Thread: A "Different" Inspection

A lady wants me to search her attic for intruders. Huh?

Attorney friend calls and asks me if I would be willing to search an attic for signs of squatters or intruders. Lady/client is going through a divorce and soon-to-be-ex still has access to this 10-year old home in an upscale neighborhood. She can hear activity and voices in her attic. She suspects something nefarious.

Now the attorney is skeptical, but was hired to get to the bottom of it. Attorney has suggested I walk through the attic with a camera or recorder, lift insulation and look for points of entry (if any). After satisfying her suspicions, he is prepared to suggest a mental health professional. I think it might be a raccoon or...

Folks - would you do this? I don't even know what to charge for this service.

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I would not be interested in doing this inspection. I don't care to become involved in other people's personal disputes. I would suggest she call the police.

Lift insulation and look for points of entry??? What-tha.....

Lifting insulation is not going to tell you anything that you would not be able to see from the top floor level looking up at the ceiling.

Sounds like a job for the "Ghost Hunters". Maybe try to catch some EVP's on a digital recorder.

If the 'EX' still has access, that's an easy one... change the locks-- $350.00 and problem solved.

For taking a video camera into the attic and recording (lets say) 1 hr of video, that has to be worth a day's work due to the nature of having to walk/ crawl across ceiling joists and being 'hazardous duty'.

I say, $450.00 (min) plus a *FULL* release of liability written by her attorney and signed by the client.

rr

Bruce,

Agreed on getting involved with other peoples disputes specially domestic.

However most Police Agencies do not have the resources to look into this type of complaint. Locally property crime is rarely handled with anything other than a report taken over the phone.

The attorney appears to be concerned about her mental health if a call to the PD was warranted,I presume he would have made the call.

Joe,

It's your call why not do a Pre-Listing Inspection?

Joe,

Probably 15 yrs. ago, I had a PC customer call me in the middle of the night telling me she had something in her attic and could swear she was hearing voices.

I thought BS, its probably a rodent or possibly a raccoon or something. Grant it I'd had never heard of a talking rodent except for the one who works for Disney.

Anywho, she kept calling me and saying this thing was moving around excessively in her attic and she was going to shoot through the ceiling at it.

I was just saying don't do that, as the gun shot went off. She then told me that there was some blood coming through the hole in the ceiling and this thing whatever it is was moaning like crazy. I told her to get out of the condo and call the police.

I called them to and explained what was going on. Come to find out she shot a guy who had broke into the adjacent condo. They came home and this guy crawled up into the attic to hide out.

After several hours in the 100+ plus degree attic and the insulation this guy was getting very uncomfortable. He was trapped with both persons being home.

Any he had been shot through the foot when she fired off the gun.

She said he actually was glad to be getting out of the attic even knowing he was head to jail after going to the hospital.

So if the lady is hearing voices, tell her to call the police and have it checked out.

Rick

What if you don't find anything ...

... and then there is a way in ...

... and something happens ... ?

*I* would not want to be anywhere near that.

*I* would tell the attorney that what they really need is a PI and not an HI.

This is a job for the local Handyman, not an inspector. I have had several jobs like this, as a handyman, but without the the marriage squabble. No liability - just an easy $75.00. Maybe more if I had to fix the "hole". If you do this, Don't do it as an "inspector".

WHO YOU GONNA CALL? GHOST BUSTERS!
This might be a whole new business to help until the mortgage companies get it straightened out!

What about the people under the stairs?

I recorded my backyard neighbors attic. There are 3 babies and one mother, but the neighbors don't seem to mind.
-Would not want to run into Rocky Raccoon on my next attic inspection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDjaV3XpiEc

Q. What are you going to do if you find some one up there ?

Run-a-way run-a-way run-a-way.

Installing a motion sensor might satisfy her.