apartment privacy

[hugo1963]

My son along with his friend (due to work) rent an apartment in the City, everything was fine but after about 2 months or so one of the concierge was becoming difficult to deal with, he was hostile, unfriendly and unapproachable.

 

During the next 8 month or so they started noticing items being moved around the apartment also in the bedrooms and bathrooms drawers and wardrobes being disturbed, once he came home his laptop was open and the quilt was disturbed like someone had been led on the bed next to the laptop. Generally strange goings on at times this caused arguments and confrontations between them questioning each others honesty on many occasions.

 

Pullovers, gym tops ,t shirts, hoodies, aftershaves etc even girlfriends underwear over the months have gone missing at first they thought they could have left them at parents, friends or even at the gym. 

 

Then in September his friend put the washing machine on and it flooded the apartment, when the apartment maintenance came to fix the washing machine he said that a piece of the rubber seal had been sliced away.

 

They have in the apartment 4 or 5 key passes for access in and around the apartment block, kept in a bowl next to the door just to grab one when you leave, my son just last week could not get in the block using one of the passes, so he buzzed the concierge (not the hostile one) and was let in, the concierge checked his pass and it had been deactivated and was asked how he had got hold of this pass as it was a staff pass and belonged to the hostile concierge and had been deactivated because he had recently been sacked.

 

Questions:

 

How did the staff pass get in the apartment ?

 

Why was the concierge sacked ?

 

What approach should they take ie legal advice?

 

I know theft would be hard to prove, but invasion of privacy by an employee of the company surely the proof is in the passkey left probably when the washing machine was sabotaged.

 

He has emailed the company who manage the apartments to explain how a staff pass got in his apartment and why the owner of the pass had been sacked, but no reply as yet.

 

Any help would be appreciated 

 

 

 

 

[stu007]

Hi

 

Formal Complaint in writing to the Management Company for the Apartments as it is them that employ the concierge for the building. (ensure to keep a good paper trail and keep a copy of the letter and get a receipt of free proof of posting from the post office)

 

Bullet point everything that has happened.

 

You require clarification if the concierge passes give them access to the individual apartments within the building?

 

If the concierge does have access to the individual apartments you require full clarification when the concierge passes were used to access your apartment between XX/XX/20XX to XX/XX/2019.

 

You require clarification how a concierge pass was found in your apartment on XX/XX/2019 when you had given no permission for any concierge to access your apartment?

 

You require clarification of the concierge responsibilities within the building? i.e. what is your Policy & Procedure for Concierge staff and you require a copy.

 

 

Have they reported these different incident to the police?

 

Note: the Company will not tell you why said employee has been sacked for legal reasons. (it does not stop you asking the above)

[hugo1963]

Cheers Stu, 

I'll send him the link see if he will join the thread.

Much appreciated 

[ericsbrother]

In this type of managed block most of the owners/tenants have other places elsewhwere and only use them occasionally so the concierge service have keys to ensure the smooth running of the block.

Now I would be tempted to fit an old fashioned lock as well as the swipe pass if you are there all fo the time (subject to any necessary permissions). after all, it is for your convenience, not theirs

[stu007]

HI

 

You are more than welcome.

 

Are the Apartments within the building classed as fully serviced?

 

Note: bear in mind that the concierge passes will all be logged who accessed what and when within the building and they have to keep that data for a set period (note the world data) thats why I mentioned certain questions to ask in previous post.

 

They could also send the Management Company a Subject Access Request (SAR) simply asking for 'ALL DATA'

 

(this covers whatever format they hold it in whether it be written, recorded telephone calls, emails etc. but also specifically ask for the data of the concierge passes that accessed your apartment from XX/XX/20XX to XX/XX/2019 with the time and date.)

 

 

[JackD13]

Thanks for the help on this!

There are electronic locks on the doors to the apartment blocks to gain access to the apartment you also need an physical key, concierge have copies of these keys too.

They avoided the question on dates and times so i've asked the question a second time. I don't believe they will be accuratly give me this information though. I am going to askif any internal investigation has been launched since my formal complaint and if CCTV has been checked as part of the process.

The rep from the letting agency gave some watered down excuse as to how the pass must not have been wiped clean and the permissions were denied, apparently no security breach had occured.

He also didn't supply a copy of the Policy and Procedures for the concierge staff, which i plan on asking for again.

They haven't reported this to the police but have said that i should and they will assist how the police ask. I plan on going back and saying that i intend on doing thats why i require the infomation that he isn't supplying.

I don't believe any apartment is classed as full service but i couldn't be 100%

[stu007]

Hi

 

So they are playing the game that they will give the information you have asked for only to the Police so do not tell them report all these issue with your apartment to the Police and that concierge pass left in your apartment when you had given no permission for anyone from concierge to access your apartment.

 

With the Management Company as if all their staff including the Concierge are Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) checked. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service

(in writing only keep that paper trail)

 

Also with the Management Company look them up if they have a website which I assume they do check to see if they are registered member of any other organisations or bodies and then look at those and the Code of Conduct they should follow.

 

Note: the Letting Agent for your Apartment may not necessarily be the Managing Agent for the Building your apartment is in.