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Do you lock your door when you are at home ?

226 replies

starrynight19 · 24/11/2018 22:23

Never thought about this but we never lock the door other than when we go to bed.
Talking to friends it seems that this is quite unusual , is it ?

OP posts:
gotmybigbootson · 25/11/2018 19:56

@CeeCeeEnnEss as I said, there's not been a robbery or violent crime here in over 8 years.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 25/11/2018 20:00

I’m so jealous @gotmybigbootson
Please can I come and live on your island? Sounds like heaven.

corythatwas · 25/11/2018 20:10

If I didn't feel safe to sit in my house with the back door unlocked in the daytime I wouldn't get much use out of the garden, would I? Because surely that would be even more unsafe as the burglars would meet me before they even got to the back door?

MadeForThis · 25/11/2018 20:29

Always

TheDowagerCuntess · 25/11/2018 20:56

I honestly do not understand why anyone would not keep their doors locked in this manner at all times

In the five years we've lived at our house, our 4 bikes have been parked outside the house, under the steps.

They haven't been tampered with, let alone stolen. And we're out at work and school all through the week. 5, nearly 6 years like this.

This affects our mindset, irrational or not.

We don't lock the door when in, because we don't feel like we need to. There is no fear about what might happen - again, irrational or not.

Perhaps if we heard there had been some break-ins or robberies in the area, we might do things differently. We almost certainly would.

But there haven't been. So we live like we do. We're not in the UK, for what it's worth.

It was the same growing up. People didn't lock their door when home. It's just not something I feel like I need to do.

I appreciate this is probably hard to get your head around, if you don't live like this, but it doesn't seem rational to act in an almost paranoid fashion about something, when my 40 years of lived experience tells me I don't need to.

Well, actually 30 years lived experience. I was much more cautious when I lived in the UK.

Friends would lock their bikes inside a locked shed (so two barriers), and still their bikes would get stolen.

And I agree that if you feel so unsafe that you need the house locked all the time, you would never spend any time outside in the garden.

gotmybigbootson · 25/11/2018 20:57

It's pretty lovely. Has it's down sides (like shopping and getting anywhere) but on the whole I love it!

FourFuxxakes · 25/11/2018 21:06

Yes we usually keep the doors locked. We live in a relatively safe area and know some of our neighbours but there is still an element of crime and antisocial behaviour around the estate. If I go out to the summerhouse and there's no-one else home I lock the door then, too.

CiderBrains · 25/11/2018 21:08

In the summer I have been known to keep my front door open (along with the back door) to let the breeze run through the house to keep it cool Blush Starting to think I shouldn't do this now!

llangennith · 25/11/2018 21:31

My door is shut so people can't get in but I don't actually lock it. Quiet small cul de sac of 20 houses, everyone know everyone else. I've locked it when I've lived elsewhere.

lljkk · 25/11/2018 21:34

Not only do we not lock the door, but in warm weather the side door is wide open (kids & cats coming & going). It can be seen as wide open from the road. Not unusual or ever been a problem.

WeeMadArthur · 25/11/2018 21:42

DH has always been more bothered about locking the front door than me but last week one of our neighbours had someone walk into their house in the early evening and thankfully their dog was in the hallway and scared them off. I always lock it now.

BerylStreep · 25/11/2018 22:17

We have electric gates, so frequently leave the doors unlocked when we are in the house. It's nice knowing that random people can't come to your front door.

PhilomenaButterfly · 25/11/2018 22:19

No, but we have a Yale lock.

CherryPavlova · 25/11/2018 22:45

We rarely lock our doors. Certainly not when we’re home. If we’re out for several hours we will but just to pop to neighbours or to walk the dog locally then not.

elQuintoConyo · 25/11/2018 22:48

Always locked. And we're in a top-floor flat.

Years ago i lived in a flat on the 4th of 5 floors. Burglars went roof-hopping, entered upstairs through their balcony and out their front door. Broke into the flat across the landing, then went down one flight of stairs into our flat. Our flat was empty for just 30 minutes. Luckily they hadn't nicked anything of value as my flatmate had had a "premonizione" and hidden all her valuables in dressing gown pockets and in a tub of Ariel.

I don't know what freaked me out more - burglars or flatmate Grin

Ragwort · 25/11/2018 22:50

No, very quiet area, very nosey neighbour who spots ANYTHING unusual Grin, sometimes go out for the day having forgotten to lock the door.

NicoAndTheNiners · 25/11/2018 22:51

Always locked.

Recently got a new door with a thumb turn lock from the inside, so no key required to lock or unlock from the inside. So now I don't have a fear of being trapped if there's a fire.....though I used to leave the key in the lock mostly.

Dh is worried a very skinny armed, double jointed burglar could reach through the letterbox and turn the thumb turn. I don't think it's physically possible.

hmmwhatatodo · 25/11/2018 23:19

Yes, just something I’ve always been in the habit of. Doesn’t need a key to lock from inside though.
Pretty silly not to open your windows in the height of summer even if you do live in ‘scary’ old London. Getting a bit fed up of seeing people post over the top ideas with all things London related.

Fluffyears · 25/11/2018 23:52

Your insurance is not invalid. My mum got her car replaced after scumbag walked in and nicked her keys. They were on her premises with a shut door and two people at home. There was no issue at all with insurance paying out.

gotmybigbootson · 26/11/2018 00:24

@hmmwhatatodo was that aimed at me? That's a little patronising.

I lived in London for 20 and yes, some parts of it are 'scary old London' you absolutely don't open your window. That place I was referring to had constant burglaries on our street (often through open windows Hmm) and I got mugged in broad daylight resulting in broken ribs and a broken cheek so yes, I kept my windows shut.

hmmwhatatodo · 26/11/2018 07:53

Yes it was aimed at you and I still stand by what I said.

notacooldad · 26/11/2018 10:47

The back door is usually locked as soon as we have come in and that is mainly out of habit.
The front door is never locked while we are in the house unless it's only DS and he. is in his room for the afternoon. His room is in the loft.

Cosmos45 · 26/11/2018 11:33

I keep all my doors locked even whilst I am here.. I live in quite a rural area, down a longish drive with a few detached houses dotted around me so its not likely to have people just walking past (there are no pavements on my lane) but there is a public footpath running down the side and into the field at the back of me. I have this worry about someone targeting because it is rural and we are tucked off down a lane where neighbours are unlikely to be able to see if anything was going on. There have been some burglaries recently - very highly calculated and targeted ones. My main worry is popping upstairs to the loo or something and someone doing a snatch and grab of car keys or handbag through the kitchen door.

dangermouseisace · 26/11/2018 11:37

I didn’t.

Then someone opened my back door whilst I was in the house one evening...they must have scarpered when it was obvious someone was in as by the time I got to it, they were gone. Now it is locked, and I advise the kids to lock the doors if they are in and I am not.

DrCoconut · 26/11/2018 12:01

Where do people live and not lock doors? Even in the 80's my mum had the doors locked at all times, and bolted top and bottom when we were in. Now I always lock my doors too. Opportunist theft is rife and I'm not about to risk it.