Sighting! In my own house!

[NightAngel]

There have been workmen working on the outside of my apartment building for weeks. They POUND on everything starting bright and early every morning.

This morning, they were outside pounding on the side of the building as usual. I'm becoming used to it and generally can fitfully sleep through it now. However, at one point this morning I thought there was a pounding on my front door but I wasn't sure so I went to check.
Looked out the front window- saw nothing/no one.
Went back to bed. I was sleeping in a short t-shirt and panties- this is relevant.

A couple of minutes later I hear the front door open, without thinking I jump up and start towards the living room as I hear, "Hello, is anyone home?"

I'm thinking WTF!?!?!
My dog is apparently thinking WTF?!?! also as she hit the living room right as I did and went into attack stance at the man standing in my living room.

Me: "The HELL?!"
Him: "Maintenece."
Me: "You can't be in here right now!"

At this point I'm just startled and a bit freaked out.

Him: "But I knocked."
Me: "I'm in my underware and my dog is really upset!"
Him: "But I knocked!"
Me: "I'M IN MY UNDERWARE!"
Him: "I knocked."

I was startled to begin with but at this point I'm just pissed off.

I head towards him waving my hands for him to get out.

Him: "I'm supposed to do pest control and I knocked!"
Me: "Get out!"
I was absolutely FURIOUS!
I drove him out the door and I'm pretty sure that I hit him with the door on his way out! Not intentionally but GAH! He probably deserved it.

He should have said, "Sorry, I'll be back in a bit." and just left.
He never did come back to do pest control today. I didn't get a chance to go by the office and talk to them but I'm going to!
What a creep!

[Listerfiend]

I had a similar experience at my new (current) apartment... Maintenance comes by at 9:00 am responding to a request I had put in (I made mention of the best time for them to come in for me, but that was obviously ignored... and it was definitely not for 9:00). Luckily I'm a light sleeper so I heard the knocking on the door and the subsequent enter of the maintenance man. If I wouldn't have been home my boyfriend wouldn't have heard it, though, and therefore wouldn't be able to tell maintenance what needed done. *grumbles* Is it that hard to believe that people might be asleep at 9:00?

[bigjimaz]

I don't care if I have made an appointment for maintenance or not, there is no reason for anyone to enter an apartment/condo/whatever once their knock has gone unanswered. Maybe if it's a motel/hotel I would understand, but no way in hell would I put up with service personnel doing it at my residence.

[myswtghst]

I'm grateful my complex generally is good about doing my requested maintenance once I'm awake - I always have them note that I work nights and don't want anyone in there before 1pm.

I have had them show up to do general stuff during odd hours though, and I once woke up, wandered into my living room, and found a man on my balcony working on the railing. No one knocked first or let me know, he just climbed up there and got to work. My only real thought that morning was thank goodness I have pants on.

[myswtghst]

I don't care if I have made an appointment for maintenance or not, there is no reason for anyone to enter an apartment/condo/whatever once their knock has gone unanswered.

I think it has to do with assuming if no one answered, no one is home. *shrugs* I understand that they usually have lots to do and can't sit around waiting on me, but I do think the guy should have gotten the heck out of there immediately once asked, instead of giving stupid answers for too darn long.

[BlaqueKatt]

I had an apartment company that was supposed to notify us 24 hours in advance so we could move furniture and dishes for the pest control guys-they apparently forgot. I wake up to the chain on the front door snapping(management gave pest control a master key)-he never even bothered to knock !!!!!

He jumped about 10 feet when he heard the shotgun being cocked(bad area of town-kept a shotgun, 2 rifles, and a handgun in the bedroom)-didn't identify himself until I had the barrel up against his chest.

He left and called the cops who sided with me-an intruder-who broke the door chain, did not have my permission to be there-I was not notified, and he did not announce nor identify himself-he got a ticket for criminal trespass, and breaking and entering(he forced the chain).

[GolfCart34]

Maintenance men are the reason why I'm glad I'm a homeowner now.

We lived in shitty apartments when we lived in Virginia. It seemed like there was something going wrong every five minutes down there. And if something did go wrong you had to wait for hours for maintenance to show up. For example, when a tropical storm blew through town, the roof started to leak into our apartment (we were on the top floor). My bf called maintenance and they said they'd be right over. I called out of work to wait for maintenance while my bf went to work. Anyway, my bf called at 9:00 in the morning. Maintenance finally decided to show up at 4:00 in the afternoon and only told us that it was raining hard so that's why the roof was leaking. Well no shit it's raining hard out, but it's still no reason why the roof should be leaking. I'm sorry, but the first apartment I lived in by myself when I called maintenance they were over quickly and always took care of the problem. Not this apartment in Virginia.

At least now, if there is a problem, I can FIX IT MYSELF RIGHT AWAY!!! I know how to do house maintenance better than most of the apartment managers I've dealt with. Not to mention my bf's dad as well as my dad live not too far away and they always come over to help out.

[blas]

The maintenance guy around here has the respect to wait for you to open the door and he'd never just let himself in. Even if it was locked and you didn't answer. It's against the lease.

Wow, NightAngel, just wow.....I'm glad you told that guy off. Who just walks into some stranger's house like that?!

