Question about trespassing. - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

P.C. · #31 09-24-2013, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by link

I own a house that’s part of a housing development. This development is located about 30 miles into the woods. There is a “caretaker” who is paid by the HOA to provide minimal services, including what is laughingly called “security.” He mostly drives a small pick up truck around the development 1x or 2x per day. He's worked for the HOA for at least 12 years.

There have been at least 2 occasions I know of where the caretaker has gone on to my property without my permission or request.

In the most recent case, he wrote that he smelled something bad and came on the property to discover a large dead animal behind my house. The back of the house is at least 50 yards from the roadway and I have some doubts he would have been able to smell something from that distance.

I’ve been away from the house for a couple of weeks, and have not had the opportunity to check this myself, but he later wrote that most of the large dead animal has been consumed, about 4 days after he first found it.

This event is kind of creepy. Not so much due to the possible large dead animal, which happens in the woods, but due to the guy touring my property without my permission or request.

Any suggestions on how to handle this? Should I bring it up to the caretaker, HOA or County Sheriff, or just let him continue to stalk the property whenever he contrives a need?

I had a relative who was a policeman who did this work on the side. The properties were mostly recreational properties surrounding a lake and were not occupied year round. In order for him to do his job properly, he had to get out of his patrol vehicle and do a walkaround on most of the properties. I remember being with him one time and walking to the back of a cottage, where the window on the storm door had been smashed in and someone shot a hole through the doorknob in an attempt to break in. He never would have detected the attempt if he just did a drive-by.

As long as he's not helping himself to your television set, I would not object to someone in his position giving my property a good lookover while I was away.

Zulfiqar · #32 09-24-2013, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by engatwork

Y'all ain't got no buzzards. Around here a carcass is picked clean before it starts to stink.

over here we have tiny buzzards called fire ants - real public servants.

Mölyapina · #33 09-24-2013, 05:27 PM

We once found a dead deer in the woods. We went by it frequently, and it was immediately infested with maggots who had down to bare bones in less then a week...

Now we know why God made flies

.

Edit for clarity:We were not out there to check out the dead animal daily

. We were tracking a rare turtle population and this carcass was within the territory the turtles roamed.

aklim · #34 09-24-2013, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by link

I was thinking about asking another member on the HOA, who is a friend.

Mr Creepy, who evidently visited more than once, wrote that the carcass was mostly consumed after 3 days. That raises another question about how quickly roughly 1500 lbs or so of animal can be reasonably consumed? I have no idea.

I wouldn't if it were me. I don't want my friend involved in this affair. If we are friends, I'd have to turn you down or get involved and it COULD be perceived as me taking up a case for my buddy that I might not get involved in. I'd ask the HOA President for direction as to whether he or someone else handles it.

1500 lbs is not that much once it is dressed out and the decomposing parts removed if you and your buddies are hungry enough.

aklim · #35 09-24-2013, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by link

Of course, the darkest worry is that by bringing it to the HOA attention, sooner or later i'll get a report that the house burnt to the ground.....

If you are going to worry about that, don't buy insurance. That is what insurance is for. To save you some headache.

cmac2012 · #36 09-24-2013, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by link

He may be. Or not.

Of course this may be true, but in fact the location of the house is such that the occasional visitor would have occasional influence of the house being broken into, at best. In fact, the house was broken into in the past and the security guy never noticed it.

If he knew you were out of town, I would think him checking on the issue might make more sense. Especially if other homes were close enough for residents to get a drift of the stink.

I have smelled some rotten meat/carcass stinks that were pretty rough. Purging a neighborhood of that might even be in his job description.

cmac2012 · #37 09-24-2013, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jooseppi Luna

We once found a dead deer in the woods. We went by it frequently, and it was immediately infested with maggots who had down to bare bones in less then a week...

Now we know why God made flies

.

Not exactly pleasant, but maggots/flies do provide a valuable service. That's why rats that die inside walls stink so bad, for so long. Flies don't get at them as readily.

Skid Row Joe · #38 09-25-2013, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

If you are going to worry about that, don't buy insurance. That is what insurance is for. To save you some headache.

Well, I guess that depends on how many times you're willing to be broken into? All, without having a clue on who did it, as an absentee owner and increasing premiums? Not a chance......

Not that insurance is the issue here because it is not, but, I would likely never insure a free-standing personal residence, (personal choice) - nor have I insured mine for a lot of years - but by the same token, there's NFW I'd own a home/possessions I actually cared about that wasn't balls-to-the-wall full of security equipment, inside the home and multiple remote locations outside the home......with at least two back-up redundancy running and power supply systems, and night-vision to insure nothing escaped being recorded forensically to my residence or my property that I would not be aware of almost instantly.....

