My Neighbor Has Been SECRETLY Living In My Apartment For MONTHS!

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER_00] Hey Waffle Gang, I do hope you are well. My name is Mark and today we're checking out some more Reddit stories. And if you do love a Reddit story, why not consider hitting that like, subscribe, maybe that notification bell too. And let's crack on with today's first story. Much love guys.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00] Now today's first story comes from that one clone trooper from the Creepy Encounters subreddit. Ooh, spooky. And it says, for months I was confused why I kept finding long hairs in my house. Then I saw my neighbor coming out of my house. I'm a man in my twenties that lives alone on the very top floor of an apartment block. I've had short hair for the last 10 years of my life. The longest hair on my head is maybe an inch long, if that even.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00] However, across my house I kept finding long hairs on the floor. Like long, brunette hairs. At least 5-6 inches. Sometimes longer. And they would be everywhere. Bathroom floor, in the shower, in my cupboard, in my kitchen, on old clothes, living room floor and sofas, etc, etc. I've been single since November and clean often enough that I'm certain it's not my ex-girlfriend's hairs. Plus, the color doesn't match anyways. She has solid black hair.

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00] These are more a light brunette. Plus, finding them in the places like the shower. But running water is hitting all the sides 5 times plus a week. Anyway, I waved it off as, well, I work with a lot of people and use the gym and bust sometimes. So naturally, hairs are going to stick to my clothes. Well, one day, this past April, I finished my early AM gym session and got the call that I didn't have to go to work that day.

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00] So naturally, I start to walk home all happy that I have the day to myself. I'm on the 5th floor, the uppermost floor of the building, and the apartment is in such a way that there is only one apartment per floor. I start to hustle up the stairs and don't use the elevator since I'm sweaty from the gym anyway. Just as I whip her right to go up the last set of stairs from the 4th floor to the 5th floor, I see my neighbors on the 3rd floor daughter coming down the stairs.

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00] We lock eye contact. We've never spoken before. Mostly because we've never had a reason to, but also because out of respect, I didn't want to make her uncomfortable since she's 19 to 21-ish and I'm slightly older. The most interaction we've had is that I've spoken to her mother and father before when bumping into each other on the stairs. I gave a confused, hello. At this point, I'm thinking that maybe she went to knock on my door to ask for something. A cup of sugar maybe? I don't know.

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00] I was expecting her to reply with something, oh hi, do you have any XYZ? Nope. She gave a silent, hey, and brushed right past me. And only then, when the smell of my own shampoo hit me, did I notice her hair was wet. Like fresh out of the shower a minute ago wet. Now, I'm not saying she showered in my house or that I have a stalker that's been living in my house while I've been at work. She very easily could have just been there to ask for something and most generic brand shampoos smell the same.

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00] But don't the pieces all fit a bit too well? Hair color matches the hairs I would find around my apartment. And like I said before, they were everywhere. In my bed to in my sock drawers. And if it is a case of me having a stalker, how did she know I came home early enough to bolt out the shower in time? Our apartment doesn't have cameras. It's an older building from before 2000. And why would she be stalking me? For how long has she been doing this? We've never dated, never had a proper conversation.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00] I saw her 20 times in the past two years given that I work and she presumably studies or works too. All these thoughts are buzzing through my head and I'm standing outside my door for a solid two minutes grappling with what just happened. I go to turn the key to my door and it opens without me having to unlock it. And I know for a fact I always double lock my door. It's the type with a lock near waist level. And a second more secure lock with a different key around shoulder level.

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_00] I drop my bag, throw off my shoes and run to the shower. And yep, it's wet. I hadn't showered since yesterday morning. I'm a confrontational person. Not that I go looking for fights but I'll definitely pursue an answer if something is bugging me. So back down the stairs to the third floor I went. Knocked on the door of my apparent stalker and her family. She opens the door but with the chain still on. I see half her face from behind the door. Yes, um, can I help? Were you at my door or inside?

