# Attempted Break In



## imoehls (Jan 23, 2015)

I live in apartment building with 3 other apartments. When I got back from work last night, the back door was wide open and there was a key in my door knob. I get back from work late at night, so I immediately left and called the cops. They searched and found no one, and I was lucky to have found nothing stolen. My door does not have a dead bolt on it and my landlord will not put one on. Should I move? How can I make my apartment safe if I don't? I live 8 miles from work so its very convenient.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Install some security yourself, starting with a deadbolt.
Want a cheap alarm system?
Put up a motion sensor by the back door wired to a tape recording of a big dog barking inside your apartment. If you don't know what a tape recorder is, ask someone over 40, lol. Someone comes to the door, Big, Bad Bruno starts barking. Thieves will run, UPS guys will nervously wait for you to come answer the door.


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## ninny (Dec 12, 2005)

You need to check local laws about landlords requirements for changing locks for tenants.

.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

ninny said:


> You need to check local laws about landlords requirements for changing locks for tenants.
> 
> .


The hell with all that. His landlord already said he wouldn't do it.
If you need something done and you've already asked and been turned down, it's time to do it yourself. If the landlord finds out he got a deadbolt, so be it. Who knows? Maybe it was him that opened the door with a key, popped in and left it open without anything being stolen.
But this ain't nothin' to play with.


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place if the landlord won't allow a deadbolt, not that deadbolts are that great at keeping a determined burglar out. I'd put small signs on the doors saying "Motion Activated Cameras Inside - Recorder is Elsewhere". Even if it's just a bluff, why would they chance it?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

In some places it is illegal for a tenant to replace the locks. But it may also be illegal for the landlord to refuse to change locks. And since the intruder had a key in some places it would be perfectly legal for a tenant to change the lock and deduct the cost and a reasonable installation fee from the next months rent. 

I personally would change the locks then worry about the legal ramifications. If the landlord gets upset about it you have your police report of the key in the lock and the door being open.


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## joejeep92 (Oct 11, 2010)

I would, but I couldn't ever live in an apartment building. If the landlord is unwilling to create safe living conditions, it is time to pursue legal channels or leave.


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## Veedog (May 4, 2015)

First of all, isn't the main door to the building locked? Meaning only the 4 people that live there can get in? And then you each have your own locked apartment. Is it a rough neighborhood, and what are your neighbors like? Also I hope you are armed and aware of your surroundings too. Whenever you rely on other people for your security, you are behind the game from the jump. Most locks are only feel good things. Anyone that knows what they are doing, will have your stuff if they want it. A deadbolt might stop a lazy thief though. Throw up an infrared deer hunting cam to see what's going on outside the front entrance. It won't show when it flashes at night.


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

You said the back door was open.
Do you have a deadbolt on the front?
Was the key for that lock?
Did you check with the landlord?
Maybe it was a former tenant, but most places will change the lock when someone moves out.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Veedog said:


> *First of all, isn't the main door to the building locked? Meaning only the 4 people that live there can get in*? And then you each have your own locked apartment. Is it a rough neighborhood, and what are your neighbors like? Also I hope you are armed and aware of your surroundings too. Whenever you rely on other people for your security, you are behind the game from the jump. Most locks are only feel good things. Anyone that knows what they are doing, will have your stuff if they want it. A deadbolt might stop a lazy thief though. Throw up an infrared deer hunting cam to see what's going on outside the front entrance. It won't show when it flashes at night.


land lords are VERY bad at changing the main door lock , a friend lived in a nice apartment building , it had underground parking and it was clean and quite mostly working professionals there were about 16 units in the building , then stuff started disappearing from cars at night , he didn't leave anything in his car but things people might take out of their cars if they parked on the street they felt fine leaving in them in the locked underground parking , lap tops , Ipods and other things 

after a few nights of this and the super didn't seem to do anything about it he set up some motion activated cameras that connected back to his computer via wifi this was actually the early days of these devices and not many people had them but he was a techie and had disposable income so he played with the new stuff available.
that night he had a hit about 3 am a former tenant who had made a copy of the key opened the service door , then hit the manual button to open the garage door and a car drove in the two searched all the open cars and left , in the morning my friend printed off stills of the 2 with a clear one of the former tenants face as he was coming in the door , with time stamps , retrieved his cameras , and slid a copy of the pictures under the supers door 


the OP needs to call the Tenant resource center if there is one in there city and check out their options , if there isn't a tenant resource center they should contact the officer who filed the report and ask if they are aware of any laws that will help get the locks changed and or a dead bolt added 

cameras are good do what you can, know the people in your building.

I recently installed an electronic dead bolt , it uses exactly the same hole as a normal key type dead bolt but allows me to program up to 19 access codes it may be an option especially if your willing to pay for it and to have a lock smith install it that would be cheaper than moving , but you need to know your legal options first.

I would definitely get a http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-L...ustable-Door-Security-Bar-265DCCSEN/100210730 for when you are home and any door you don't normally enter through , my uncle was an alderman for the city and went with the police department to test these at an apartment building that was scheduled for demolition , it slows down entry significantly after watching the police try and kick in several doors with one of these devices he was a believer and every exterior door in his house got one 

a small alarm that you can stick to the door jam inside with 2 sided tape that is armed with a small remote you carry with you , make it loud to enter your apartment unauthorized 

get a safe nothing overly expensive but something along the lines of a stack on gun locker http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stack-On-GCWB-10-5-DS-Sentinel-10-Gun-Security-Cabinet/14710131 screw it to the floor and wall as long as you remove all the screws when you move out and the holes can be easily Spackled or are covered by the carpet you should be fine put any personal files or valuable in the lock box it won't keep a pro out but it will make it more difficult , take item and make noise


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

Sounds like a former tenant has a key to your apartment. Get your landlord to change the locks. If he won't you can move or you can install deadbolt locks on the front and back doors. Your city or state should have some sort or tenant's advocacy organization. Contact with them for what you can legally do. 

If you like where you live you should install bump proof deadbolts. Here is a good article on it. 

http://www.acmelocksmith.com/lock_bumping.html

Who pays for the locks depends on your local laws. 

Note that the combination deadbolts usually have a bumpable key opening too so they can be bumped.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Not all apartments are common entrance. I've lived in both, a common entrance apartment and a private entrance apartment. At the common entrance apartment the main door didn't even have a lock on it.


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## Jakerm12 (Sep 15, 2015)

You can get into almost any lock with a " bump key" 

You can find a video on YouTube. But what they are, are keys that have all of the grooves and "bumps" all the same level. If you look at a regular key all of the bumps are different heights. And when you "bump" a door you put they bump key in all the way and then pull it out a notch. Then with a little turning pressure with your fingers you hit it with a hammer or screwdriver,( anything like that works) and it will hit all of those pins and they will create a gap where the key will turn and you are in. 

A video explains it better with a 3d version but that's an overview. 

!! Do not use these for illegal purposes!!


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