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I have a storage room in my apartment block (each apartment in the building has a private storage room in the basement). I suspect that someone may have entered there, maybe the landlord who lives in the same block, or another person who may have lived here before and could have kept one of the copies of the key.

I was thinking about changing the key, but I'm wondering if I can come up with an idea that would be cheaper and also could tell me if someone has entered.

A security camera would be great, but there are no power outlets (the electricity bill of the storage rooms is shared by all neighbours in the block, so they don't want people to plug certain electric devices there "for free" and there is only a light bulb with a switch). I could use a power bank like the ones used for smartphones but I guess it would only last a few hours. Also, the camera could not send the images anywhere from there.

I also thought of putting some object behind the door that would break when the door is open but I would also break it when I enter

Do you know if there is any clever idea for this or some device that I can buy?

eliblanco87
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    There are all sorts of "spy tricks" for this, that are probably off-topic, like a hair across where the door opens. There's [a discussion at lifehacks.se](https://lifehacks.stackexchange.com/q/9904/4036) for those. That also discusses some more on-topic ideas like battery-powered alarms – Chris H Jan 26 '22 at 11:28
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    There are motion-activated cameras which can last for months on a single charge, recording 10-20 mins per day to an internal SD card - google "wyze cam outdoor" for an example. – brhans Jan 26 '22 at 11:32
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    I agree with @ChrisH that this seems a better fit for [lifehacks.se]. – FreeMan Jan 26 '22 at 12:38
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    BTW with a breakabe object, you'd need to listen for it as you open the door - broken and no sound = someone else broke it. But it doesn't even have to be breakable, just fall over noisily. – Chris H Jan 26 '22 at 12:44
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    Have you never seen a James Bond film? Pull a hair from your head and catch it in the door frame as you close the door. Look for the hair to be there when you return. If it's not, somebody has opened your door. Either that or someone saw you put it there and is messing with you... – FreeMan Jan 26 '22 at 12:47
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    @FreeMan Bond did that a lot. – JACK Jan 26 '22 at 12:55
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    @Freeman Bond had hair to spare. – Steve Wellens Jan 26 '22 at 14:49
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    valid point, @SteveWellens. I, for one, could not use that trick. However, we have a dog and she's got plenty! ;) – FreeMan Jan 26 '22 at 14:58
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    @Freeman - when I tried that trick using the dog hair, there were additional hairs when I returned. I concluded that many more people had not entered the room. – Willk Jan 26 '22 at 15:45
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    @Willk we've all had to put up with negative people, but mathematically negative?! – Chris H Jan 26 '22 at 16:58
  • Have you tried searching amazon for "wireless camera two-year battery"? – NoSparksPlease Jan 26 '22 at 18:16
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    This belongs more on "Life Hacks" than "Home Improvement"; it's not about Home Improvement. Aside from that, it doesn't sound like you have any legal right to do what you're trying to do. It sounds like you don't own this storage room and are trying to prevent someone who does and (potentially illegally) monitor their attempts to do so. – TylerH Jan 26 '22 at 20:34
  • I think that of all the options, changing the key will probably be the cheapest one. – Vilx- Jan 26 '22 at 20:34
  • Except maybe placing an innocuous object that will get moved when entering, but that doesn't tell you who when or why, nor does it prevent anything. – Vilx- Jan 26 '22 at 20:35
  • @TylerH I was very surprised (and a bit upset) by your comment. _Why_ does it "sound" like that? Did you post the same comment in the linked Life Hacks question? If you want you can contact me and I'll show you the rental contract or we can do a video call where I can do a tour of all the objects there and how I got them, like my first bike from the 90s that I still keep – eliblanco87 Jan 27 '22 at 05:07
  • @eliblanco87 the question I linked refers to "my room" and a clear expectation of privacy. Your question takes a careful and specific reading to realise that it's a private storage room. – Chris H Jan 27 '22 at 09:35
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    ... I initially read it the same as @TylerH seems to have done, as in other places, shared storage rooms are common. If you do have a reasonable expectation of sole access, you have more options, though you're still looking for something that would be better at the lifehacks (where I've linked the very similar question; jay613's serious answer here fills in the gaps) or hardware recommendations sites. – Chris H Jan 27 '22 at 09:39
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    I’m voting to close this question because it's off-topic, asking for either hardware recommendations or life hacks. It would be a duplicate of one at lifehacks.se anyway – Chris H Jan 27 '22 at 09:40
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    Buy a tiger.... – yngabl Jan 27 '22 at 13:54
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    For clarity's sake, you might consider rewording the question. The phrase "each apartment on the floors has one associated storage room on the -1 floor" is somewhat ambiguous. Assuming it's still accurate, something like "each apartment in the building has a private storage room in the basement" would be clearer. – T.J.L. Jan 27 '22 at 15:05
  • Even if you have exclusive rights (minus the landlord and owner) to the storage room, it's still not your home, so it's tenuous at best if this is truly an on-topic question for a *home* improvement. While the site does cater to all sorts of homes (mobile homes, sprinter vans, tiny homes, etc.), this isn't so much "improving/repairing your living space" as it is how to monitor someone from a security standpoint (so, Security.SE would be better), or alternatively just detecting whether someone has entered in some off-the-wall way (so, LifeHacks.SE would be better). – TylerH Jan 27 '22 at 19:35
  • Per the [tour], "*Home Improvement is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. The core of this site is around parts of your home that are typically included when you buy or sell it, the structure, utilities, and major appliances.*". Consulting https://diy.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic also doesn't seem to show how this topic fits. The proper course of action in this scenario is: Ask your landlord if they or a maintenance person entered the storage room assigned to you recently for any purpose. If yes, that's the end of it. If no, request they change the lock. – TylerH Jan 27 '22 at 19:40
  • That's something that doesn't require or involve "DIY" in terms of home improvement. – TylerH Jan 27 '22 at 19:41
  • Locks are cheap. Why do you think it's more expensive than the alternatives. – Simon B Jan 27 '22 at 21:59
  • @SimonB A hair is cheaper than a lock – eliblanco87 Jan 28 '22 at 08:55
  • @TylerH Maybe things are different in our respective countries, or my English is not so good, but around here the landlord or any maintenance people has absolutely no right to enter the place where I live or where I store my stuff – eliblanco87 Jan 28 '22 at 08:57
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    @eliblanco87 Things are probably different; if you rent an apartment or even a house in the US (or even own one, in some cases), the landlord/building owner has the right to enter for valid reason (with appropriate notice, of course). I find it a little hard to believe other countries manage to have a working rental property industry that completely bans people from accessing property they own. That being said... it still doesn't change the issues at hand: what your next steps should be, and that this is not a DIY question. – TylerH Jan 28 '22 at 14:45
  • @TylerH comparing the UK, for example: the landlord's right to enter is subject to restrictions, so entering (part of) a rented property unannounced is something you might want to deter even if you suspect the landlord. What's allowed depends on the contract and the property, and a separate storage room could be a tricky area. Some of the serious solutions are reasonable - but being off-topic don't rescue the question – Chris H Jan 28 '22 at 16:00

