Woman moves into new home. Then they catch the previous owner walking around the house at night: ‘Always change the locks’
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Buying a home usually means the previous owner hands over the keys and moves on. One woman says the former owner of her house apparently had a much harder time letting go.
In a TikTok recorded in her car, Jaci Smith (@jacimariesmith) recalled a string of bizarre incidents that allegedly began after she and her family purchased a home. She told her audience that the previous owner had kept an extra key and used it to let himself back inside. Her video has since racked up over 378,000 views.
“Remember when the previous owner of the home we bought stalked us for months and would drive by all the time?” she begins. According to Smith, things eventually went far beyond an occasional drive-by.
The previous owner allegedly let himself back inside
Smith says that her family discovered the extra key because of an encounter with the man who sold the home. After the sale had closed and the house legally belonged to its new owners, she claims the previous owner used the key. He entered their home through a side door while no one was home “because he missed it.”
“And then the next day, came over again and dropped off the key and said, ‘Sorry, I found an extra one. I came over last night and just walked around,'” she recounts.
The story is a convincing argument for one piece of advice frequently given to new homeowners: Change or rekey the exterior locks as soon as you move in. Even when a seller turns over every key to the property, homeowners have no way of knowing how many other copies may have previously been given to relatives, neighbors, contractors, cleaners, or other people.
According to Smith, the former owner wasn't the only person having trouble accepting that the house now belonged to someone else.
The neighbors weren't happy about the renovations
She says some of her new neighbors were good friends with the previous owner. They weren't thrilled when the new homeowners began renovating. They expressed dissatisfaction with the family's plans to redo the front yard.
Smith jokes that, despite the neighbors' attachment to the property, the house had “absolutely zero charm and character” when they bought it. The landscaping, she says, consisted mostly of rocks, a few cacti, and other plants.
When the neighbors asked whether they could take some of the plants before they were removed, the homeowners agreed.
“We said, ‘You know what? By all means. We want them to go to a good home,'” she recalls. The neighbors interpreted that permission rather broadly and organized a plant giveaway in her front yard.
She says they posted her address on Facebook and invited people to the property.
Smith walked through her neighbors' idea, laughing while saying, “We can host a Facebook sale in your front yard. Blast your address on Facebook and tell all the neighbors and everyone in the area. Hey, come pick up a plant!”
@jacimariesmith Just reminiscing
What should you do if a former owner enters your home?
For Smith's family, the most immediate solution would be to change or rekey every exterior lock, save any security-camera footage or messages documenting the entry, and tell the former owner in no uncertain terms that he no longer has permission to enter the property.
If the previous owner continues showing up to the property, Smith and her family could report the incident to police. Entering someone else's property without permission can constitute trespass, although criminal or civil recourse depends on state and local law.
For most buyers, changing the locks after closing is probably just another item on an already long moving checklist. Smith's story makes a compelling case for moving it to the very top.
Buzz News reached out to Smith via email for comment.