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00] I don't want to make this a police thing now but you came down the stairs and I know you were inside. She said, I just had to get something. It won't happen again. Okay, bye. See you. Door closed. This happened last month. I've been cleaning my house every weekend closely now. And got the locks changed and put a motion sensor camera above my door. It only films and triggers on the steps coming up to my door so the fourth apartment still have their privacy. So far so good.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00] I don't think she's been inside since but looking back, I think she's been living in or going in or whatever into my apartment since January because that's my earliest memory of finding hairs. She never took anything of value like my laptop or the few watches I have. Seemingly just showered and ate some of my food and laid in my bed. I do now also always take the elevator and avoid the third floor like the plague. Edit.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00] I'm not really worried about my safety because one, I'm 200 pounds and do a lot of fighting training and two, the new camera has never gone off since installed other than myself triggering it when I'm home. Finally three, I told the old retired husband and wife on the fourth floor that I suspected a robber was trying to break into my apartment last month. I didn't want to start spreading rumors and gossip and ask them to keep an ear out when I'm at work. I feel fine and safe, just creeped out like my personal space had been violated. Edit 2.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00] Someone DM'd me to check my coats and bags for air tags as to how she maybe knew I was coming home earlier that day. I didn't have a lot of stuff so I think I would 100% found it by now given how often I clean. But I'll definitely do another sweep of my stuff. What the hell is going on here? The fact that we never found out how she was actually getting in yet is what would haunt me the most. I mean, she clearly had some kind of access for months. If she was comfortable enough to shower, eat food, hang around in his apartment while he was gone.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_00] Either she somehow copied a key or found a spare at some point. All the locks and security in that building were way easier to bypass than Opie's realizing. And it's how casual she was about it. You know, not panicked, not shocked when she got caught. Just, I had to get something, it won't happen again. Like, she genuinely didn't grasp how violating and disturbing this behavior is. Bloody hell. Ride that bridge says, how in the hell is she getting in?

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_00] You need to inform her parents and her landlord and explain. You will call the police if you even suspect she's back in there. Locks changed, hidden cameras inside, an obvious one outside of your door. What the fuck? Opie says, genuinely no idea. Off the top of my head, maybe she called a locksmith and did the old, I'm the girlfriend owner and got locked out deal. But even then, that doesn't explain how she'd get a key. Unless locksmiths offer that service and are not aware. I go to the police, but I have no evidence. Even the police picked up her hairs across the apartment.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00] They could easily just think we had a fling or something. And now I'm trying to get a restraining order or something. I don't want to get things messed up. There's no landlord. I own the apartment. I think pretty much everyone owns theirs in our building. I'd love to inform her parents, but how do you even start that conversation? The dad's a bus driver who works crazy hours and the mom's a teacher, I think. Both in their 50s. I don't know honestly how to go about this. A commenter says, why do I get the feeling this girl may just have a very tragic backstory?

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_00] Either that or she was just intruding for funsies. But I doubt that. Opie says she's an introvert for sure. I know her parents somewhat because they're quite the chatty type. I'm pretty sure her dad's a bus driver and the mom's maybe a teacher. They're seemingly a very normal and happy and healthy family. The mom would always bring me cake on Christmas and stuff because she knows I live alone and I give them gifts from my travels. There's really no clue that I can pick up on that she has a tragic home life. Commenter says, that's probably what time she always leaves.

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_00] Imagine if you had a quarter in your shower. Wild. Opie says, I go to gym like 6am to 8am and work 9am to 5pm-ish. So I was back home around 8.15am-ish that day. If that's the case, then she was waking up at 5.30 and waiting for me to leave. But why go through so much creepy extra effort just to take a shower at some guy's house? Commenter says, that's pretty fucking creepy. The tamest answer I can think of is that she has slash had a thing for you.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_00] Instead of doing the normal person thing and talking to you, flirting experimentally, and maybe even asking you out if you didn't do it first. She opted for the very weird thing and started sneaking into your apartment when you weren't there. Opie says, the one person I told this story to in real life is a female friend I've had since we were kids. She threw out a similar theory, especially when I said I noticed after my food would go missing and it wasn't me eating and forgetting. She suggested that maybe she was roleplaying or something at my house. I mean, definitely creepy.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_00] But yeah, I think a text or a letter asking me to coffee may have been the more legal approach if she has a thing for me. Commenter says, is it possible she has a set of keys from the prior owner of your apartment? Sometimes neighbors leave keys with each other when they go away to water plants, feed animals, take mail in, etc. If you did change them when you moved in, did you ever lose your keys? Is there a window she could have gotten in through? However she managed it, she was probably using your place as her own personal getaway space from her family.

