Neighbour's creepy daily 'hobby' horrifies Aussie roommates

A group of roommates say they are on edge after spotting a man with binoculars allegedly looking into their Melbourne apartment “almost everyday”.

One of the tenants said the man’s “hobby” initially occurred “every now and then” but it “recently seems to have picked up”. “There’s this apartment directly across from mine, where the inhabitant has been looking into my and other people’s apartments with binoculars and cameras,” they wrote online, explaining they had been renting the flat in the city for “about a year”.

“Not much out of the ordinary has been happening until recently,” the tenant said alongside images of the man, one of which he appears to be shirtless. “This guy dashes from window to window looking at people’s units with binoculars. He even has what seems to be a phone set up on a tripod pointed towards an apartment building.”

The Melburnian said the curious behaviour wouldn’t bother them as much “if it was every now and then” but it has become a daily occurrence. “This dude is doing it every afternoon and into the night sometimes.”

In an attempt to deter him, the tenant and their roommates have “started to just star back at him” with their faces pushed up against the window so it’s clearly visible.

“When he does see us, it makes him look away quickly from our general direction,” they explained before pleading with others online for advice on what to do. “Wanting to know what you guys would do in this situation? I assume nothing can be done legally but thought I’d get suggestions anyway.”

When contacted by Yahoo News Australia, Victoria Police indicated residents with such concerns should contact police so it can be investigated.

• Rental crisis: Real estate agency changes ad after 'horrifying' detail noticed

• AirBnB listing offering three tents in living room amid rental crisis: 'WTF'

• Dire living room rental paints bleak picture for millions of Aussies

Aussies react: 'That is so creepy'

Aussies were quick to chime in with their ideas of how to get rid of the seemingly peeky neighbour, including person who said to “print out a life-size image of him with his binoculars and stick it to your window.”

“That’s so creepy. Talk to the building manager, neighbours who are also bothered by this and go together to warn the person etc. If it persist, get police involved,” another person recommended.

Despite some social media usurers theorising the man could be “bird watching”, the tenant explained “there’s not really a wide variety of birds in the CBD to be out every afternoon and until 10pm some nights”. “There’s apartment buildings on either side of me so there no where else he can be looking besides a person’s room,” they said.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.