Placing A Spy Camera In My Apartment

UCDCritic

So I'm fairly sure my landlord is entering my apartment during the day when I'm not there.

I'm thinking of buying a spy camera to catch him doing it.

I'd like your opinion as to what would happen next.

So I have footage of my landlord entering without my permission, what should I do?

Take it to the guards?

Confront him directly?

Would I have to move out (I don't have the time or money to do that right now)? Can he kick me out because I caught him?

What would happen?

Thanks

GerardKeating

UCDCritic wrote: »

So I'm fairly sure my landlord is entering my apartment during the day when I'm not there.

I'm thinking of buying a spy camera to catch him doing it.

I'd like your opinion as to what would happen next.

So I have footage of my landlord entering without my permission, what should I do?

Take it to the guards?

Confront him directly?

Would I have to move out (I don't have the time or money to do that right now)? Can he kick me out because I caught him?

What would happen?

Thanks

Complain to the PRTB ?

hfallada

The Gardai wont get involved as its civil matter and not a criminal matter. If you think he is entering without permission, move out. The PRTB arent going to help you

Mena

hfallada wrote: »

The Gardai wont get involved as its civil matter and not a criminal matter. If you think he is entering without permission, move out. The PRTB arent going to help you

It's breaking and entering (sorry too many tv shows). How is it civil and not criminal?

conorh91

hfallada wrote: »

The PRTB arent going to help you

This is terrible advice.

The PRTB can be an accessible and affordable method of having an order made against a landlord or tenant who is in breach of their obligations.

The biggest complaint I hear from landlords is that the PRTB is a vehicle that exists for the benefit of tenants, and that the PRTB is broadly uninterested in resolving landlords' problems.

In any case, the OP should consult a solicitor or the PRTB if they believe the landlord is entering the property without justification.

There can be no genuine concerns about obtaining video evidence in the manner contemplated by the OP.

234

Mena wrote: »

It's breaking and entering (sorry too many tv shows). How is it civil and not criminal?

There is no such thing as breaking and entering in Ireland. Trespass simpliciter is civil, though it can become criminal if other factors are present.

2nd Row Donkey

I wouldn't bother with the 'hidden' part.

Let's assume your landlord has keys and comes in the front or back door.

Next time you are going out, and leaving the premises empty, set up a small table just inside the door.

Place a laptop with a cheap Web cam connected running on it , camera and latop screen facing the door to record people entering the premises.

As soon as the landlord steps inside, he will see himself on the screen of your laptop and **** himself. Trust me, he'll think twice about making an unscheduled visit the next time.

lego101

Have you asked him is he entering? Seems simple but it might make him aware.

UCDCritic

lego101 wrote: »

Have you asked him is he entering? Seems simple but it might make him aware.

I don't think I could do that without any evidence

blueb

you dont have to ask him if it is him who is entering..
Just tell him you have a suspicion that someone is entering the apartment! ask him would any previous tenant still have a key, that might spook him enough to stop, alternatively the laptop idea sounds good.. the shock factor.

What do u think hes doing in there? is he just a nosey f*cker?

Victor

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with the 'hidden' part.

Let's assume your landlord has keys and comes in the front or back door.

Next time you are going out, and leaving the premises empty, set up a small table just inside the door.

Place a laptop with a cheap Web cam connected running on it , camera and latop screen facing the door to record people entering the premises.

As soon as the landlord steps inside, he will see himself on the screen of your laptop and **** himself. Trust me, he'll think twice about making an unscheduled visit the next time.

So if it is someone else, e.g. former tenant, this is an excellent way for them to get a free laptop.

alan partridge aha

blueb wrote: »

you dont have to ask him if it is him who is entering..
Just tell him you have a suspicion that someone is entering the apartment! ask him would any previous tenant still have a key, that might spook him enough to stop, alternatively the laptop idea sounds good.. the shock factor.

What do u think hes doing in there? is he just a nosey f*cker?

THe previous tenant suggestion is a good idea, and check his reaction.

Pixie Chief

234 wrote: »

There is no such thing as breaking and entering in Ireland. Trespass simpliciter is civil, though it can become criminal if other factors are present.

