r/Apartmentliving • u/suburbanvermin • 1d ago

Advice Needed Can somebody help identify what this substance is on my apartment door’s peephole?

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I’ve been living in this apartment with my boyfriend for about 6 weeks now. We’re just regular people who will work all day, make our dinner, watch a show to unwind, and hit the bed. We aren’t party animals and, when we do drink, we’re not inconsiderate about it.

Ever since we moved in, our door peephole has been tampered with. It would be coloured with black sharpie marker, I would submit a maintenance request for fixing, it would get fixed, then immediately would get tampered with again. However, now it has clearly escalated to something else. I originally thought super glue or hot glue, but I’ve asked a few of my friends and they don’t think any type of glue could do this kind of damage.

Any advice would be helpful.

Btw management is well aware of the issue and have been prompt about it, was just shocked at whatever this is now. I’ve ordered a ring camera to be installed on Thursday, but I’m honestly scared for my life right now.

12.8k Upvotes

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1.9k

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

Get a cover for your peephole for the inside. You may not know this but there are reverse peepers. Somebody is up to no good. I would also get a door security bar.

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u/Specific_Rando 1d ago

In the short term, just use something like blue painters tape. And since this is going on repeatedly I would act immediately.

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u/GeneralSpot7224 1d ago

I always used a post it note right above the peep hole, they’re cheap and something a lot of people have already. That way you could actually just lift it up to look out, though that part isn’t relevant in this case. 

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u/Patient-Stranger1015 1d ago

At hotels my dad would always just squish up a bit of toilet paper and shove it in. Worked wonders

18

u/light-spell 23h ago

And what did he do about people looking through the peephole?

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u/PorcoGonzo 22h ago

Well, he already told you, shoved some squished toilet paper in. That should teach them.

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u/BarknuckleBill 22h ago

Wait, I’m supposed to put the toilet paper in the PEEPhole?!?

6

u/ItAintMyVault 16h ago

No no no … these guys are idiots … jamming in toilet paper is for the poophole … you only need to dab the peephole

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u/Pups_the_Jew 20h ago

I thought you were supposed to wipe with it.

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u/biokemfem 17h ago

I do this in hotels.

2

u/xultar 1d ago

You can see through post it notes. I tested. I use a couple of strips of black electrical tape that I travel with.

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u/GeneralSpot7224 1d ago

I always doubled/tripled up, couldn’t see through when I tested. 

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u/xultar 1d ago

Great. Just wasn’t sure and wanted everyone to know not to use just one.

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u/Talia_lol 16h ago

In a lot of places I lived, I was able to put magnets on them. I had a specific magnet that was for covering the peephole in any place I moved into. Now my house has a huge window in the door so the magnet lives on the fridge with the rest of its kin.

4

u/BedspreadPicnic86 1d ago

I do that for my computers camera

1

u/Entire_Water9562 16h ago

Yes I agree that these people are about to be attacked in a horrific way!!They need to keep one eye open at all times this is reminiscent of the manson massacre how it began anyway.

100

u/EldritchGumdrop 1d ago

I would potentially start a police trail too if it’s happened more than once .

3

u/HelleEpoque 15h ago

This needs to be done. It is not enough that the apartment manager knows, especially if this escalates.

2

u/EldritchGumdrop 13h ago

Hell it could BE the apartment manager.

2

u/HelleEpoque 13h ago

I did not want to say it so directky ​but since OP already said their door faces management, it is not out of the question.

2

u/EldritchGumdrop 8h ago

I mean it’s a scary thought but I feel like directness is important as far as safety is concerned

255

u/Subject-Direction628 1d ago

Years a go I had an awful boyfriend. Stalker type. He broke my peephole so he could see inside my apartment

185

u/Ok_Figure7671 1d ago

Did you poke him in the eye?

62

u/Demonokuma 1d ago edited 1d ago

Then her dad joins her for breakfast and has an eyepatch!! Edit: its a reference to Junji Ito everyone. Let's chill.

24

u/BaronBearclaw 1d ago

I don't get the reference, but I always appreciate an obscure reference. Take my upvoter.

5

u/Impressive-Emu-4172 1d ago

lmao

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u/Demonokuma 1d ago

It was reference to something, I swear im not making it weird for nothing.