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_00] I can't believe she would have the guts to do that. And it's still super creepy to know someone invaded your privacy and it was in your home on multiple occasions. Opie says, I moved in before a family, if I'm not mistaken. Like a year beforehand, so I doubt they have any leftover spare keys from the previous tenants who I'd never even met. It never occurred to me to change the locks when moving in, mostly because I live in a small town that has like one mugging a year. Low crime, so you know. Window is impossible.

[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00] I'm on the fifth floor and all my windows look out to the building, so unless she's like Spider-Man, it's not happening. I'm 99% sure now following other comments, she went to a locksmith and maybe lied about ID or something to get some illegal keys. Bad enough she invaded my privacy, but she helped herself to everything in the house too, like even my bed seemingly. The commenter says, how many bathrooms are there per unit? Just one.

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_00] Since she had all day but was caught going in the morning, I wonder if it started out with her and her parents needing the bathroom at the same time, and rather than just waking up earlier, she decided to use yours. When she got more comfortable, she started helping herself to your food, etc. Since someone like that would clearly have no boundaries. Opie says it's one per unit. It's insane if she thought that breaking into my house and making herself at home in my bedroom and kitchen via an illegal key was a better option than setting an alarm earlier.

[00:11:09] [SPEAKER_00] The commenter replies saying she's a weird teenager. Opie says, pretty sure she's like 19 plus, just because her parents told me she graduated if I'm not mistaken. Unless they were talking about a sibling I've not come across. Right, Opie comes in with what was titled their final update and says, Hi all, update following my last post a week back about me catching my neighbor coming out of my apartment, having used my shower. My cousin's husband is a police officer, so I went to him directly about filing a report.

[00:11:38] [SPEAKER_00] He came over to my apartment first as I gave him a visual breakdown of what happened on the stairs and changes odd things I'd noticed in my apartment since January. Primarily just hairs everywhere and missing food and how my door was unlocked that day. Though I did a thorough clean following the event on the stairs, my police friend was able to still find some hairs and so he bagged those up. I gave him my statement in detail and some dates best as I could. When I remember finding the first hair, when I first noticed food going missing etc.

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER_00] Also he advised me not to talk to the family, not even with a friend to avoid any confusion or get lawyers involved or muddy the waters with accusations. With all that done, he left and came back 2-3 days later. He and his partner went to talk to the family on Sunday because they knew both parents would likely be home then. Long story short, she confessed to everything immediately and broke down in tears and apologized once my police friend brought up how 5 months of entering someone's house, even with keys, is still very much an offense.

[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_00] And she could easily end up with a sentence of some sort, should I pursue it. And that sentence could very easily involve the inside of a jail cell irregardless of if she stole something or not. I don't know how true this is. It might have just been my friend and his partner pressing and exaggerating for a confession but it worked. They talked for an hour with her parents and her, all in the same room to get answers from her. Then the same day he came up to mine with his partner and they gave me a breakdown. Answers to commonly asked questions below.

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_00] How did she get in slash have her own key? The locks on our doors are the type that use a code on the lock barrel that only the manufacturer or partnered slash approved locksmiths have access to. She knew this because her parents got the locks changed when they first moved in. And in fact she used the same locksmith from all the way back then. The locksmith presumably remembered the family and apartment but just didn't pay attention to it being the fifth floor. This time instead of her own third floor. So he came over and took the barrel out, saw the code, went and made a set of keys and done.

