Last Saturday I went to Dublin to an educational do organised by a mate, my wife and 4y.o. daughter stayed at home. With the luchtime approaching she phoned and asked if I was going to be back for lunch, I said no. We had a virtual cuddle and that. About 60 mins later I decided to go back home and take my kid to the beach. As I was driving my mobile rang, it was my wife telling me to get back as she was frightened beyond what she could cope with alone. She said that when she was cooking, just after our chat on the phone, she heard a key turning in the door lock. Surprised, as she knew it couldn’t be me, she found a former tenant of the flat trying to enter. God knows how, the guy is 6’+ and physically strong, she ripped the key out of his palm and closed the door. She also shouted so the neighbours came out to the rescue. Instead of beating him up they let him walk away.
I contacted the local Garda (Police), they came swiftly but said they can’t do anything as the guy didn’t cross the threshold.
I’m going to talk to the landlord (a commercial organisation) today but:
1. we want to move out quickly,
2. can’t afford to lose the deposit,
3. have wife on medication (she’s crumbling),
4. my daughter is crying as my wife looks sad,
5. nobody has slept since then,
6. I’m viewing another property tonight, looks promising,
7. the landlord had been informed several times that despite the property being a supposedly close and secure development, former tenants were seen inside collecting the post. We were assured our worries were unfounded as the locks were changed whenever a new tenant moved in.
Do I have a legal reason to demand the full return of the deposit without giving the full 1-month’s notice as the situation arose due to the landlord’s negligence? I know it’s Ireland but the law is very similar here generally.
BTW The landlord’s agent was at the premises at the time, he got a phonecall he chose to ignore, the message was left but to no avail. Nobody was interested. And Garda are saying that for our safety reasons we need to leave this place, I can see why easily.

sounds horrible hairychested

1. get out now, get a credit card and get a new place ASAP – your family comes ahead of everything
2. pursue the landlord for your deposit etc afterwards, i’ve no idea of your legal rights, others can advise better on that.

I once tried to get in a house we didn’t live at any more.

funny what drink can do 🙂

maybe he just [like me] forgot he didn’t live there any more?

We will move ASAP, there are several properties and any of them would be good, it can’t happen quickly enough. My girls are going away in 2 weeks time so they’ll be fine, by the time they’re back we’ll be gone from this flat.

What was his story then?

Uplink, he had a spare set of keys, he wanted to enter my property.
In the past he came up to my wife and asked her if he could become her intimate friend, just like that.
We also found some pretty hard-core porn hidden in the storage cupboard when we moved in. He was in the pics with his women (he lived with two).

He said he came to drop the keys and he wanted to put them on the table, that’s it. There is a letterbox, there’s a caretaker and his office, there is the landlord. Instead he chose to try to open the door and get in.

in that case I’d change the locks – NOW

you can pursue the landlord for that cost also

Fair enough but adding to the story as people come up with possible explanations isn’t the best way to put your story across

Blimey. Nightmare.

Sounds like you should talk to http://www.threshold.ie/menu.asp?menu=102 which seems to do something similar to what Shelter does in the UK.

Don’t know whether you could make out that it was an implied term of contract that the landlord would make reasonable security provisions and the failure to change the locks after being told that too many keys were in circulation was unreasonable…might be a long bow to draw…probably regulated by statute now anyway.

I contacted the local Garda (Police), they came swiftly but said they can’t do anything as the guy didn’t cross the threshold.

I am totally ignorant of Irish criminal law (obviously) but this sounds remarkably unlikely – in English law it could be going equipped (the key) and (if I recall correctly, and I admit I am not bothering to look it up or check) the external skin of a dwelling is still the dwelling – so aggravated trespass too. And that would also give you a civil action in trespass to land too. And, actually, I’d say there was an immediate apprehension of unlawful force – which is assault…but obviously I know nothing about Irish law…

I would also suggest that if one were to find oneself trying to let oneself into the Chief Constable’s front door they’d think a bit more systematically about whether it was a criminal act.

I doubt that he was trying to burgle the place as he would have surely checked that it was no one in first. Also the fact that he was a former tenant with a key would have given he a poor chance to get way with any sort of crime, how you know he was a former tenant – did he tell your wife that he was ? How long had he been gone – could he have wanted to come back for something which he had left, a piece of furniture maybe ? Although I can understand how frighten it must have been for your wife, and therefore for you too, it doesn’t strike me as necessarily particularly sinister.

EDIT : I was going by your OP, you’ve since posted : “In the past he came up to my wife and asked her if he could become her intimate friend”. Yeah that doesn’t sound good – find somewhere else if you can.

