My son and I returned home to see our neighbor's front door bashed in. We went up the stairs to find our back door completely bashed in. I freaked out, didn't know if someone could still be in the building--first floor or basement. Police came. Neighbor came home. It was utterly frightening.
I read in the forums recently about storing one's money under a mattress. This is exactly the reason why you DON'T do that. We don't keep any cash in the house and we don't have a lot of nice things. The police said they wouldn't walk out with anything large like a TV because that's too easy to catch. They stole nothing. Didn't even do a good job of rifling through the house because they didn't bother to look in the closet where my jewelry box is. They stole a pack of pepsi and some gym shoes from our neighbor. Of course, again, we're complete nerds because we have neither nice gym shoes nor pepsi 
I'm scared to come home today. I feel totally violated and am fearful that now that they know what is in our house, they'll try to come back. Is it feasible to break a lease over a break-in? The building has a complete lack of security as our back gate is a piece of junk, and obviously, our landlord has not put good locks on the doors (they basically tore right off the door--it's unbelievable).
Sigh. I don't want to go to work today.
Apartment broken into
March 27th, 2008 at 11:28 am
March 27th, 2008 at 12:31 pm 1206621067
However, if they came and they saw you had nothing to take; the likely hood that they will be back is slim. Also, because of the items they took; sounds like possible kids - get a good can of maze and at night secure a chair against the door. You will feel better as time passes and you realize they are not coming back.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:38 pm 1206621500
March 27th, 2008 at 12:47 pm 1206622025
I would talk to the landlord and see what he says. I would also ask him about increasing the security. You might want to quickly chat with the police, maybe they will be patrolling your neighborhood a little more.
March 27th, 2008 at 01:25 pm 1206624333
March 27th, 2008 at 01:37 pm 1206625039
Normally, the likelihood of repeat burglary is relatively high due to "comfort level". Meaning, if they got away with it once, they may feel confident enough that they may get away with it a second time.
It is also possible that they'll leave you alone if they don't think they've found anything good the first time around. On the other hand, they may feel differently if they felt they were in a rush to search it properly for valuables. It just really depends on the perpetrator and what he thinks of it.... Otherwise, hard to say what a person like that will do.
Also, doors are actually very easy to knock down. Even with exterior doors and a half-way decent lock.... A few good kicks will do it. Windows are even easier....
I'm sorry if this is not reassuring to you. It's not my intention to make it any worse.... It's just the reality of the matter, and I've always believed that it's better to be armed with the truth....
To end this on a brighter note, no one is injured, and chances are good that you and your family is not in any danger. Again, they were just after valuables.
March 27th, 2008 at 02:11 pm 1206627095
March 27th, 2008 at 02:29 pm 1206628154
March 27th, 2008 at 02:53 pm 1206629595
So sorry about this -- nothing worse than not feeling safe in your own home. I live in the Chicago suburbs and I think if you call the non-emergency number for Chicago (3-1-1 maybe?)the police can come and walk through your apt. pointing out what can be done to safeguard your place (they see things differently than we do) I would then document what they say, put it in writing and submit it to your landlord. If he is unwilling to make safey precautions, I would tell him that you will do it and subtract the improvements from your rent. There has to be some dept at HUD to help you out if he is unwilling to help you. Good luck.
March 27th, 2008 at 03:16 pm 1206630973
March 27th, 2008 at 03:53 pm 1206633212
March 27th, 2008 at 08:17 pm 1206649051
March 27th, 2008 at 11:02 pm 1206658969
The thing that was scariest was the thought that someone was still in the building--and of course, that they might come back. I called the police imediately because I was concerned someone was still on the premises. They resonded quickly at which point they determined that the basement had not been broken into, which means the person was familiar with our building (its a two flat, only occuped on the first and second floors). The police seemed to think that whoever it was will not come back due to the "heat" at the moment. I am going to suggest that our landlord up the security measures of the building or we'll leave.
Crime is something I've been rather cognisant of considering the looming recession. More and more individuals will become desperate and will resort to crime. It's very disheartening. I just hope I'll sleep a little better tonight.