[00:13:36] [SPEAKER_00] I was none the wiser. Both my locks on my door are different brands but presumably they operate in the same way so having two locks made no difference. What was she doing in my apartment? Anyone who said she just needed space, you are right. She has two younger step-siblings and her mother is a tutor. Not a teacher as I presumed previously, she chooses a home. So at any given point there's always some kids around the house.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00] She would say to her parents she was going out to study or work or a girlfriend's house and used my house as a hotel while she studied or relaxed. The reason she used mine was partly because she knew it would be empty but also because my schedule was predictable. As I work an average 9 to 5 like everyone else but leave the house at 6 to 6.30. To get the gym done too. And essentially gave her the house from 6 to 5. How long? My guess was right.

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_00] It started in January when she figured I'd broken up with my girlfriend at the time around November. My girlfriend would stay at mine when I went to work and back sometime so yeah, that would have been an interesting situation if they had crossed paths. So how did she know I was coming home early that day? And that I wasn't going to work straight after gym like usual so she bolted out the shower. Or on the days I didn't go to gym, how did she know not to come in? Twofold.

[00:14:53] [SPEAKER_00] Firstly, I go to a commercial gym in my country and so they have an app. Irregardless of if you're a member or not, one of the things the app lets you see is how many people are in each branch so you can see how full it is. All you have to do is download it and scan the QR code at the entrance by the turnstiles to add it to the My Gyms tab. It literally shows you like branch number 21, address 9 out of 50, 18% full.

[00:15:17] [SPEAKER_00] She would refresh the app in the morning and if it went up by 1 around 6 to 6.30am and she'd heard me go downstairs or use the elevator. Not hard when it's 6am and the apartment is otherwise silent. Then she would know the house is empty. Now for the creepiest, most messed up bit of it all. She had put an air tag on my car. She insisted that she only put it on recently and initially just presumably gambled that I wouldn't be home sooner than expected. Or maybe she just put an ear to the door. But then one thing led to another and yeah.

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_00] I don't know how much I believe this. Again, this could be an attempt to not look so guilty. That day when we clashed, she refreshed the app and saw I left the gym. But then my car didn't move. She connected the dots and tried to leave ASAP. When she heard me coming up the stairs, she didn't have time to lock up and so we met on the stairs with my door remaining closed but not locked. Extra detail, the air tag was stuck to under my car. See, using my shower. She claimed she didn't do it always just on hot days or days she couldn't at home.

[00:16:17] [SPEAKER_00] I can't deny or confirm this. Like I said, previously being a gym goer, I'd shower five plus times a week or so. How her parents didn't ever notice. Well, the dad leaves early for work. 5am-ish since his bus route starts around 6. Mum is up around 6 or 7. But since she's preparing for her own students for the day plus her own kids to send to school, she wasn't too bothered what her eldest 20-year-old daughter was doing really. She'd just say, I'm going to college library or I'm going to my girlfriends and that was good enough.

[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_00] Did she have a thing for me like a crush? My police friend didn't really say anything about this. Presumably, he never asked since it's not important as other details of it never came back. It makes little difference. How's my standings with the family right now? The mum and dad both apologized to me. The mum via text and the dad in person at my door. He offered to pay for the camera I installed as his daughter was the direct cause of it. It was a cheap one off Amazon so I said no, it's fine.

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_00] We had a 10-15 minute conversation and he was very apologetic and explained his daughter had always been extremely quiet and well behaved. So something like this would never have crossed his mind in a million years. He added that his daughter's never had a boyfriend, at least that he knows of. And has only a few friends so her social interaction skills aren't necessarily top notch. And that even when guests would come, she'd hide away in the spare room. So to the few people who predicted that maybe COVID and lockdown led her to not having a good social interaction skills, you were half right.

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_00] He again offered me money for my troubles like missing food, new locks and cleaning etc. But I felt bad enough already, I declined. He did also ask if I would press charges and I again said no. More on that below. He said he will send his daughter to apologize to me in person too when the situation has calmed down as she's apparently very tense and upset and hasn't left her room in days. Am I going to press charges? No. I'm still not happy about the situation, especially the fucking air tag on my car.