1. We’ve been at this place for a year now,
2. My car wasn’t in the carpark, easy to assume the place empty,
3. The property was taken unfurnished.

Sounds terrible, can’t offer advice except that when push comes to shove, my loved ones would be more important that the deposit on a flat. Money can easily be replaced.
Find somewhere else as quickly as you can.

Good luck chapster.

Have just changed the locks and spoken to the landlord who are taking it extremely seriously – went to the station with all the details of the guy, his photos and addresses (new home and work).
No problem with the deposit – as soon as we hand the keys back.
I’m feeling better, kinda looking forward to a new place despite all the hassle it will involve.
My girls are staying in a different town for a moment, when they feel like they’ll be back here.

Ohhhh the joys of letting. About to move into a flat on my own having not had to deal with landlords (unless the missus counts as landlord?) for the past 2 years, not looking foreward to it!

well done hairychested, must be a weight off your mind.

Be prepared for your wife to feel nervous in your new place for a bit.

Thanks, I am and I will be. Luckily she’ll be off to my parents’ for a fortnight very soon.
What puzzles me is this – the guy is 7′-ish according to the landlord. If she managed to fight him off, what chance do I have when she says “be nice or else”? 😉

Have just changed the locks and spoken to the landlord

The landlord will be footing the bill for this, of course?

If I were buying a property, first thing I’d do is change all the locks. I appreciate that rental is a bit different, but is it common practice not to change locks between tenants?

Bloody hell, sounds terrifying (and with having kids myself, I can only imagine the fear your wife and little girls must of felt).
I hope you are all safe and move out as soon as possible.

Take good care of each other!

Hmm. 7′ tall, big build, but turned out to be a softy? Anyone seen ton today?

The landlord has already done it, their man did it so I didn’t need to. The locks were to be changed before we moved in, clearly they weren’t, heads will roll quite likely (I don’t care TBH).
ton? ton did it? Should’ve said he wanted a cuppa and a hug 😀

Fair play to the landlords for being so accommodating (so to speak) with your move, even if they dropped the ball with the lock change. Its not their job to police their tenants, let alone ex-tenants.

I’m not trolling, but a lot of what you’ve posted: wife ‘crumbling’, kid crying, nobody sleeping etc sounds like a bit of an over-reaction.

I think a bit of MTFU might be the order of the day, people are subject to far worse than an former tenant trying the lock.

Your energy would be far better spent by stopping acting the victim and reassuring your family that they’re safe now you’ve taken the necessary precautions to protect them.

I thought from the way the OP read, she was ill to start with.

Nonetheless, having your home violated is a bloody horrible experience.

Worked on a newish estate, a house had been burgled and key nicked for rear door, acces gained through cat flap,luckily the burglars had been caught after raiding a few more houses on the same estate.

They had gained entry,because the first house they got into had a master pass key used by the builders to access all the other houses and mistakenly given to the tennants, without them ever knowing.

Moral of the story,ALWAYS CHANGE THE CYLINDER OF YOUR LOCKS WHEN YOU MOVE INTO A NEW HOUSE, when you move out refit the old locks and hand back the old keys.

Shibboleth – Member
I’m not trolling, but a lot of what you’ve posted: wife ‘crumbling’, kid crying, nobody sleeping etc sounds like a bit of an over-reaction.

I think a bit of MTFU might be the order of the day, people are subject to far worse than an former tenant trying the lock.

Your energy would be far better spent by stopping acting the victim and reassuring your family that they’re safe now you’ve taken the necessary precautions to protect them.

Do you have a kid? How would you react if they were in danger? MTFU, right, are you Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal?
I’m not acting like a victim, I’m the husband of my wife who is scared, I understand you would puff your chest out and say NEXT! but I’m human and not Terminator.
Oh, one last thing – before you post try to read and comprehend instead of just reading, please.

The one positives I get from STW is that between the bickering and fighting occasionally one of our own needs a bit of support, and the support is given.
Then you get this:

I think a bit of MTFU might be the order of the day, people are subject to far worse than an former tenant trying the lock.

Diplomacy is not a strong point, is it muppet?

Good luck with the move HC.

I was burgled 4 times in 6 weeks a few years back, my neighbours’ son (a heroine addict) had moved back home and would watch me leaving for work before screwing my home.

I had a Police alarm fitted, panic button, coppers and SOCOs traipsing in and out of my house… I even had Police turning up at all hours to “check up on me” because they suspected I was involved in some sort of bigger crime enterprise.

