padawan Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Hello All I am a single person who rents a flat from a private landlord. The landlord lives next door and I believe that this is his is only property. For the last two days (and also previously) I have had the strong impression that someone has been in the flat while I have been at work (by the smell and small changes). Nothing has been taken and this can only have been done by using the key and so I can only assume my landlord has been letting himself in to have a look around. The thought of this makes me cross and I would be grateful for any thoughts about what I can do about this. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underpressuretobuy Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Hello All I am a single person who rents a flat from a private landlord. The landlord lives next door and I believe that this is his is only property. For the last two days (and also previously) I have had the strong impression that someone has been in the flat while I have been at work (by the smell and small changes). Nothing has been taken and this can only have been done by using the key and so I can only assume my landlord has been letting himself in to have a look around. The thought of this makes me cross and I would be grateful for any thoughts about what I can do about this. Thanks Unless you can prove it probably nothing. I had a similar problem and the best thing to do is to move out, that kind of landlord views the property as his and no law is going to change that view, as far as he is concerned he can come round whenever he likes (if he is anything like my old problem landlord). Not to mention the fact that someone who wants to come round and "inspect" when you are not around is not a little bit creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Change the locks. You are entitled to. Just call a locksmith and let him in - he'll sort it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xeouialp Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Change the locks. You are entitled to. Just call a locksmith and let him in - he'll sort it. But keep the old lock and replace it when you leave, it's his property. Alternatively go on UK Google and type in "landlord entering" and get lots of other ideas, like a good lawyer would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xurbia Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Call a locksmith out and ask him to break the landlord's legs. Whilst the landlord is in hospital eating grapes and nursing compound fractures you can change the locks on the whole house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercsl Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 You cannot change the locks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain'ard Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Hello All I am a single person who rents a flat from a private landlord. The landlord lives next door and I believe that this is his is only property. For the last two days (and also previously) I have had the strong impression that someone has been in the flat while I have been at work (by the smell and small changes). Nothing has been taken and this can only have been done by using the key and so I can only assume my landlord has been letting himself in to have a look around. The thought of this makes me cross and I would be grateful for any thoughts about what I can do about this. Thanks the landlord lives next door and you have a AST tenancy, then he has no right to enter his property without prior arrangement as he is not a live in landlord who have different rights. Report that you keep having intruders in your flat to the police, which is a criminal offence. If you’re lucky they may make door to door inquiries and call on him. This might be enough to scare him off for good. Tell the police you think someone has been going through your underwear drawer, make the case more interesting wouldn’t it? Post a pair of Calvin Klein’s through the door with your name address sown in the waist before you call them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Prop something breakable like a glass or china plate up against one of the doors so it smashes when opened and wait & see if anything is mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xeouialp Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Prop something breakable like a glass or china plate up against one of the doors so it smashes when opened and wait & see if anything is mentioned. I always use a ming vase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Well, better a minging one than one you like eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Without_a_Paddle Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 (edited) Frankly, I'm disappointed. It's 2006 and the age of the internet. Surely you could catch him at it with a webcam. If you use software like 'Gotcha' you can even save a few seconds of video to your hard drive. It has a motion detection function that can be masked to just detect parts of the image area. When this occurs it saves images to your disk. You can even hook it up to the net and get it to email you and you can watch him trying on your underwear online... Edited July 20, 2006 by Without_a_Paddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 He's being very naughty. I'd change the lock ASAP (keep the old one to put back in) purely for peace of mind - you do not want anyone coming into your flat whilst you're asleep or in the bathroom *without* your permission. http://groups.google.com/groups?sourceid=n...sa=N&tab=wg Have a mooch through that lot to find some advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJJ Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Knock together a number of inherently harmless items that give the impression you're going to blow something up. Photocopy a few pages of a chemistry textbook on something utterly harmless and not at all connected with explosives, and give them a cover along the lines of "Elementary Explosives". Put a map of the nearest major city on the wall, and highlight a number of tourist attractions/government offices/etc. If you can, get photos of them and mark them up accordingly. A box of wires, gaffer tape and that sort of thing would help the illusion. If you can get one, a copy of a significant religious work would probably help to convince him. Best case scenario; he calls the rozzers, they turn up, do him for wasting their time, and you've got it on record that he's been coming in and looking through your stuff. Bang to rights. If that's a bit too much hard work for you, I had a friend who was convinced that her landlord was opening her mail. I knocked together a very convincing legal letter advising her that the U.S. authorities would not be seeking extradition to answer charges of murder and that the investigating officers were convinced she killed the three men in self-defence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history repeats Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 When I was at uni my landlord and Asian bloke, didn't tell us that every morning that his elderly mentally ill uncle would let himself into our house to collect his post. Apparently he had come over from Pakistan in the 60's to earn money for his wife and kids. Things took a turn for the worse and his wife and child were killed (circumstances unknown) and he had a breakdown from which he never really recovered. The house that we were staying in was the house that he had lived in at the time so every morning he would unlock the front door, come in and check for post from his