Can an unauthorized apartment complex employee enter my apartment unannounced?

I live in Atlanta Georgia and have had someone entering my apartment by key for the last month. I finally started to set situation that would alert me to someone entering my apartment. Locking one lock, but not the other, pieces of paper in the door. I found out someone with a key was entering and I checked with the head maintenance and the leasing office(they had not entered or had a reason to enter) and called the police. I now no longer feel safe and want to break my lease because of this situation. Someone who has access to a master key has been coming in an not stealing anything, but going through my things. Do I have to pay the penalties for breaking the lease early as written in my lease? The management has been very mean and actually tried to tell me it is my fault. I was told by maintenance that something similar happened to another apartment and leasing denied it.

You need to go out & buy one of those chain locks that can also be locked with a key. You'll prevent someone from entering to snoop, and they are not illegal to place as they can be broken realitively easily in an emergency. (breaking one will also provide proof of someone entering your unit) These can be picked up at walmart for about twenty dollars, well worth the peace of mind. And yes they are lockable when you leave the unit

And yes it is illegal for them to enter your unit unless it is a major emergency (ie flood in apt below yours, fire etc) without giving you a 24 hr written notice

Once you have evidence of someone coming in (the breaking of the lockable chain lock) call the police & file a report. You should then be able to break your lease without any problems.

I would contact a lawyer...that is not legal unless is was an emergency situation that would have involved other units.of the property.

I'm a landlord and I'd never go into my tenants apt without permission. I understood it's called trespassing. I think and it's illegal and you should go to the police.

why won't they change your locks?
or ask if you can change the locks..
it's a cheap thing to do..

i own a building and change all locks with a new tenant..
i do keep a master key for emergency use only...
which includes a tenant "locking themselves out"

No one should be entering your apartment without your permission unless it's an emergency. Some leases will say that they have permission for maintenence reasons, like spraying for bugs, etc, but in every apartment I've lived in, they gave 2 or 3 days notice for things like that. If someone has been entering your apartment unauthorized, they need to change your locks immediately, and if they are unwilling to, they are failing on their end of the lease by not providing you adequate security. And then you do have every right to break the lease. I would suggest getting a camera of some sort and setting it up facing your door so you can actually capture who is entering. One way you can do it is get a camera that hooks to a computer to have it recording all day. You can also find cameras that are motion activated, but they may end up being more costly. Either way, you'll have definitive evidence you can take to the landlord and police to prove who is entering so it can be stopped.

this is illegal. absolutely not, i used to rent an apartment and one time the actual owner came to my door and try to come inside to "make sure the apartment was well maintained" and i know for darn sure my living places are always kept clean and very well maintained. and he was actually trying to forced himself in and we kinda pushed back and forth a couple seconds and i just stepped back and said "ok you see this line (door line) ?, cross this line come inside unathurized and i will call the cops for trespassing! i will sue you!" the owner new the law and just walked away. When you are renting you have to authorize people to come in. you need to look into putting your foot down and confronting complex management.