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What to do if…
someone repeatedly puts notes or objects under your home or hotel door

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Keep the door locked, move away from it, and do not confront anyone outside. Call 911 if there is an attempted entry, a threat, or an object that may be hazardous; otherwise, contact hotel security, building management, or your local police non-emergency line.

Do not do these things

  • Do not open the door while someone may still be outside.
  • Do not confront, follow, or try to identify the person yourself.
  • Do not touch, smell, shake, open, move, or dispose of an unfamiliar or suspicious object.
  • Do not use contact details or scan a code provided in a note to verify its sender.
  • Do not reply to a suspected sender while you are establishing what is happening.
  • Do not post your room number, home address, location, or immediate movements online.
  • Do not assume a repeated item is harmless because an earlier one appeared ordinary.

What to do now

  1. Lock the door and use any deadbolt or security latch already fitted. Move away from the doorway and keep your phone, keys, identification, and essential medication with you.

  2. Call 911 if someone is trying to enter, is outside threatening you, has a weapon, or if an item has smoke, fire, an unknown substance, exposed wires, an unusual odor, or another sign that it may be hazardous. Keep other people away and follow the call-taker’s instructions.

  3. If you are in a hotel, contact the front desk or security through the hotel’s official phone number, app, or in-room directory. Ask whether staff left the item, request a security check, and ask staff not to disclose your room number to callers or visitors.

  4. If remaining in the hotel room feels unsafe, ask whether security can escort you to a secure public area or another room. Stay behind the locked door until staff or emergency responders confirm how to leave safely.

  5. If you are at home and there is no immediate emergency, tell a trusted person what is happening. Contact building security or management when applicable, and consider calling your local police non-emergency line to report the repeated incidents.

  6. From a safe position, photograph only what is already visible without touching or moving it. Record the date, time, location, wording on any visible note, and a description of anything you heard or saw nearby.

  7. Do not handle a suspicious item to preserve it. Ask hotel staff, building security, or police what should happen to the note or object and whether relevant hallway video, entry records, or delivery records can be retained.

  8. Keep a simple record of each incident, including any reports made and the names or reference numbers provided by staff or police.

What can wait

You do not need to identify the sender, decide whether this is a prank or stalking, respond to the note, clean the area, arrange a permanent move, or make legal decisions now. Focus on a locked door, a safer position, outside help, and a basic record of what happened.

Important reassurance

You do not need to know who is responsible or why they are doing it before taking reasonable safety precautions. Repeated unwanted notes or objects are enough to ask security, management, victim services, or police to help assess the situation.

Scope note

This guide covers immediate first steps only. Later decisions about reporting, accommodation changes, safety planning, evidence, or possible legal options may require help from a victim advocate, law enforcement agency, property manager, hotel management, or attorney.

Important note

This is general personal-safety information, not legal or emergency advice. Conditions can change quickly, so follow instructions from 911 call-takers and responders at the scene.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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