Possible unauthorized entry by management (CA, Orange County)
I currently rent an apartment in a very safe area with plenty of cameras on the property as well as in the building. Many of you may still think I'm an idiot, but I leave my door unlocked. I like to be able to just push my way in when I'm off work and my hands are full.
When I came home from work yesterday I found my door locked. There is only a deadbolt, so it is impossible for someone to lock it from the outside without a key. The only times this has ever happened were during scheduled maintenance appointments when I was at work and couldn't be present. They had my permission at those times to enter when I was not present.
I am in the process of moving out, and there is always the question of how much the landlords/management company will try and and argue to keep as much of my security deposit as possible. I have been depressed for a while, and my apartment is currently in a very messy state. No damage, but definitely not a good look if management were to see it like this during an inspection. I am planning on cleaning everything before the scheduled premoveout inspection.
Should I be concerned that management may have entered my apartment without notice/permission? They were aware that my apartment is a mess, and my worry is that they came in to document it in this state to try bolster any of their claims to withhold the security deposit. I don't know if I'm being paranoid or not, but I can't really think of another reason.
I want to document this somehow but I don't really know how to do it in an official kind of way. Can anyone advise on how I could go about this? Or any organizations I might be able to loop in?
Any advice in general would be appreciated. And don't worry, I will be locking my door in my new apartment.