can say this isj umping to conclusions) but I'd expect porn/indecent images.

He could have firearms that are meant to be kept locked, a dangerous snake, some sort of panic room or valuables he collects privately, he could be storing items for a relative etc, no end of reasons.

On the whole, yes, he sounds awful and creepy.

Though if I could put a bloody lock on my home office, I sure as hell would. The kids are constantly in there digging around in my stuff. I find bits of my work strewn all about the house because no one respects my damn personal space. So I do understand the sentiment.

Though I’m definitely not creepy or inappropriate. Sounds like he’s treating it as a ‘man cave’. What he might be up to in there is hard to say, even if he doesn’t sound nice.

Padlock on the door.
That is bound to raise suspicions, it’s like someone having a secret password on their phone and refusing to reveal it to anyone.
Sure sign of something dodgy going on.
Never trust a secretive person they have unsavoury things to hide.

Has your DP not seen inside it if they work together? Surely there'd be an occasion to ask about seeing X roof plans in his office?

If he has a laptop in there, and the door locked from the inside, I'd be concerned about his browsing history ... 👀

Has anyone ever asked him why he keeps it padlocked?