So I come home today

[susiestar]

I think Star has good ideas. I think the letter needs to be sent, and then you need to do the baby powder/glitter. If you don't normally keep baby powder on hand, save a $ and buy a box of cornstarch in the baking aisle. Same thing with-o a fragrance.

A piece of tape across the top of the door onto the frame will show if they were insde your home with-o permission. As for leaving a door unlocked? I would have called and let them know that if you EVER came home and found the doors unlocked or the screen door lose to blow off, you will file charges because that is basically inviting any/everyone into your home to take your stuff.

I am a bit paranoid. I admit it. I would be putting a bit of tape on the sides of dressers, doors to cabinets, etc.... As much as these people want you out early, and sem to want to snoop around and spy on you, it isn't too much of a stretch to think they would put something illegal in a drawer or even leave it on a table and then call the cops and say they went in to get an estimate and found your weed/crack pipe/whatever on a counter.

I would also put a note up on the doors saying that this door is locked when you left and if not locked when you arrive home the police will be called and charges will be filed because the owner is NOT permitted to leave your door unlocked, and if anything is missng then you will hold owner and rep responsible.

Don't trust these fools as far as you can spit upwind.

And may the fleas of a thousand camels nest in their armpits.

 

[DammitJanet]

Susie, what is it you have with crack and crack pipes?

 

[klmno]

It really might be a good idea for me to do some of those things before I leave for this next trip. This should be the last trip I have to make before moving. Honestly, maybe I should be doing some of this before even leaving for work in the mornings.

 

[Malika]

OH and as far as proof?

IN Front of EVERY DOOR before you leave in the morning? DUST with baby powder or carpet fresh or flour..........do this OUTSIDE too......and under each window? Take a broom and sweep the dirt then check for footprints. THEN hide the baby powder OR mix them - so that it's not something someone can READILY buy at the dollar store.......and reapply. Like Carpet fresh AND babypowder with GLITTER.....then vacuum up. And lock your vacuum up, so if they DO walk in it and leave footprints? They cant use YOUR vacuum.

ALSO you can put a thin.THIN piece of tape at the top of the doors.....or a hair...(your hair if you wet it) and stick it to the door with spit......IF you come home and that hair is gone? Or the tape is broken? You know someone opened your door.

Outside..........If you put a plant like someone knocked it over on the steps.....people won't think ANYthing about stepping in the dirt........and voila --------footprints......

Star - why are you are trucking? You should be spying!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Malika -

Star is trucking because that's her "day" job.
She needs a "cover", Know what I mean?? So nobody suspects her of really being a spy?

 

[Malika]

So is this the secret of your success, Star? Were you in fact CIA-trained in that truck?

 

[Star*]

I can tie really neat boyscout knots too? Wanna see? lol.

Shoot! NOW you all know I'm MCJiver.

 

[seriously]

Re: the floors - I would get a video of the floors and the entire house (showing the date) done by someone else - preferably not a family member - that will document the current condition of the home. If you have photos from the past, especially the time you first moved in, that show the condition of the house, even if it's mainly a picture of the dogs but the floor shows around them - I would pull all those out and keep them to hand in case you need some proof of the condition of the house when you moved in.

In the future you might ask the owner/agency to do a video of the house prior to your move in, give you a copy on CD and hold one copy in your file for future reference. We have one rental property and this is what we do. Then when the tenant moves out, the home is video'd again in case there are any disagreements with the tenant over whether something is normal wear and tear or not. We have not had any disagreements with tenants so far but I think that it is probably a good idea for anyone who is renting a home to do this or ask the owner/agency to do it. Protects everyone and it's very easy to do these days now that phones have good camera/video quality.

I would put sticky notes all over the house saying "remember to lock the doors when you leave" and "remember to shut the screen doors when you leave". You could also draw pictures of keys in locks or an open door with an arrow pointing to a closed door.

In your bedroom and bathroom or any areas you consider particularly private in your home I would simply put up stickies with big eyes drawn on them as if they are being watched.

The eyes thing is actually documented to make people more honest believe it or not. The research in the area of lying/stealing/honesty has used this technique to study the effectiveness of signage in preventing thefts. One study was in an office where people were consistently failing to pay for their coffee and snacks when it was left up to them to be honest. When they put up a sign that said in words "please remember to pay" or something like that, they got a small uptick in the number of people paying. When they put a sign with just a drawing of eyes - the rate of payment went up by something like 50%.

So you might just want to get out some paper and draw a bunch of eyes on them and put them up all over the house. I expect it might feel pretty creepy to open a closet door or medicine cabinet and find those eyes staring at you.

I sure hope you are moving out really soon. The more this escalates the more likely it is that someone is going to make a bad mistake and you will all end up with a much bigger problem than you have now.

I really don't understand why the owners insist on doing all this before you move out. They could just wait and do it all with no hassle in the 2 or 3 days after you move out.

 

[HaoZi]

The companies that have already come in to look they might could witness to the present state of the floor/house.