dead wife. It was a little disconcerting at first, I would be eating my cornflakes and in he would come, checking through the mail. We didn't have the heart to change the locks or anything. If was houseful of lads so we didnt really care but I suppose if there were girls living there it would be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFall Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 (edited) How about adding something fairly innocuous to the handles of the doors before you go out in the morning.....maybe a dusting with talcum powder or something similar. It should show up any hand prints etc if there's someone going around your place when you're not there? Second thought - how about superglue - he'll still be there when you get home - caught red handed Edited July 20, 2006 by FreeFall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasket37 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 why not get one of these? http://nomoresocks.newscientist.com/produc...x?productid=399 (thanks to 'Durch' who found this in another thread) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enworb Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Use a trip wire and a bucket of water above the door (hot if you think he'll enter as soon as you've left for work) Or for more effect, a dirty great swinging axe. Only joking moderators. Webcam or simple wireless alarm next to the front door should do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzMosiz Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Use a trip wire and a bucket of water above the door (hot if you think he'll enter as soon as you've left for work) or pi** and sh** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enworb Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 or pi** and sh** Or paint, acid or worse of all, Vosene shampoo. That in the eyes is a killer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCS15 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Hello All I am a single person who rents a flat from a private landlord. The landlord lives next door and I believe that this is his is only property. For the last two days (and also previously) I have had the strong impression that someone has been in the flat while I have been at work (by the smell and small changes). Nothing has been taken and this can only have been done by using the key and so I can only assume my landlord has been letting himself in to have a look around. The thought of this makes me cross and I would be grateful for any thoughts about what I can do about this. Thanks * Savage dog? *Have a friend stay over for a while and stay very quiet. As soon as the land lord let's himself in call the Police and press charges straight away, get a restraining order and change the locks. * buy copies of "soldier of fortune" and leave copies around. * call the police and report that someone has entered your property, report this to your landlord as well remarking "I will kill the pervert doing this - they must know that I sometimes look after my young nephew and are trying to get a hold of them. Please help me keep a look out, other neighbours are doing so as well. We will catch this peadophile" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cynic Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Someone's already suggested a little camera, but whether you get one or not, how about as you leave the flat, setting up a nice big felt tip message sitting on a whiteboard on a seat so that the first thing he sees when he skulks in is... "YOU ARE NOW BEING FILMED!!" Should get the wind up him. (any bit of high-techish looking nonsense with a few wires trailing towards your PC would add a chilling plausibility to it...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCUMBAG Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 How about an Alan Partridge 'mentalist' approach? Plaster your flat in photos of your landlord. Paste photos of his head onto pictures of naked men. Get yourself a life size cardboard cut out of your landlord and keep it next to your bed. That should put the wind up him. Er, unless he's gay. In which case all this might be a bad idea. Unless you're gay too. In which case.....I ought to stop now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xurbia Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 How about hiring a kango-hammer and a skip. Each night secretly demolish small pieces of you room until there is nothing left. When your landlord enters the room he will fall into the abyss. You can add a bed of rotating knives at the bottom of the abyss if you are more deranged than I am, which I doubt. If you do go with the rotating knives you'll probably want to select a 200HP engine. It's probably best to shop around for quotes for the skip and hammer as prices vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xeouialp Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 How about hiring a kango-hammer and a skip. Each night secretly demolish small pieces of you room until there is nothing left. When your landlord enters the room he will fall into the abyss. You can add a bed of rotating knives at the bottom of the abyss if you are more deranged than I am, which I doubt. If you do go with the rotating knives you'll probably want to select a 200HP engine. It's probably best to shop around for quotes for the skip and hammer as prices vary. I kindov liked the camera idea at first but then I thought he'll have an excuse ready e.g. I heard water overflowing so I had to repair the cistern while you were out before it flooded your flat. Then if he sees you've filmed him he'll evict you for being weird. Tables turned. Anything that makes the situation worse for him will probably lead to your receiving a notice of seeking possession from this clearly unscrupulous landlord. So I think, on balance, you're in a relatively weak position what with being a tenant under a law invented during the Thatcher era and all. But if you can get him to break something of your somehow, you'd have to be clever, it'd be kindov funny and you wouldn't then have the bother of cleaning him off the rotating knives. You can get ming vases from Woolworths. Incidentally, what's a kango-hammer? Do they sell them on QVC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboypass Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 the landlord lives next door and you have a AST tenancy, then he has no right to enter his property without prior arrangement as he is not a live in landlord who have different rights. Report that you keep having intruders in your flat to the police, which is a criminal offence. If you’re lucky they may make door to door inquiries and call on him. This might be enough to scare him off for good. Tell the police you think someone has been going through your underwear drawer, make the case more interesting wouldn’t it? Post a pair of Calvin Klein’s through the door with your name address sown in the waist before you call them i love this one!!! Also you can hook up a webcam onto your computer and send the images to a website or record the stream when movement detected by webcam - all webcams now come with this basic programe! All the webcam does is sit and when a pixel changes takes images and saves them or records until all pixels are the same again!! collect evidence - clean you house from top to bottom and wear gloves hte whole time - once he enters he will leave fingerprints. But i still love the gag about sending him underpants (make sure they have your DNA ) and then reporting him :-)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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