Was my handyman going to burglarize my home?
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Anonymous
| I can't sleep thinking about this. Last week I hired a handyman to do some work on my new house. All went well with that and I was so happy with the work I even bought him and his crew lunch. The house is still vacant and being worked on as other trades need to come in. The handyman showed up to my house today. I happened to have an appointment with a plumber so I was at the house when I normally would not have been. Thinking it was the plumber knocking as he came 10 minutes before the appointment time I opened the door without looking and it was the handyman. I asked if everything was okay and he told me he thought he had a missed call from me. I know I didn't call him and even if I did why show up without an appointment to the property? I think he was going to try and burglarize the home based on what happened but maybe I'm over reacting. |
Anonymous
| You can’t control other people. You can just make sure you have a good alarm system and use it. |
Anonymous
|
How can he burglarize a vacant house?
Maybe he was in the neighborhood. Maybe he has a thing for you. |
Anonymous
OP here. Take brand new kitchen appliances, brand new installed hvac unit, copper pipes, new wood flooring sitting in house that is being acclimated before being installed, etc. |
Anonymous
How big was the handyman? |
Anonymous
|
Hmm. I’ve never heard of a burglar knocking on the front door first.
What is it about this handyman that makes you doubt that he didn’t just make a mistake? |
Anonymous
I figured he knocked on the door just to make sure nobody was home at it was 2pm and play it off if there was. Most burglaries happen during the day because people are less likely to be home and some are very professional about it. A friend's home was burglarized and they took her appliances and they had a box truck with a fake moving company name on it and professional looking movers clothing so nobody in the neighborhood questioned what they were doing and they were ultimately never caught. I think it's an odd mistake and during the initial consult and before the work appointment I received texts confirming the time and letting me know he was on his way. This time he just showed up. |
Anonymous
| He was not. This is insane. |
Anonymous
| Trust your gut, OP. I agree that something feels off. I have learned not to brush off my rommate/homeowner/friend when she feels this way. The movers stole thousands from her. Stuff felt off and missing. He was convicted again. The company hired him without a license and didn't do a background check. |
Anonymous
| Install cameras and an alarm system ASAP. |
Anonymous
|
I know a handful of families whose homes were burglarized by handymen, etc. during or shortly after renovations.
Don’t leave keys around—to the house or your car. (One had their car stolen.) Always check windows and doors to make sure they are locked after a handyman has been in your home. (Leaving a basement window unlocked or a basement door unlocked endures easy access.) Yes, most burglars knock to confirm the home is empty before walking around back. If you don’t have cameras or an alarm, he knows that. |
Anonymous
| I think he was. Why show up for a missed call when you are a busy, working man with presumably other jobs to tackle? |
Anonymous
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OP I don't know what he was doing but it's not normal.
I remember my EX DH used to like to leave the front door unlocked. I would always lock it. Ongoing battle. One day a handyman showed up at the house, I had just gotten out of the shower. My care was in the driveway. He was not scheduled to be there. He knocked several times, I decided to ignore it since my DH was the one dealing with the guy and as I said, not scheduled. I had crept down the hall in my towel to see who was knocking and knocking.... He reached out his hand and tried to open the door! Thank GOD I had locked it after DH left. At the very least, wet and drippy me would have had a strange handyman in my living room. Don't want to think about the worst. |
Anonymous
| Elizabeth Smart was taken by a handyman. |
Anonymous
|
I’d say probably. He thought he missed a call from you? He could easily check his phone and see your number wasn’t in the missed calls section of his phone.
If he thought he missed a call, why would he turn up at a house where you are not yet living to look for you? Yeah, I’d say he was checking to see if the house was safe to rob. |