Really? That's mad. I never would have thought that it wasn't criminal to break into someones home. Although the 'break' bit might make it criminal? If you have a key, for example, as the landlord would in this example and the tenant found him in his apartment, the gardai wouldn't respond? *considers changing the locks on house in case old owners still have keys*

Peregrinus

Simply entering on somebody else's property without permission is not, in itself, a crime. If it were, everyone who walks up your front path to ring your doorbell would be a criminal. There need's to be some further circumstance - entering with intent to commit some other crime, forcible entry - before a crime is committed. If the landlord lets himself into your flat with his own key without your permission, he's in breach of his covenant to afford you quiet possession, but that's a civil matter, not a crime.

Victor

Peregrinus wrote: »

Simply entering on somebody else's property without permission is not, in itself, a crime. If it were, everyone who walks up your front path to ring your doorbell would be a criminal.

There is an implied invitation to come as far as the doorbell. There isn't an implied invitation to come in the bedroom window

_Brian

Get a webcam as advised above.
There are also software suites free to download from the web that will only record on motion detect so it doesn't clog your hard drive. Will also email you the instant it starts recording.

circadian

You can use iSpy for windows, it's free.

You can sync the save folder to google drive so if something were to happen to your laptop at least you might have some evidence on the cloud.

boardfriek

Change the lock. If he is complaining go ask him why he tried to enter your place without notice

unclebill98

blueb wrote: »

would any previous tenant still have a key

This is the 1st thing I thought of.

stimpson

Get an old iPhone and a copy of Presence. It will email you photos when the picture changes quickly. You can then look at a live feed from the app. Then ring the LL and ask him what the fcuk he's doing in your apartment. Record the call, dub into the video and Post the videos on YouTube so we can all enjoy the hilarity.

slimjimmc

boardfriek wrote: »

Change the lock. If he is complaining go ask him why he tried to enter your place without notice

A tenant is not permitted to change the lock on an entrance door without the landlord's written consent.http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2004/en/act/pub/0027/sec0017.html

zl1whqvjs75cdy

boardfriek wrote: »

Change the lock. If he is complaining go ask him why he tried to enter your place without notice

Don't do this.

CapitalNorth

Just change the lock, it will cost you about a tenner, just to be safe, easy to do.

Peregrinus

CapitalNorth wrote: »

Just change the lock, it will cost you about a tenner, just to be safe, easy to do.

. . . and a breach of the terms of your tenancy.

Oink

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with the 'hidden' part.

Let's assume your landlord has keys and comes in the front or back door.

Next time you are going out, and leaving the premises empty, set up a small table just inside the door.

Place a laptop with a cheap Web cam connected running on it , camera and latop screen facing the door to record people entering the premises.

As soon as the landlord steps inside, he will see himself on the screen of your laptop and **** himself. Trust me, he'll think twice about making an unscheduled visit the next time.

I would pay to watch that movie 😄!!!

al22

There are many reasons the landlord can enter HIS PROPERTY

May be you dead? May be he want to check that anything belong to him is still there, say a kitchen table? May be he hear a suspicios sounds coming from? etc

keano25

al22 wrote: »

There are many reasons the landlord can enter HIS PROPERTY

May be you dead? May be he want to check that anything belong to him is still there, say a kitchen table? May be he hear a suspicios sounds coming from? etc

Yes, but he has to make reasonable attempts To contact the occupier before entering. Either a letter or phone calls.

Not just waltz in willy nilly.

Peregrinus

It's not OK for the landlord to enter without the tenant's consent or knowledge. It's a breach of the terms of the tenancy.

Equally, it's not OK for the tenant to change the locks without the landlord's consent. That, too, is a breach of the terms of the tenancy.

The tenant can complain to the landlord, he can complain to the PTRB about the landlord, he can take court proceedings against the landlord or he can simply leave. If he changes the locks unilaterally, the landlord can and probably will ask him to leave, and if that's the outcome he wants then simply leaving is the most direct way to achieve it. Plus, it gives him control over the timing of his departure.

CapitalNorth

Exactly, It is trespassing. He was not invited. He is an unwanted visitior. The same category as anybody else who breaks into the apartment, although not breaking it is still illegal entry and trespass.

Rubberchikken

ask him. but in a roundabout way.
any chance a former tenant still has a key? that you just feel someone has been in there. something simple.
see what he says.
#after that maybe a quick chat with a solicitor mightn't go astray. or seriously consider saving up to move out. it can't be nice to know you're home is being entered in this manner while you're not there.

billy few mates

Better still, tell him you think someones been entering your apartment and some money and an ipad have gone missing and that you're going to report it to the Gardai and watch his face....