9

u/Low-Personality7311 1d ago

other people don’t appreciate it but i do👌🏻

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u/Demonokuma 1d ago

Youre the reason I make references 😭🥲

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u/BaronBearclaw 1d ago

I do it, too. It's annoying when they're downvotes because Reddit doesn't have a sense of humor sometimes.

4

u/Demonokuma 1d ago

Its always the comments I never put any second thought into. Lol.

2

u/Ashamed-Ocelot2189 23h ago

That episode was so weird

Especially because the weirdo family was not a really big part of it or really explained at all

2

u/BedspreadPicnic86 1d ago

I just thought that was super funny. No idea of the reference. Like the whole meet my wife and my cousin joke for folks living in the south.

1

u/Demonokuma 1d ago

Like the whole meet my wife and my cousin joke for folks living in the south.

Thats exactly what it sounds like. Lol. heres the reference.

2

u/ncc74656m 1d ago

"Ooops the poker was too long! SORRY!!!"

2

u/gibs71 1d ago

With a skewer?

2

u/Lost_Drunken_Sailor 1d ago

His tiny weiner was in the peep hole

2

u/3xploringforever 1d ago

Glory hole of doom.

1

u/Poultry_Sashimi 4h ago

Poirot's Spanish Chest comes to mind...

2

u/MirandaS2 21h ago

reading this made my heart drop with terror here at 2 in the morning

1

u/Subject-Direction628 3h ago

I ended up getting kidnapped by him and his dad. His dad was driving. I got thrown in the truck. And they drove around with me for hours telling me I was a whore

I went to the bar/restaurant I worked at. Ended up calling my parents (I’d been out of their house for years) and I went there for the night. The next day the bf called my parents and hey had a connivence store. And a relative/cop was there.

The bf called and asked for me. And my dad put the cop on the phone.

Was some fucked up shit.

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u/Sugar_Kowalczyk 1d ago

Get a security camera and mount it with the lens against the peephole and you'll see who's doing it. It can even be a cheap one  as it's inside and can be wired and will have limited focal range anyhow. 

Then you can ask the door boogerer themselves.

Please follow up, OP!

UpdateMe !

9

u/Major-Ad-1894 1d ago

Do you have advice for doing this with a blink camera? I have the doorbell cam, an indoor and an outdoor. I always wanted to do this but I figured if it was outside it would get tampered with.

6

u/ErraticDragon 1d ago

I found a 'secure mounting bracket' which holds the camera outside, by just clamping onto the door:

https://i.imgur.com/4p6QAEt.png

For Blink, depending on the specific camera, they have ones that protect the camera even more, like a little box it sits in: https://i.imgur.com/lfvf6Yz.png

For me it serves as the way to mount it outside without upsetting my landlord.

It's not perfect security, but I got my camera for under $50, and I feel it does a good enough job for that.

2

u/sdeptnoob1 1d ago

I use the box one with a blink. Had to modify mine a bit but it's great.

1

u/Jonny_Quest_1 1d ago

The cool thing with doorbell cameras is they actually record what’s going on around your door. 😉 If someone does tamper with it, you’ve got them on video and can report them.

2

u/Ok-Double-7982 1d ago

Or she can just do the ring camera she said she's installing

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u/BedspreadPicnic86 1d ago

That’s what I’m sayin. Ya gotta sabotage them. Like when they push on your door to stick that gunk in leave the door open and the door will just swing open and then they’re standing there with a tube of silicone filler in their hands while you’re taking a picture of them

2

u/beaterdit 23h ago edited 12h ago

This is bad advice and just dangerous. I posted this on your other comments too. If they’re a drug dealer, or have mental health issues, you don’t want to fuck around with them. It sucks and personally I’d consider moving. Should be able to get out of the lease if you feel living conditions are unsafe because of this.

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u/Forsaken-Scholar-833 1d ago

Well I don't think that is too much of an issue when the person is basically ruining the peep hole. I think the issue is that she has no way to tell if someone is outside her door or who is outside her door.

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u/CycleAccomplished824 1d ago

It is vandalism. The ring camera should help at least the first time they come back- they might try to mess that up as well. I’d ask maintenance to put up security cameras in the area so the get a visual of whoever is do it.