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_00] But the family is apologetic as well as the culprit herself and honestly no one is going to gain anything from this. I would like an apology though for anyone that cares about the extra detail. She got the air tag as a gift a while back from her parents because she kept losing her stuff. Have I seen her since? No. No. She won't apparently leave her room and is terrified that I'll press charges. Though presumably her family's told her, I said I won't. How do I currently feel? Well, I was never especially worried or nervous,

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_00] just really really creeped out about the whole situation. I felt like I'd been a parasite host and somehow never noticed until then. I currently still feel a little angry and a small part of me is thinking to seek revenge, but any revenge I seek like money or slander is truthfully going to impact the parents more than her. Do I feel bad for her? Truthfully, no. She's not 10. She's 20 or something and educated, so yeah, you should be remorseful, feel guilty and scared. Get over that hump and we'll talk.

[00:19:08] [SPEAKER_00] Plus, there's loads of spaces for young adults like public libraries and her college spaces. By no means was my house the only viable option. Finally, did she use my bed or wear my clothes? Believe it or not, yes, she did. Any advice I can give? Check your Wi-Fi devices. If I had checked that, I would have noticed her phone and laptop all the way back then. Obviously, my Wi-Fi modem is in my house and so she helped herself to that. Again, it's one of those things. How often does one check their Wi-Fi devices?

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_00] Truthfully, with all my family visiting me and their devices, I probably would have noticed one extra phone amongst the existing 10+. But I 100% would have noticed the one extra laptop. So let that be a lesson to all. And yes, I've removed her devices from the list and changed my password. Opie replies to a long comment and says, I don't feel bad for her. I feel bad for her family. I don't think she's a threat to anyone at this point. Her parents will most likely have her on a very tight leash from now on. 100% there's a mental issues at play here.

[00:20:06] [SPEAKER_00] That combined with her not really stealing anything or doing me any major harm makes me not so mad and vengeful. I'm not trying to be all macho. I just don't think the legal process is worth the effort. If anything happens again, her name's on file and the police have her noted down as someone who's committed breaking and entering. I suspect if as much as a toothpick goes missing somewhere and is reported, she'll be a suspect. A commenter says,

[00:20:48] [SPEAKER_00] This wouldn't necessarily hurt the parents more than her. She's a grown ass adult. Opie says, I don't think pressing charges is worth it. It's a long legal process and her getting a jail sentence isn't going to make me any happier or less violated. The parents and the police are aware of her actions and so I'm sure she'll be on a tight leash and very well behaved from now on. A commenter says,

[00:21:22] [SPEAKER_00] Opie then responds to another long thread and says, Another commenter says,

[00:22:14] [SPEAKER_00] And there was a lot of talk about it being, you know, a deeply isolated or socially stunted person who's just crossing every imaginable boundary that there was because she wanted peace and privacy and escapism and all that kind of thing. Which, you know, may be the case. But at the same time, this wasn't impulsive or harmless. There was a whole thought process behind this. She deliberately got keys made under false pretenses, studied his routine,

[00:22:42] [SPEAKER_00] tracked his movements with an air tag and repeatedly entered his home for months. You know, that takes a lot of planning and sustained deception at the same time. And I can understand feeling sympathy for someone who is isolated or mentally struggling, etc. But plenty of lonely people don't secretly break into someone's apartment and live, you know, their own parallel life there. The air tag especially pushes it into genuinely alarming territory because, you know,

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_00] that shows she knew exactly what she was doing and was adapting to avoid getting caught. And although OP said he would rain down hell if it had happened again, he was far kinder than a lot of people would have been, I think. Personally, for me, I would have struggled with that. Even if, you know, she never intended physical harm or whatever. Discovering someone had been secretly sleeping in your bed and monitoring your movements. You know, that would completely throw me out. But how about you guys? How would you feel in that situation?

[00:23:39] [SPEAKER_00] Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below. Just a huge thank you for being here today, getting involved in the story, your love, your support, your time. It always means the absolute world to me. So thank you so, so much for being here for your support. Honestly, thank you. And I'll see you in the next one. Take care and much love.