Insurance is so dammed expensive on a home that sits vacant, in my experience, and security equipment up the ying-yang is NOT....I'd load that SOB up with some righteous systems, and be able to monitor it from my iPhone or laptop, anywhere/anytime in the world....

Having to spend your time worrying about some Barney Fife that may or may not be involved in break-ins isn't my idea of security. If it's worth owning, then it's worth having a complete security system you own and monitor too...

layback40 · #39 09-25-2013, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Well, I guess that depends on how many times you're willing to be broken into? All, without having a clue on who did it, as an absentee owner and increasing premiums? Not a chance......

Not that insurance is the issue here because it is not, but, I would likely never insure a free-standing personal residence, (personal choice) - nor have I insured mine for a lot of years - but by the same token, there's NFW I'd own a home/possessions I actually cared about that wasn't balls-to-the-wall full of security equipment, inside the home and multiple remote locations outside the home......with at least two back-up redundancy running and power supply systems, and night-vision to insure nothing escaped being recorded forensically to my residence or my property that I would not be aware of almost instantly.....

Insurance is so dammed expensive on a home that sits vacant, in my experience, and security equipment up the ying-yang is NOT....I'd load that SOB up with some righteous systems, and be able to monitor it from my iPhone or laptop, anywhere/anytime in the world....

Having to spend your time worrying about some Barney Fife that may or may not be involved in break-ins isn't my idea of security. If it's worth owning, then it's worth having a complete security system you own and monitor too...

X2 You cant beat a good security system.
As far as this neighbor watch guy goes, if it was me, I would thank him for his interest & give him my mobile number & ask that if he ever sees anything out of place to give me a call. He sounds like he wants to feel important.

t walgamuth · #40 09-25-2013, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

X2 You cant beat a good security system.
As far as this neighbor watch guy goes, if it was me, I would thank him for his interest & give him my mobile number & ask that if he ever sees anything out of place to give me a call. He sounds like he wants to feel important.

I agree with Layback on this and would add....we all want to feel important.

link · #41 09-25-2013, 08:08 AM

Quote:

two words: SECURITY CAMERAS

Groan. The property has several, and, cough, more are needed ……………

Quote:

Y'all ain't got no buzzards. Around here a carcass is picked clean before it starts to stink.

No buzzards, well, except figuratively, wrt the occasional thief, who have shown themselves adept at quickly picking the easy meat.

Quote:

Contact your HOA's office/administration, preferably in writing, provide the info you provided in the original post, and pose your question about entry onto your property. Await response.

That would be addressed to Mr. Creepy. Not sure that is the ideal solution. A friend is a county deputy but I’m not sure I want to drag him into this.

Quote:

Moral: Secure your property.

The irony, at this place is this is not possible. No matter what, someone with a chain saw, as an ineloquent example, could use it to enter through a wall. One time someone pried some of the siding off to gain access.

Quote:

Check your fire insurance coverage... if that happens you could build a safer more secure home

That is my worst nightmare. The house is among a lot of trees. If a fire started at the right time of year, the foreseeable forest fire may be visible from the moon.

…on the other hand, we’d have nothing left to move out.

Quote:

As long as he's not helping himself to your television set, I would not object to someone in his position giving my property a good lookover while I was away.

Your points (and the points of others) are valid, and similar to your words, someone suggested that the guy may see himself the equivalent of the town sheriff. But the time I’ve been there, which is a lot, he’s most definitely not known for doing inspections.

link · #42 09-25-2013, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jooseppi Luna

We once found a dead deer in the woods. We went by it frequently, and it was immediately infested with maggots who had down to bare bones in less then a week...

What is with the obsession over rotting animal remains? Mr. Creepy has evidently done the same thing....

link · #43 09-25-2013, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

I wouldn't if it were me. I don't want my friend involved in this affair. If we are friends, I'd have to turn you down or get involved and it COULD be perceived as me taking up a case for my buddy that I might not get involved in. I'd ask the HOA President for direction as to whether he or someone else handles it.

My friend could provide some reasonable feedback as she’s in the area more than I am, and more importantly, she’s involved with the HOA. We’ve helped each other with several community issues over the years. She may know of other incidents involving Mr C. The HOA president is another nut job and spends a lot of her time prying into people’s lives.

Quote:

1500 lbs is not that much once it is dressed out and the decomposing parts removed if you and your buddies are hungry enough.

I'll take that as a voice of experience.

No, really, just replying in jest.

link · #44 09-25-2013, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

If you are going to worry about that, don't buy insurance. That is what insurance is for. To save you some headache.

It’s true. But we keep things there that would be hard to replace.

And then there is the emotional trauma.

link · #45 09-25-2013, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

If he knew you were out of town, I would think him checking on the issue might make more sense. Especially if other homes were close enough for residents to get a drift of the stink.

No one within about half a mile.

Quote:

Purging a neighborhood of that might even be in his job description.

I have doubt about that.