Someone I Don't Know Is Living In My Home!

[Unregistered]

I know I am going to sound crazy here, so I logged out. I am renting a townhouse and moved in almost 2 years ago. My children and I (No husband, I'm a single mother) immediately started hearing weird noises, noticing that food 'disappeared' from our cabinets, would see weird shadows, etc. My next door neighbor told me that they heard noises from my house while it was supposedly empty for 2 months before I moved in. The day we got our keys, my daughter, her friend, and their two boyfriends (teenagers) came over and explored the house like kids do. They went in the attic and I specifically told them to see if it looked like anyone had been living in the attic. They said, "No". The kids went through every closet, room, attic, and basement and never saw anyone or anything that didn't belong. But from the first day we moved in, my family has had weird experiences like I described above. I had my nephew change all of the locks on the house. My landlord does not even have a key to the house! Only I do. I have had the police here 4 times trying to find someone in the house, called my nephew over once, and have had a couple of neighborhood older teenagers come over late at night to walk through the house trying to find someone in my house after hearing weird noises. None of us have ever found anyone in my house!

Yesterday evening, my daughter locked the doorknob and deadbolt to the front door, and we went out for about an hour. When we came home, the front door was open about an inch! She and I looked everywhere - except the basement-and couldn't find anyone. We were too afraid to go to the basement! This morning, I went to the basement and there is a plastic bag from Burger King on the floor in the back room (the laundry room). My daughters nor I put that bag there!!

I have a dog that would attack any stranger. He's perfect with you once I let you in the house, so he's great with the daycare kids and parents, and anyone else that I invite in the house. So, I thought that I would be safe from strangers in my house. But it occurred to me today, that if someone was living in this house before I moved in, then I bought my dog as an 8 week old puppy a little after we lived here. So, if the 'uninvited house guest' was already living here, my dog would have grown up thinking that the person is part of the family and won't attack them or act weird about them being in the house.

Now that I found the Burger King bag in the basement, I have proof that someone else is in my home. But I still can't find them! I just don't know what to do! I keep telling myself that I truly think someone has been living here for about 2 years and hasn't hurt us yet, so I shouldn't be too scared. But I am scared to death and don't know what to do!

So, any ideas?

[Blackcat31]

I would go buy a couple of those Drop Cams video recorders that you can monitor from your smart phone or PC and set them up in different parts of your house and then wait....

That should give you the "proof" you need or eliminate your fears.

[Unregistered]

Oh, my older daughter was in the house alone with her dog one day last summer. She was upstairs and her dog was in his crate on the main floor. She heard someone call him by his name and tell him that it's okay. They said this a couple of times to the dog. A little while later my younger daughter & I came home. My older daughter asked us why we had come home and left again. I told her we hadn't come home before then. She thought it was one of us telling her dog it was okay, but we were NOT HOME at that time!

That same time frame, last summer, my older daughter had her room in the basement. Her dog slept down there with her. She woke up out of sound sleep and raced upstairs ( I happened to still be awake and sitting at my desk on the main floor) she was screaming and her dog came up after her. She said she felt like someone was watching her (that's what woke her up) and when she opened her eyes, someone was walking towards her bed! So she screamed and ran upstairs. However, her dog was simply sleeping on the floor beside her bed. He didn't react to the person walking towards my daughter, the dog simply followed her upstairs.

[Unregistered]

I did call a couple of alarm companies and asked about surveillance cameras, but I can't afford them. I don't know what a drop cam is. I'll look into them. Thanks!

[Unregistered]

I have stayed up all night long a couple of nights throughout the past two years. I sat in my living room in the dark with my camcorder at the ready. But of course on those nights I didn't hear or see anything.

[spud912]

All I know is that your story gives me the creeps! Ack!!!

I second the video camera. Especially by the entrances/exits to the house....hidden. This person obviously comes and goes.

[NightOwl]

There are apps you could install on your phone or tablet that you can access remotely. That may be more cost effective. Omg, I'm creeped out for you!!

[NightOwl]

And no, we would not think you're crazy!

[craftymissbeth]

That's so scary!

[CraftyMom]

Change every single lock again! How is this person getting in? A window that isn't locked? Make sure every window has a lock! Is there a "shared area" that this person would have access to and then come in your home somehow? I would be super creeped out! I would be inspecting every inch of the home looking for a way for him to get in, there has to be one somewhere

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

That is really creepy. You could buy a video surveillance system for around $300-400 at stores like Costco, Sam's Club, etc.

[CraftyMom]

Maybe make a big sign that says "Smile you are being recorded by the police department" and put it where you think this person will be

[Blackcat31]

I did call a couple of alarm companies and asked about surveillance cameras, but I can't afford them. I don't know what a drop cam is. I'll look into them. Thanks!

https://www.dropcam.com/

There are lots of other types available but Drop Cam is THE easiest and simplest one to use.

You can also check out some of the baby monitor type video cameras. DH and I were looking at a few this weekend at Best Buy and you can buy some really cheap ones that are REALLY easy to use and view from smart phones without any professional installation necessary.

[Blackcat31]

That is really creepy. You could buy a video surveillance system for around $300-400 at stores like Costco, Sam's Club, etc.

Drop cams and video baby monitors sell for less than $100.

No need to make a hefty investment.

[Unregistered]

I have looked in every nook and cranny of this house and can't figure out how anyone is getting in and out. My doors are always locked. The windows are all locked. My dog never acts like a stranger has broken in.

The only thing I just came up with is that maybe someone was living here before I bought my dog and he (my dog) believes that the person is a family member so he doesn't act funny when the person comes out of hiding. I think the person hides during the day and then comes out at night after we are all asleep. I think they unlock the doors from the inside after we are asleep or when we go out for a while. Then the person simply unlocks the door from the inside, goes out for a while, leaves the door unlocked, then comes back inside before we get home. They could come and go from the basement every night and I would not know unless I sit in the basement or sit looking out my back window all night until I catch them.

I researched people living in other people's houses. I'm sure some of the stories online are made up. But there are a few that have had the police involved and arrests have been made. It does happen occasionally. And people have been caught after many months or a year or so of living in someone's home.

That's the part that I can't get over. This has been going on for 2 years! And even though I have had numerous people look, I haven't been able to find anyone in my home!