7 Answers7

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Search for "trail camera" in aliexpress, Amazon, or any other retailer.

These cameras are meant to be left in the forest to take videos of animals. They are activated by a low power motion sensor, so you'll get long battery life (maybe several months).

Of course you'll have to hide it. You can get more inconspicuous models by searching for "hidden camera motion detector", the fake smoke detector is a common disguise for these.

JVC
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bobflux
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What country are you in? If you are in North America and the light switch is inside your locked space and there is a normal E26 light bulb socket, you can BUY an adapter that will allow you to take power from the light socket and still switch the light on and off by pulling a chain.

enter image description here

If there is wifi down there, in any country you can buy a combo light/camera where you would leave the light switch in the On position and control the camera and light from your phone.

enter image description here

Without electricity you could rig up a Polaroid flash camera to take a picture when the door opens, by connecting the door to the shutter button with string and pulleys. The tresspasser could of course steal the photo and/or the entire camera but at least then you will have confirmation of the event. Or you could put the camera in a securely mounted steel box but that seems like getting too far ahead of things.

enter image description here

I think it was mentioned in the comments: Non-wifi security cameras that are motion/light activated and record to a memory stick can last for weeks or months and can be hidden easily and cleverly. The come in the form of picture frames, external hard drives, toys, etc.

enter image description here

jay613
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  • Spain. Both are great answers but I can't vote up! – eliblanco87 Jan 26 '22 at 13:53
  • Pretty much applicable in Europe. – fraxinus Jan 27 '22 at 16:29
  • @fraxinus is there anything like that first device in any European country? To take power from a light socket using a device sold legally in stores? – jay613 Jan 27 '22 at 16:55
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    Legal, no. I doubt it is legal in North America either. But in regard to available, pretty much yes - I used to own one. Rather safe if you know what you are doing - i.e. if you plug only low power, double-insulated appliances. – fraxinus Jan 27 '22 at 17:39
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    "steal the photo and/or the entire camera", well along those lines: just leave a valuable in plain site. When it's gone... – P2000 Jan 27 '22 at 17:49
  • I'm curious why a light bulb socket would be illegal? – Martha Jan 27 '22 at 23:40
  • @martha Building and selling any electrical device needs approval. An adapter that allows a light bulb socket to be used as a general socket for plug-in devices is no different. In North America there are approved ones. I don't think there are elsewhere. – jay613 Jan 28 '22 at 13:03
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Balance an open bucket of yellow paint on a small platform above the door on the inside. Attach the bucket to the door with a piece of string. The string should be long enough that the door can be opened about 10cm without tipping the paint. In the middle of the string put a detachable link or a carabiner so you can reach in and disconnect it before opening the door. The tresspasser will be the one with yellow hair.

enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

jay613
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    This is becoming a very popular, if somewhat humorously impractical answer... OTOH, this is basically what they do with cash when transporting it so the thieves can be easily caught... – FreeMan Jan 26 '22 at 18:24
  • ... and [clothing](https://www.securitytags.com/product/shell-ink-tag) – jay613 Jan 26 '22 at 18:40
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    ..and if that doesn't stop them an anvil or a crate of dynamite would be suitable upgrades. Acme brand of course. – Chris H Jan 27 '22 at 09:38
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    @ChrisH BEEP! BEEP! – JACK Jan 27 '22 at 13:21
  • Leaving an /empty/ bucket above the door would be adequate indication that you were aware of- and objected to- intrusion. Or a cardboard box labelled WATER BOMB, or ACME ANVIL. How to get either lodged above the door in a sealed room is left as an exercise. – Mark Morgan Lloyd Jan 27 '22 at 14:14
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    Depends how often people are going in there. If they don't go in there for a month, the paint will already be dried solid. Although of course then the trespasser will be the one shouting "What ***ing ****er put that ****ing bucket on top of the ***ing door?!" which is probably a bit of a giveaway. – Graham Jan 27 '22 at 15:12
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    To the extent anyone is seriously considering implementation details 1) lethal solutions are probably illegal in Spain, and probably excessive to protect empty cardboard boxes, Christmas decorations and extra chairs, 2) To help with the drying-out issue, use a loose-fitting lid with thinned paint or dye or ink. – jay613 Jan 27 '22 at 15:34
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Wedge a dime or some small, thin object between the door and jamb and lightly mark the door where the object is. If the door is opened, the object will fall and if the person notices it and tries to puts it back, they won't get the height right.

jay613
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JACK
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    ...except for a helpful marker on the door frame that you left showing where to put the object ? – AutoBaker Jan 27 '22 at 14:04
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    @5Diraptor "lightly mark the door", a pencil point, an indentation, etc. Not suggesting outlining the object with a magic marker.... :-) – JACK Jan 27 '22 at 14:12
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    @5Diraptor That's why you mark the door frame, but put the object an inch away - if it ends up at the mark you know it was replaced by someone else. – Travis Jan 27 '22 at 18:37
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If the door opens inwards, then place a marble behind the door when you are closing it, with only an inch or so to go before fully closed. If someone opens the door it will roll the marble away and they likely will not even notice it. To check, you open the door only an inch and feel behind the door to see if it is still there before you enter

Chris
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It depends on the doorframe if you can find a good solution to this.

The best way ( from own experience ) is to put something thin and light in between the doorframe and door. this would work with doorframes that fall over the door slightly, but also if the door is level with the doorframe

piece of paper falling when door is opened, scene from: death note

you can use anything, a toothpick,piece of string, leaf, paper, or something else thin enough to go between the doorframe and the door.

You can place it on the handle side, or on the hinge side. This way you can tell it was opened before you actually open the door yourself. Or even put two of them in there on both sides of the door ( hinge side first, then handle side). Make a note or photo of the exact position they're in.

This would only give an indication that the door was opened, not who or what opened it. ( and yes the photo is a scene from death note )

RkdL
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  • This was already addressed in [this](https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/243669/34147) answer and a _lot_ of comments. Care to add anything new? If you'll take the [tour], you'll note we're a bit different than other sites and simply repeating other answers isn't really all that helpful. – FreeMan Jan 27 '22 at 15:42
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I suspect that someone may have entered there

How did you arrive at this theory?

Apparently, you've already detected unauthorized access. What good will it do to just detect the activity again?

It sounds more important to identify a perpetrator at this point.

I think you should open a conversation with the landlord along the lines of:

Hi,

I was wondering, is it possible to change the lock on my storage unit?

I went in there the other day and things seems to have been moved around.

Now, your follow-up action should be based on the landlord's response.

MonkeyZeus
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