My apartment was burglarized yesterday and the culprit made off with approximately $10,000 of mine and my roommates belongings. A teenage male was loitering suspiciously behind our building when I left for the day. Since our apartment was locked up I figured it wasn’t too much of a concern and decided it might be possible that he was just waiting on someone.

When I returned home someone had kicked the back door of our apartment through the frame and walked in. Unfortunately, the deadbolt was not seeded in the stud, and the trim on the frame wasn’t strong enough to secure the door. After calling the police and apartment security, both told us separately that there have been multiple thefts at the complex. After talking to security it was apparent that this method of entry had been used on multiple occasions to gain entry to other units. Both believe that it was one of a group of teenage kids living here that have been arrested on multiple occasions. Apparently the only reason they are not in prison is because they are under age. These break-ins all take place during the day because the parents won’t allow the children out at night.

While we were filing a police report last night one of our neighbors came by and explained that he had his door kicked in the day before. The person had knocked on his door and he didn’t answer since he wasn’t expecting company. When he heard the noise he went to check and caught the person as he was walking into the apartment. After describing the person I had seen earlier in the day, my neighbor confirmed that he had caught the same person attempting to enter his unit.

What I’m wondering is if the there is negligence on the part of the complex here. Does the apartment complex have any liability to notify tenants of this sort of activity? Is the complex responsible in any way for the ease of entry though the door?

Thanks,
Jason