A resident came into my apartment

We've spent the last six months evicting a resident who is a member of several protected classes. After the final lock-out; she had movers come to collect her furniture and most of her things, but some of her personal items were abandoned.

We could not simply throw the stuff away, since some things were hazardous and some were legal documents, etc. So we boxed it up and put it in storage until after the abandoned property notice expired. I've spent the last few days sorting out things to shred, donate, and throw away, and I came across something very startling.

Among her things was a keepsake from my childhood, that there is NO reason for her to have ever seen, let alone possessed. It had been stored in a drawer in my curio cabinet for the past 7 years, so I did not know it was missing until I found it among her things. The item has no value except to me.

Once, she followed me to my apartment, and tried to follow me inside. I had to shut the door in her face to keep her from coming in. Another time, she walked by my office and saw me there, then less than a minute later, my husband, who was at home in our kitchen, heard someone come in our front door. He started walking towards the living room and whoever it was ran out, but didn't have time to shut the door. We always suspected it was her.

Legally, I know this isn't proof of any crime, but it totally creeps me out! Obviously we keep our front door locked now. Have any of you had any experience like this? What did you do?
:sick:

I would feel so violated!! Reminds me when my sister got a call from her old high school that a lady had found her high school ring. Turned out it was the grandmother of a friend of her ex-boyfriend, so we knew he had stolen it.

Do what you have to do to ban her from the property and be glad she is gone. Likely, this will never happen again by anyone else.

She already has bad rental history with you, there's not much else you can do. I know you are angry and I am glad you shared this with us.

Do your best to get over it. She's still hurting you as long as you think about it. It's sad when we find out how devious and evil people can be. She is a very sick person.

Love to you sweet girl!!

Sandy

Thank you Sandy. I feel much better now, but I was shaking all day that day!

She was trespassed from the property when the police locked her out, but in the negotiation to get her to leave, our attorneys promised her that we would not disclose anything negative about her tenancy.

While going through her things, I found records of similar issues in three other states.

I don't think she is evil, just sick. She won't get treatment because she truly believes that the problem is not with her.

That is crazy! Glad to hear that she is gone!

You may not want to do it but you can certainly file a police report and outline the facts as you just did. They may not convict or even indict but you are not prevent by any agreement not to file a police report stating facts you discovered after the agreement. She can't enforce an agreement not to disclose crimes even if you had made one!

You may just want to move on but it sounds like this woman, even if sick, is a criminal and will continue to prey on others until she is stopped.

Thanks Peter! My local police department is very familiar with her. They would likely not even file a report, since no proof of a crime exists. She is not a criminal, she's mentally ill and according to the police, she has never presented a threat of harm to anyone (hence their lack of action.)

Rose M wrote: We've spent the last six months evicting a resident who is a member of several protected classes. After the final lock-out; she had movers come to collect her furniture and most of her things, but some of her personal items were abandoned.

We could not simply throw the stuff away, since some things were hazardous and some were legal documents, etc. So we boxed it up and put it in storage until after the abandoned property notice expired. I've spent the last few days sorting out things to shred, donate, and throw away, and I came across something very startling.

Among her things was a keepsake from my childhood, that there is NO reason for her to have ever seen, let alone possessed. It had been stored in a drawer in my curio cabinet for the past 7 years, so I did not know it was missing until I found it among her things. The item has no value except to me.

Once, she followed me to my apartment, and tried to follow me inside. I had to shut the door in her face to keep her from coming in. Another time, she walked by my office and saw me there, then less than a minute later, my husband, who was at home in our kitchen, heard someone come in our front door. He started walking towards the living room and whoever it was ran out, but didn't have time to shut the door. We always suspected it was her.

Legally, I know this isn't proof of any crime, but it totally creeps me out! Obviously we keep our front door locked now. Have any of you had any experience like this? What did you do?
:sick:

I knew it. She have some psychological issues. But she never tried to hurt anyone? Even if she did not, you should still report her to the police. We never know what she might suddenly do. In addition, I suggest you change the locks of your doors and windows. Install a security or alarm system and build a fence around your house. If you are pet lover, get a dog.

She was reported to police many, many times. I live in the apartment building I manage, where she used to live. Hopefully she wont be back.

Rose M wrote: She was reported to police many, many times. I live in the apartment building I manage, where she used to live. Hopefully she wont be back.

Good to hear that. Just secure your apartment. Do your building have CCTV cameras? If none, they should install right away for the safety of the tenants.

We checked into getting CCTV about five years ago. Our 50 year old building isn't wired for it, so the cost alone is too prohibitive. It would also create a false sense of security for our residents; since I am only one person in my office so there is no way I could monitor the cameras 24/7. If we had cameras, and a resident was assaulted on the property and I didn't respond (because I wasn't monitoring the camera,) I would be personally liable for their injuries and damages. Here in Oregon, housing laws state that the individual manager can be criminally prosecuted and fined, not just the management company and/or property owner.