So yes, I know exactly what it’s like to feel violated by criminals.

But by far the best advice anyone ever gave me was to not become a victim. I had all the usual bedwetters telling me that I’d have to move house; that my home would never feel like my own; that I’d never feel safe. But I took the attitude that I was stronger than some little scrote that needed to steal my stuff to by his next wrap.

You have a family to care for, and sorry to be so brutally honest, but looking after them also entails making them feel safe and confident in their surroundings, not just running away! You might end up in a far worse home.

Bet the b’stard was covered in tattoos too.
As I said, diplomacy not a strong point in Casa Shibboleth. 🙄

Shibboleth, this isn’t a case of a burglary though is it?

In the past he came up to my wife and asked her if he could become her intimate friend

So a large bloke intimidated and propositioned a woman and then later returned when she was on her own with her 4 yr. old daughter and attempted to get into their home. You realy think she needs to WTFU because she fears for her own safety?

I really hope your OH / sister / Mother is never put in a similar situation; Doesn’t sound like they’d get much support

The OP has reported the incident, the locks have been changed (I assume) and thankfully, no crime was committed. What are the chances of this guy doing something now? Rather slim I’d say, there’s probably more chance that there will be more problems in a new home.

I personally think the OP should put more effort into reassuring his family rather than running away. Moving house just tells them that this man is still a danger to them (which he almost certainly isn’t), and they’ll still live in fear – probably even more so as this nasty man forced them out of their home.

a heroine addict

Aye – those Catherine Cookson novels can get you bad, man.

Hairychested: good news from the landlord – happy they’re being so reasonable. Good luck in finding somewhere else.

Meanwhile,

I was burgled 4 times in 6 weeks a few years back, my neighbours’ son (a heroine addict) had moved back home and would watch me leaving for work before screwing my home. I had a Police alarm fitted, panic button, coppers and SOCOs traipsing in and out of my house

But if you had been on the scene to offer yourself handy advice after the second time, you probably would have said

What are the chances of this guy doing something now? Rather slim I’d say

right? Which would have made perfect sense if you were predicting the behaviour of a normal rational person and not a junkie or a loopy 7ft inappropriate sexual propositioner with a key to your house.

I’m not sure how to pronounce Shibboleth but “pillock” flows easily off the tongue…

Shibboleth, how about looking at the people around you, huh? If I were living alone than fair play to you, MTFU and go for a spin. With my 4y.o. daughter next to me my priorities are different. It no longer is me me me but her her her. And if by removing her from the place which clearly isn’t as safe as expected I become a pussy than I’m more than happy with it. Another aspect is this – if he follows us there he gets done for stalking. Simple.
Crime, committed or not, do I really care? You must be some man to think your girls’ safety isn’t affected if this time the crime got prevented.
You are either very cynical, I have a dear friend who sounds just like you but is the most caring creature on Earth, or very immature. I prefer the first conclusion.

I’m just intrigued as to why you held onto the pictures for so long :p

Once the locks are changed I’d say moving anyway would still be a good idea!

Moving house just tells them that this man is still a danger to them (which he almost certainly isn’t

Love to know how you get to that conclusion?

Glad nothing worse happened Hairy and hope you sorted soon, also wishing your wife and child get over the shock.

But if you had been on the scene to offer yourself handy advice after the second time, you probably would have said
“What are the chances of this guy doing something now? Rather slim I’d say”

If the perpetrator had been caught in the act, neighbours and police informed, then sure. I’d have been confident that it wouldn’t have happened again.

As it happened in my case, the only people who knew this scrote was living in the neighbourhood were his parents who, despite suspecting it was him, chose to keep it under their hats.

Yes, there was a time where I wondered what this person would be like if I confronted them, but I think Hairy’s case is completely different – they know exactly who they’re dealing with, and I’d say they can be pretty confident that he won’t be coming back!

Hairy, I do understand how you must feel, and I’m not having a pop at you for the decisions you’ve made, but as the man of house and head of your family, you need to instill a bit of confidence in your family and running away doesn’t show them that you can protect them, it just shows them that you’re as afraid as them.

As I’ve said, I firmly think this problem has been resolved. Upgrade the locks, make sure they know what to do if by any strange chance there are any further problems, talk to local Police and community officers – anything and everything you can do to make sure your family are protected, and feel protected.

I firmly think this problem has been resolved

Someone get CharlieMungus, ESP proof!

Lifer – Member

Someone get CharlieMungus, ESP proof!

This might be an alien concept to a moron like you, but people can “think” without calling upon any powers of extra-sensory perception. 🙄