[Custard Chick]

I've had problems with maintenance at my new apartment too. Luckily, we're always notified 24 hours beforehand if someone will be spraying or doing work in our apartment. I put in a request for a few holes in the cabinets to be filled. Get a notice saying they'd be there around 9am. Luckily I'm unemployed at the time so I don't have to request off work or anything. But I like to sleep in, so I'm a little peeved I have to wake up that early, but whatever. I get up around 830 and wander out to the living room and proceed to crash on the couch.

I wake up around 1130...no maintenance.

I call. They say they'll be there soon.

1200...100...130...The finally arrive at 200 and I'm so pissed and angry I can't even speak...Not like they could understand though considering they were immigrants. And they didn't even patch all the damn holes! ARRGGG!!!!1!

[BookstoreEscapee]

I might have good fortune in that apparently the guy who lives below us is the son of the head of maintenance for the complex. However, I have yet to actually see the downstairs neighbors so I don't know if that'll do us any good

So far we've had to call them 3 times. The day we moved in we smelled gas in the kitchen, and the fridge wasn't getting cold. It turned out the pilot light was just out in the oven so he showed us how to light it, and the fridge was just being cranky (I had plugged it in and it came on right away, but I couldn't get the plug to go all the way into the outlet, so I switched it to the other outlet and it wouldn't come back on). We left if off for a little while and then plugged it in again and it was fine.

Then my roommate woke me up on the 2nd or 3rd morning we were here to tell me she had called because the toilet wasn't flushing properly. Turned out it was clogged...the water level is very low so we have to be careful.

Then last week the light in the stairwell went out. The light at the bottom was out when we first moved in but when the light at the top went out we couldn't see to unlock the door....(but they didn't have to come into the apartment for that one). My roommate called first thing when she got to work; my dad came over later in the morning to do a couple things and they hadn't come yet, but both lights were working by the time we got home.

So far they have been very timely and helpful, so hopefully that will continue to be the case.

[PorkChop]

Oh I was so pissed when this happened!

My husband I have been married for 6 years. We are comfortable with each other that we don't close the door while in the bathroom.

I was at the computer on the internet when my husband was using the bathroom. Without knocking on the door, one the apartment office girls waltzes into my apartment like she lived here.

Me: What the fuck do you think you are doing?

*Walks toward the bathroom* Her: Isn't maint. guy here

Hubby: What the hell!

Me: No! Get the fuck out of my apartment. You have no right to be in here. Get out NOW! I will be talking to your manager.

Her: Isn't maint. guy here?

Me: Didn't you just hear what I said. You about walked in on my husband while on the toliet. Get out!

Her: Oh! I'm sorry.

Yeah, whatever. Sorry my ass. This is my home. I pay rent on time every month. You do not come into my apartment unless there is an emergency, a 48 hour notice or I give you permission. You do not come in with out knocking and waltz in here like you own the place.
Yeah, I talked the manager. She didn't give two shits about it. Let's just say, I made a phone call to corporate and told them about this little incident. Complex manager and the other girl were sent packing soon after.

[petslave]

Oh joy, apartment stuff.

They were replacing all the windows in our building last month. It wasn't so bad for the smaller bedroom windows as they they did them while I was at school.

The big living room window is a different story completely. I was sitting down at my computer desk in my bedroom with my door shut, relaxing after a hard day of classes when I heard noises coming form my livingroom area. I shrugged it off until it started getting louder. I peeked my head out my bedroom door, and there were three men in the process of PULLING MY WINDOW OUT. I stood there for a second in shock, then went to call my friend and tell her what was going on.

I was about 5 minutes into my rant when there was a knock on my door. It was my landlord, and he said "Hey, can we get started on your window?". I opened the door really wide and told him it looked as though they'd already started. I then proceded to tell him that it nearly gave me a heart attack, wandering into my livingroom to find a bunch of men pulling my window out.

So yeah, not impressed with that one at all.

[Damien]

holy odd socks, what awful experiences! In my apartment complex here in Japan, we get a weeks notice before any maintenance is to be done - and they never enter without being invited in

[Chantilly]

Y'know, that happened to me about 13 years ago and it freaked me out so much, I still have dreams about it! I have my own house now, I haven't lived in an apartment in ten years, but I still reach for something large and heavy whenever I hear a noise that even remotely sounds like someone walking into my house.

[Emrld]

It will be in your rental contract about when the complex representatives are allowed to enter and what notice they have to give.
For the pest control that cut the chain . . .that was not legal and sounds really fishy.
Do make sure you check with apartment managment . . .as pushy as this guy was about having a right to be in your unit . . .just sounds a bit off and worst case looks bad for the complex to be like that. You especially have to be careful having a dog. I know I don't know you personally but, I know you have your dog well trained dog. Even a well trained dog doesn't understand rental agreements and the guy is acutally lucky you were home to prevent your dog from harming him. One of the reasons you have to tell a complex you have pets is so that pesticides don't hurt them . . .and maintenence knows which units it can enter without risk of a protection trained pet.

And yes, I do have my own apt maint story . . .I am the lucky one whose underwear was thrown on the bed and a "white present" was left . . .by maintence. Needless to say corporate let me break my lease and the entire staff (except for the maint who spoke up about what really happened) was kicked out.