'He acted offended': New homeowner catches the previous property owner's son trespassing and rummaging through his cellar, then changes the locks on every door to force him out

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Apr 4, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Here's hoping your next home doesn't come haunted; living ghosts and heirloom storage were never part of the agreement.

Buying a home is an exciting, slightly terrifying endeavor. You never know for sure what you're getting into, and regardless of how many inspections you have and however many property value assessments you scour, homes and properties are like Pandora's box; once you've opened it up to see what's inside, there's no telling what other little surprises come along with the good news. 

Alas, that doesn't stop people from buying weird, old houses. 

Often more affordable than new builds and seeping with that old-world charm that doesn't exist on the market anymore, old houses can be really cool. However, they may come with more ghosts in the cellar than you'd care to imagine, and if you're like the homeowner in this next story, your new/old house might just be haunted by the ghosts of property owner's past, present, and future. 

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  • Man looking out of his window to make sure nobody is outside.
    via Jupiterimages

    Man looking out of his window to make sure nobody is outside. 

    (Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.)

  • Location: Missouri | bought an older house last fall. It has one of those partial basements with an exterior storm cellar style door on the side of the house, plus normal basement access from inside.
    via Erewhon70R
  • During inspection the cellar area was mostly empty except for some shelves, old paint cans, and junk the seller agreed to clear out before closing.
    via Erewhon70R
  • After I moved in, I started noticing that the exterior cellar door was sometimes not fully latched even though I barely ever use it.
    via Erewhon70R
  • Dark cellar with antiques against the wall.
    via cortiocurto

    Dark cellar with antiques against the wall. 

  • I assumed the wood had swollen or I had shut it badly. Then about three weeks ago I came home from work and found a man coming out of that side gate carrying a plastic tote.
    via Erewhon70R
  • He scared the hol out of me. He said he was the previous owner's son and had "a few family things" stored in the cellar that his mother forgot about.
    via Erewhon70R
  • Man confronting his neighbor about trespassing.
    via Jupiterimages

    Man confronting his neighbor about trespassing.

    (Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.)

  • I told him he could not just let himself into my yard. He acted offended and said they had always used that entrance and he still had an old key.
    via Erewhon70R
  • I told him this is my house now and he needs to stop. He left, but not before saying there were personal documents and some of his late father's belongings down there.
    via Erewhon70R

  • Imagine if you bought a house with a run-down car parked on the property. Once the documents are signed and the lawyers have packed up for the day, that car needs to go. Just because it's been parked there for however many years doesn't give it the right to stick around once the property owner's names have changed. 

    The times are changing for this property owner, indeed. 

  • The part making me hesitate is that when I checked the cellar after that, there actually were a few bins tucked behind the stairs that I had not noticed before, plus an old footlocker and a dusty framed photo.
    via Erewhon70R
  • Nothing valuable looking, but clearly not mine. I texted my realtor, who contacted the seller's agent, and the answer that came back was basically "they thought everything had been removed." Since then I have seen the son's truck slowly pass my house twice, and yesterday the cellar door was cracked open again by maybe an inch.
    via Erewhon70R
  • I do not know if that means he got in again or if I am getting paranoid, but I have reached the point where I want to change that lock immediately and put his stuff in the garage until someone formally arranges pickup.
    via Erewhon70R
  • My wife thinks we need to call police first because if he still has a key maybe this becomes more complicated than plain trespassing.
    via Erewhon70R
  • Am I allowed to secure that entrance right now and give written notice for them to collect whatever is left, or do I have to store it a certain way or wait some specific amount of time before treating it as abandoned property?
    via Erewhon70R

  • Yet, regardless of how many times you change the locks and how many times you put up 'No Trespassing' signs, it's still unsettling to know that this guy was confident enough to go traipsing about his old grandpa's property (now owned by someone else) to dredge up a few family photos and mementos. Trespassing, breaking in, and ultimately stealing the belongings of the new property owner isn't the best way to start things on the right foot. 

    Clearly, burglary runs in the family, because this trespasser felt totally confident following his mother's order to go break into their old house. 

    Luckily, it was just the cellar. 

    However, folks online weighed in about the legal implications of this. The homeowner, apparently, was being far too nice to this intruder. 

  • Evening Froyo_7506 The son isn't trespassing, he's breaking and entering.
    via Evening_Froyo_7506
  • Acrobati... Change the fr king locks. This is a total stranger who had access to your home
    via Acrobati
  • traindrifter ⚫ You need to change the locks today. The guy already forced himself into the house. Do not wait around, act now. Close it off or change the locks, put up some cameras. Inform your local PD. Do not wait around because if they act like this it will get worse.
    via traindrifter
  • derspiny ⚫ You can change the locks at your discretion, other than where you have an agreement to provide access. Review the terms of the sale just in case, but odds are, you're in the clear.
    via derspiny
  • GreatGrapeApes This guy is committing Trespassing, Breaking and Entering, along with Burglary. Notify the police immediately.
    via GreatGrapeApes
  • izthatso ⚫ The son is trespassing. But if you want to get rid of him haunting your property you can arrange a time that he comes and gets everything out. Then change the locks, put up a no trespassing sign and make it clear to him that he will be trespassed if he shows up again. I would make your realtor get involved so others are witness to the final transaction.
    via izthatso

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