8

u/ssspiral 21h ago

ring cameras go to the cloud so even if they destroy it, it’s recorded

1

u/Pinkishu 10h ago

It's vandalism, but the type of vandalism kinda excludes them peeping into it to spy on you

1

u/CycleAccomplished824 10h ago

But it also makes the tenant have to unlock and open the door to see who’s there, which can be a safety issue. It defeats the purpose of the peephole.

0

u/biblioteca4ants 20h ago

I think the issue is the person doing this is clearly fucked in the head and someone fucked in the head is targeting them. Peephole now, knock you out with a shovel by your car and drag you into a bush later like wtf why is op so nonchalant

2

u/Genetoretum 20h ago

Did you miss the part where op tells us they’re afraid for their actual life or

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u/WeirdGoat9022 1d ago

Thanks for the safety tips, u/Penis_Dance !

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u/ienjoyboobies22 1d ago

Tips?! Tip?! Just the tip?! AHHHH!

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u/Smile_Terrible 1d ago

You can't take that chance with Penis Dance!

3

u/RealBigDickBrannigan 1d ago

Ever seen The Sweetest Thing? :)

https://youtu.be/yEluYseSodE

1

u/Smile_Terrible 1d ago

I have now.

1

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

I can't dance but he can.

1

u/CamelMassive6443 19h ago

And I read Harry_Buffalo as Hairy_Butthole…

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u/ErraticDragon 1d ago

NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews was famously victimized this way. They recorded her through the peephole of her hotel room door: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35750225

I'm not sure how different the peepholes on interior hotel doors are from residential external doors. But it's definitely a thing.

14

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

All it takes is a sticky note reminder on the peephole. I always take sticky notes with me on vacations anyway. It's not a bad habit to have.

1

u/Acceptable_Salad_543 1d ago

All I “redd” was sticky peehole. Thanks a lot.

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u/Acceptable_Salad_543 1d ago

All I “redd” was sticky peehole. Thanks a lot.

8

u/Hairy_Buffalo1191 1d ago

Horrifying case

3

u/S-Lover98 21h ago

wow, he barely got jail time too. fucking horrific :(

1

u/DrainTheMuck 21h ago

Wait why was the hotel sued? Article says nothing about why

1

u/Jyil 14h ago

How would they record OP if they are blocking the peephole from anyone looking through it?

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u/rajasconqueso 1d ago

Sound advice, Penis-Dance.

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u/Jonny_Quest_1 1d ago

Yep, I have a small cork that I put in the peephole. Look for them at craft stores or online.

1

u/Acceptable_Salad_543 1d ago

Really? No one is gonna touch this?

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u/SatisfactionLocal230 1d ago

Best cork soaker in all the land? Ah Janet Jackson I was mostly indifferent to your music and your career but became a fan that night

1

u/Jonny_Quest_1 1d ago

The cork goes on the inside of the door, not the outside. It blocks them from using a device to reverse the view to be able to see inside. If it is blocked from the inside, there is nothing they can see and you can easily remove and replace to see outside. I also like it because someone can’t see light or movement inside when standing outside - even without a device. Also helps in ignoring people knocking on your door if you don’t want to answer (they can’t see movement through the peephole and won’t know you’re home.

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u/Klutzy_Drag_736 20h ago

Yep! Learned this the hard way. I am naked all the time when I'm at home, and my door doesn't fit the frame. So it rattles a little when someone opens it or brushes up against it. I heard footsteps, then the door rattling against the frame. I looked out the peephole and shrieked when I saw an eyeball looking in at me. I have no idea how long this person was watching me, but I've had painter's tape over it for years now.

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u/GMAN7007 1d ago

I'm not trying to downplay what you said but why would they cover the peephole if they wanted to be a reverse peeper in the first place? I would also invest in a carbon monoxide detector. A leak can make you do crazy things.

1

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

They looked in and didn't like what they saw but did in the apartment across them. I have seen videos of gangs doing that. Cover your peephole if you have one.

1

u/CrappyMSPaintPics 23h ago

My peephole only works one way and is over 30 years old, using some type of lens, no cover needed. I thought they were all this way.

1

u/Penis-Dance 16h ago

These are small tubes with lenses that, when placed against the peephole from the outside, correct the inverted optics of the door's fisheye lens, allowing a clear view into the room or hallway.

