Houses with NO lights on in winter

[BruceAndNosh]

I guess it's more noticeable now the clocks have changed, but both our neighbours' houses are in total darkness at 7pm. It's obvious that no one is at home, the house is empty.
Is this not a security risk?
I think they both have burglar alarms but don't think either of them ever use it.

Yes, I know thousands of people can't afford to leave random lights on, but this isn't the case here.

I hate a dark house and have a couple of lights set to come on automatically at dusk.

What do you do?

The rooms we sit in are at the back of the house so it looks unoccupied from the front. If the burglars can find my engagement ring to nick it they’re doing bloody well because I can’t find it!

Anyone heard of this thing called COP26 happening right now?

www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/02/treat-artificial-light-form-pollution-environment

If I was a burgler I’d probably decide to give OP’s neighbours a miss due to the amount of curtain twitching next door. Thanks to you OP they are quite safe.

Can anyone recommend plugs/lights for timers please? Preferably one that can be changed with an app

When I close my curtains it looks like my house is in total darkness from outside.

@Blacksheepcat

I am one single woman, living on her own, I pay for whatever utilities I consume and I defend my right to use whatever I consume. I am not breaking any laws.
Several years ago I had to deal with a man I vaguely knew, making a total nuisance of himself outside my house once it became dark, and at times, in the middle of the night. Shouting and banging on my doors and windows. The police were not really interested.
I had lost my DH to cancer several months previously. This went on for weeks. I could barely sleep with the fear.
Without my German Shepherd (who sleeps with me - oh the horror!) I would have been utterly terrified.
With my lights now being on all the time (2 low energy bulbs) at least he no longer knows for certain if I am at home or not.
Each of us deal with our own personal situations as best we can, particularly when the police are not there to help us.
Snarky comments regarding Cop26 don’t really help much.

If I know I will be home after dark I leave a few lights on.

For one thing, I hate entering a dark house. It costs almost nothing when you have LED lights.

I live in a coastal village in Cornwall. For years winter, excluding Christmas and New Year, sees 90 percent of my hill in darkness!

It's sooo dark, it's almost tangible, if you know what I mean. When we moved in 30 years ago it was quite different, maybe 25 percent dark and the others with twinkly lights and the smell of wood fires.

From 6pm we spend all of our time in the back of the house with all off the lights at the front of the house off, I guess it would look like we are not home. The majority of the houses where I live have a similar layout (1930s with multiple reception rooms) so it's fairly common around here for houses to look lifeless from the front.
We do have external lights which are have a motion sensor as well as cameras around the house.

I leave a battery operated lantern on in the front window and porch. Our main living room is at the back of the house so it can look like we're not home. The study is at the front of the house and I've usually finished work by 5pm. So I switch off main lights and leave the battery operated lamps on.

From the front it probably appears that we don't have any lights on. Our living room is in the basement and the windows open to the back of the house and that is where we spend time in the evening. We don't bother lighting the hall or kitchen upstairs when we're not in it.

@Kezzie200 is that because the houses have been bought and only used as holiday homes?

Lights off mostly. Dog on alert though. Far more reliable deterrent.

Mumsnet does make me laugh sometimes. The other week I was reading a couple of threads where lots of people were aghast at the thought of locking the door when leaving the house empty. They just leave the door unlocked, don't take a key and don't worry at all about burglary. Then on here we have people leaving lights on when out due to worry about being burgled. I assume if you leave lights on you're someone who does lock doors.

Personally I have never left lights on when out. I live in a second floor flat on a fairly busy road. With curtains closed it isn't obvious whether lights are on or not. If a burglar did decide to have a go, they'd either need to use a very visible to everyone driving or walking past ladder to reach and smash the windows, or come in through the communal door and well lit stairs, risking being heard and seen by neighbours. My flat door is also a very solid fire door with no glass so probably not overly easy to break into. They'd also be heard by neighbours. Also, I don't want to get into the habit of leaving lights on or setting timers as I know I would end up worrying whether I'd remembered to turn the light /timer on whenever I went out.

