Was my handyman going to burglarize my home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More likely answer is something still awkward but not nefarious - he was working a job close by the house that didn't have a bathroom, really had to go and knew you had a bathroom/backdoor open and was just going to use the bathroom quickly and go. Again, sounds weird but if you've never been someone that has worked a job that doesn't have regular access to the bathroom it is a true problem haha

This makes sense. Or he thinks he might have left something behind. Or he wants to look at something for his pen pyrpises. I am always finding tools or supplies contractors forget.

If he showed up with a moving van, then I’d be suspicious.

Op had a plumber coming that day. He wasn’t going to use the bathroom in a home without running water. He was casing. Knock to avoid a home invasion charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

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.

I think your instincts are correct, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More likely answer is something still awkward but not nefarious - he was working a job close by the house that didn't have a bathroom, really had to go and knew you had a bathroom/backdoor open and was just going to use the bathroom quickly and go. Again, sounds weird but if you've never been someone that has worked a job that doesn't have regular access to the bathroom it is a true problem haha

This makes sense. Or he thinks he might have left something behind. Or he wants to look at something for his pen pyrpises. I am always finding tools or supplies contractors forget.

If he showed up with a moving van, then I’d be suspicious.

Op had a plumber coming that day. He wasn’t going to use the bathroom in a home without running water. He was casing. Knock to avoid a home invasion charge.

+1

Also, not okay to enter a person’s home…vacant or not, to use bathroom. WTH.

[Anonymous]

Very unsettling because he definitely lied, so that tells you the reason for being there was not innocuous. Eg, if he’d left a tool then he would have said so!

Everyone calling OP crazy - I bet you are not so casual about your own safety

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Xanax is your friend. You handyman is not going to steal your appliances in broad daylight.

You’re insane.

Why not? It happens all the time. Add to that copper pipes and wiring, flooring, fixtures, tools, etc. They steal from trucks parked right in front of the house in broad daylight. You sounds terribly naive.

Are you dense? Can you read? This is her HANDYMAN. He’s already been doing work inside her home. This isn’t some vagrant from outside stealing stuff. He’s a contractor. He works FOR her.

He wasn't working for her then. He had finished.

[Anonymous]

Well, this happened to my parents’ house. They hired a handyman, he left a random window unlocked without their knowledge. He came in through that and stole a bunch of things. It was really upsetting. No idea if he knocked first, but I would assume he checked. They were not home, thankfully. They didn’t follow up but they found the window unlocked and they never leave it like that. And he was the only other person in the house the previous few days.

[Anonymous]

Of course he was going to burglarize your home that was supposed to be empty. The whole dropping by because he thought you might have called when you clearly didn't and weren't supposed to be there anyway is a lie.

I'm sorry OP. This is unsettling.

We recently had a contractor come by who gave me the creeps. Hopefully everything will be ok for both of us.

[Anonymous]

If you are 💯% sure that you did not even “pocket” dial this person, then yes…. I have to admit that it is really weird for him to randomly show up at your home like you mentioned.

I would trust my instincts + proceed w/caution going forward w/this guy.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Yes, they do and wait to see if anyone's home. If someone answers, they pretend to be a salesman or repairman of some sort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

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.

I think your instincts are correct, OP.

+1

[Anonymous]

I make sure that all visitors and anyone knocking on my doors knows I have a very big, very mean (acting and sounding) dog. People knock on my door once a week or so, with flyers about new windows or new roofs or whatever they claim to be selling. I don't even open the door, I just let the dogs go NUTS. Pretty sure the robbers scratch me off their list and move on to the next, quieter, easier to get into house.

[Anonymous]

Check all the windows and doors, make sure they’re locked. Buy those window locks that keep people from being able to open them from outside for the ground floor windows.

I trust no one, especially stranger men who do work in or around my home. Watch them like a hawk and let them know you are not the one to play with.

I never let workers inside my house to use the bathroom. That is their problem.

When I have workers inside my home, I close all upstairs doors and do random walk-bys pretty frequently, so they know they’re being watched. I also make sure I get their names and a really good look at them incase anything nefarious goes down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

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.

You are paranoid, OP.
And your neighbors experience that you relayed here explains your paranoia. But it does not mean your handyman was about to do the same to you.

[Anonymous]

Several months after we moved into our home we discovered a major problem that needed immediate repair and we had no idea how to fix it. That day, standing in the dining room feeling completely dejected, the plumber who had worked on the house stopped by unannounced, he said he wanted to check on the work he had done (he installed heated flooring) he was able to tell us how to fix our problem. It was amazing!

[Anonymous]

The word is "burgle". No need to re-verb a nouned verb!