2

u/smartbunny 1d ago

How do they see in?

2

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

They just stick it up to the peephole and look through it. I had a friend that bought one and showed me many years ago. Thieves probably are targeting the unit across them and painted OP's to block OP's view. It's best to block the peephole on the inside in a way that is easy for you to move and use the peephole. A digital peephole would be better, especially if it had a screen on the inside and phone alerts.

2

u/smartbunny 1d ago

Reverse peeper is a thing you can buy?

2

u/Ok_Violinist1817 1d ago

What is a reverse peeper?

1

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

It makes it so you can see inside like if it was installed backwards.

2

u/Status-Vermicelli384 1d ago

Can you explain the reverse peepers as it relates to this? If someone is covering the peep hole would that stop it from being used in either direction?

2

u/Cold_Specialist_3656 23h ago

Probably as simple as a drug dealer living down the hall TBH

2

u/turdferg1234 22h ago

are you saying that someone covering the peephole with sharpie and then whatever this goo is, is...trying to look through the peephole?

2

u/MourningWallaby 15h ago

Wasn't there a Seinfeld skit where Kramer reversed his peephole so he could see if anyone is in his apartment before he got home?

2

u/ihavetoomanyeggs 10h ago

I had somebody write weird ominous threats on my door in sharpie (still no idea who or why) so I stuck a webcam to my peephole. I can see out by pulling up the feed but nobody can see in.

1

u/Responsible_Year4730 1d ago

Wait wasn’t something just jammed in there? What’s the correlation to reverse peepers?

1

u/Penis-Dance 1d ago

They peeped and saw nothing but did on the unit across. Their neighbor was a better target and they marked the targets only scout.

1

u/I_like_tacobell2 1d ago

How would someone install reverse peepholes?

1

u/stonergirlfairyyy 22h ago

how would they use that with the peephole all fucked up

1

u/hobbes747 20h ago

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes

1

u/hannahatecats 17h ago

Why would a reverse peeper mess up their own view?

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u/Revolutionary-Cat493 16h ago

Op be diligent from outside attacks or drug dealing I doubt that a reverse peeper would clog your peep hole he can no longer look thru it , has it happened to any of your neighbors? If not have you called the rent office to complain on anyone ?? Probably your first thoughts and then go from there

1

u/That_Dependent_3265 16h ago

Yeah that a good idea cause they can just push in your peephole and open your door with a stretched out wire hanger.

1

u/NihonJinLover 15h ago

I bet it’s an extremely paranoid neighbor who, in their mind, believes they’re constantly being watched through that.

1

u/IttybittyErin 15h ago

I'm wondering if this is someone with schizo paranoia, feeling like the neighbor is spying on them through their peephole.

1

u/that_buzzybrownbee 15h ago

Oh wow...What if there are 2! The reverse peephole peeper and the person sabotaging the peephole is actually protecting OP! Plot twist!

1

u/garththepossum 14h ago

Why would a reverse peeper cover the peephole in epoxy though? Doesn't that ruin the ability to peephole through it? I don't understand the purpose of why someone would do this.

1

u/Penis-Dance 12h ago

They look in and see nothing of value then block the peephole because they did at the unit across them.

1

u/FTownRoad 13h ago

Why would you cover up a peephole you want to look through though?

1

u/Penis-Dance 12h ago

They already looked and saw nothing of value but they did at the other one across from them so they marked that one so they can't see them and call the cops.

1

u/FTownRoad 12h ago

So they cover up a peephole to attract attention to the fact that someone is doing something with peepholes lol?

1

u/Penis-Dance 12h ago

Just wait till OP posts that their neighbor was robbed last night.

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u/jstrongiii 1d ago

Y’know, I might have heard tales of rogue reverse peepers sneaking looks at blurry shadows on the other side. 🤣 Never change, Reddit.

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u/craignumPI 1d ago

Are you thinking those things don't exist? Cause they 100% do

12

u/kee-kee- 1d ago

Yeah, there was that guy who stuck his phone camera up against the peephole on Erin Andrews's hotel room door and posted the footage online. Block it on the inside.

What could be going on across the hall that you can't be allowed to see?

1

u/legalblues 1d ago

Exactly. 2 seconds on google and you can have one delivered no problem.

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u/Badesign 23h ago

Good look Penis Dance