@Faevern

Yes, that's why. The majority have been left over the years by parents passing away or moving to more accessible accommodation and then commonly, sold and used as a second home/holiday home. Or the high prices were used as an opportunity for a family to sell, move to another more inland town and pay down the mortgage there on a bigger house (two of our friends have done that).

It leaves the area soulless at night with dark, lights out areas.

I have 2 dogs, burglars can try their best!

Also for anyone who feels having a timer is helpful please use a variable timer. Did no one watch Home alone?

@Mantlemoose

Also for anyone who feels having a timer is helpful please use a variable timer. Did no one watch Home alone?

Home Alone is 30+ years old. Timers are a bit more modern now, can be controlled by Apps etc. That house in 2021 would probably be covered by CCTV with an alarm that went straight through to the Police.

That said perhaps everyone should have a small boy to house sit

We don't have any lights on timers so if it goes dark before we get home from work the house will be dark.
We were burgled last year in the middle of the day though when somebody was at home, the burgler didn't seem too put off by a house that wasn't in darkness and with people at home.

My house must look constantly empty in winter as I spend a lot of time in the upstairs back room and the light is not visible from the street. All other lights are off so I guess it looks quite bleak.

I am now thinking of all these dogs sitting around in empty houses in the darkness.

@Babdoc

What would burglars actually bother breaking in for? Nobody keeps wads of cash in their house, and if you are out, you have presumably taken your car, keys, credit card and phone with you. In my house, they would be very disappointed unless they fancy trying to lug away a few thousand paperbacks, with a resale value of about 1p each!

Most of the time burglaries in suburban houses result in minor things taken for the burglars own use unfortunately. Big ticket items like tvs and cars are too easily traced. Friends have had nothing major taken but had their kids video games rifled through and specific titles selected, perfumes and make up, bed linen, food, coats, worn trainers, specific kids toys, baby milk and even babies clothes, nappies, kitchen ware taken. Easily concealed and many homeowners don't realise they've been burgled until weeks later!

V hard to claim for these lower cost items on insurance too and shows some element of desperation by the miscreant.

House near us was empty for a week and when they returned they found it empty of all furniture! No one saw or heard a thing!

I do wonder what burglars think they are going to find. They must have some sort of idea of what is in the house before breaking in?

People with teenagers will possibly have loads of gadgets/tech? At Christmas there will likely be presents under the tree?

@RichardMarxisinnocent

Mumsnet does make me laugh sometimes. The other week I was reading a couple of threads where lots of people were aghast at the thought of locking the door when leaving the house empty. They just leave the door unlocked, don't take a key and don't worry at all about burglary. Then on here we have people leaving lights on when out due to worry about being burgled. I assume if you leave lights on you're someone who does lock doors.

Personally I have never left lights on when out. I live in a second floor flat on a fairly busy road. With curtains closed it isn't obvious whether lights are on or not. If a burglar did decide to have a go, they'd either need to use a very visible to everyone driving or walking past ladder to reach and smash the windows, or come in through the communal door and well lit stairs, risking being heard and seen by neighbours. My flat door is also a very solid fire door with no glass so probably not overly easy to break into. They'd also be heard by neighbours. Also, I don't want to get into the habit of leaving lights on or setting timers as I know I would end up worrying whether I'd remembered to turn the light /timer on whenever I went out.

But Mumsnet isn't the same 10 people posting.

When we lived in Brixton every window was locked with a key when we were out despite being second floor and the door to the flat was locked with 3 deadlocks. Hallway light left on. Despite that We lived there for 15 years and never even an attempt. Felt safe as anything in SW2!

Now in NZ I can't remember when I last locked the doors. I don't even know where my house keys are tbh! Stolen probably . Wouldn't even think about leaving lights on. We have Phillips Hue lights so I can switch them on at any point remotely from my phone anyway. Handy AF.