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

Well that's only one suggestion. Others are suggesting smashing down the door or drilling a hole and filming through it, just in case he's cross-dressing.

I'm just trying to imagine what the police would make of such a report, really.
Anyway. It's an entertaining thread. If getting a bit batshit.

The hasp the padlock locks round will be screwed to the door frame and door. Unscrew the hasp and the whole lot will come off allowing you access. Don’t lose any screws. Don’t get caught and just screw it back on when you’ve finished

...but what if there are lasers when you break in?!

Probably his personal porn hub.

Key-only locks, external padlocks, and external bolts on bedroom doors make my skin crawl. I'm not talking about locks that open with a twisty knob on the inside, but the kind that always need a key. I always wonder, who are you locking in?

Other rooms, depends what it's for. My dad's career involved expensive and in some cases irreplaceable objects belonging to other people, sharp tools, and very dangerous chemicals. His workshop was rightly kept locked to keep his kids out. And, importantly, we were allowed to look inside if he was in there working and my mum knew what was in there. Ideally, any internal door in a house should be unlockable from the inside, for safety.

It's not the lock that's the problem. It's no one else in the household knowing what's in there that's the problem.

You need those trousers from Wallace and Gromit. Walk up the side of the house and look in.

"Hello, police? Yes, I would like to report my FIL for something. I'm not sure really. He has a locked room in his house and doesn't let anyone go into it. No, I don't know what's in it. No, no noises. I don't know. I just think it's creepy. Oh. Ok."

This is going to run until OP breaks in and tells us what horror is in there

It’s fine.

If I had an office room I would also keep it locked.

Do you think he’s hiding someone in there or something?

I doubt there’s anything dodgy going on because anything dodgy would be on his computer which he’d put a password on. If he had physical photos they would be in a locked box.
There would be no need for the locked door.

The issue comes if someone asks to go in there and he refuses.

Also the locked room is completely irrelevant if you say he acts inappropriately with young girls.
What do you mean by this?
This should be your focus.

"you're sending a SWAT team round immediately? Cheers"

Grow room? With his ability to redesign the roof to fit ?!

I’d honestly report anonymously to the police. He’s probably viewing or even making abusive images.

If you at any future point have children with your partner NEVER leave them unsupervised with this man. You say he has children aged 12 and 15. I’d be very concerned about their safety.

I swear that's how some people think these things go.

This has been suggested upthread, and genuinely - what do you think the police will do?

He’s probably viewing or even making abusive images

Probably as in almost certainly? The whole thing reads like the plot synopsis of a free for Kindle 'thriller'.

Jesus Christ some of the responses on here are absolutely batshit!! People are entitled to some bloody privacy in their own homes, WTF are you all on? It’s perfectly normal for people to have locked rooms, maybe he carries a lot of petty cash for a club he’s a part of, maybe he has lots of paperwork lying around in there, maybe his family are nosey fuckers that can’t be trusted… and calling the police?! I can’t get my head around that one - “in case there are any girls locally that go missing” - how the hell do you make it through the day being so paranoid?! I’m genuinely astounded by the insanity in this thread, some serious mass hysteria going on

Never mind the police. Get the fire brigade in for a risk assessment. You can't have a room in the house inaccessible to others in an emergency. What are they all thinking ffs?

Also yeah, creepy.

@DraconianDen - the suggestions to call the police are bonkers enough, but to extrapolate about missing girls...

It doesn't sound like he is expected to have privacy for work related stuff if he is doing loft plans/conversions, if it was public sector work it would be more likely. Could it be that when his kids were younger they were nosy and careless with his stuff and he has maintained the habit of keeping it under lock and key? One of my brothers was a demon for taking stuff apart and my parents had some irreplaceable stuff ruined by his curiosity. Off topic, but I had some friends who lived in a shared rented house twenty years ago who had a room downstairs that the landlord kept locked and had the only key - they had no idea what was in there. It gave me the creeps, I wouldn't have been able to relax (or sleep easy) not knowing what was in there, but they were completely chilled about it!

You can't have a room in the house inaccessible to others in an emergency.

Does your bathroom not have a lock on it?

Fine that people who don’t live there haven’t been in it.

Absolutely bizarre and a bit worrying that his wife doesn’t know the code!

Totally! Interesting suggestion above about the dressing up. Possible. Hope it's something like that and not something awful.

The fire brigade probably hope for this kind of request every shift.

I'd be in there with bolt cutters