How often do you or a family member accidentally leave the front door open when going out?

[chinupluv]

My son (17yo) does this 3-4 times a year - he will be rushing out somewhere, will pull the door closed behind him, but not check to see if it clicked shut. He did it this morning when he went out for the day, which freaked me out because I would normally have been in the office on a Tuesday. The house would have been empty until at least 5pm, with an open door.

Obviously I'll be speaking to him (again) but I'm wondering if it's a common problem.

This does happen in our house occasionally- the door needs to click and it sometimes bounces open if you pull it too hard and we don't always notice. We're pretty rural so maybe less of an issue. More of a risk of mice than burglars, I'd guess!

Once or twice. We do leave the house unlocked a lot - there’s always someone coming/going so it’s never unattended for too long.

I’ve left keys in the door twice for a few hours. My friends daughter seems to leave their door open quite often on her way to school (age around 14).

Never but our next door neighbour does this every few months, with her dogs usually hanging out by the front door. They did go walkabout once though but that hasn’t stopped her forgetting.

Never. My 17 year old has ADHD and managed to never lose house keys either.

Not so many times in one year but over the last 10 years I have done it a few times and so has my husband. Last time husband left the door wide open, postie piled the post neatly on the mat. We do live rurally though!

Never - although I may have gone back to check a few times (and have never found it to be open!)

DH has left the keys in the outside a couple of times, though, when coming in. Once, it was a bunch with his car keys on. The other it was just a door key, but for 2 separate locks.

Open, or just unlocked? It's never open, but it's unlocked all the time. I live rurally, and I often go out and leave it unlocked. I have nest cameras, but they catch my cats and my dog walker more than door knockers. I leave it unlocked on purpose.

He also did it once when we lived in a busy city! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I can only assume people thought we were in!

Never but twice when out I have knocked on peoples doors that have left their keys in the lock and shut the door.

All the time but we live down a dead end track and have dogs, if someone is going to break in they’ll do it open door or not.

Never. We always lock the door coming in and going out. It's always locked when we're in the house. It just becomes a habit to automatically lock it, mostly because you have to use the key to unlock it to get in/out, so you just automatically/habitually lock it again when you've gone through the door.

We had no problems at all with our teenage son - as it was habit for him too, as we'd usually get him to lock/unlock the door at a very young age when he was coming in/our with us, so the habit just stuck!

Ours is always unlocked, we try to remember at night time to lock them and I do lock it if I go out all day but I often walk the dogs/ do nursery drop offs, pop to the shop and leave it open. We live in the suburbs where crime is low, I feel completely safe where I live

Never. But we have an ultion lock and you have to lock the door with the key when you go out.

Our front door is never locked when we go out.. So badly rotting it won't lock. Landlord cares not one jot..

A few times and luckily I got to the door before hb got out of the car . 😂

Handful of times in the last ten years I guess. The vast majority related to a sticking catch on the lock, so that you think you've shut it properly but actually the lock hasn't caught completely and it can be easily knocked open again.

Don’t lock mine at all. Live rurally, always someone coming or going. And I’m rubbish with keys. Think it’s how I was brought up and my dad used to say ‘ well if someone is going to break in they will just make more mess if you have to replace the door. ‘ Freaks DP out a bit as he’s more of a city boy. Never lock car either. Living on the edge!

I used to never lock my door during the day until my next door neighbour’s visitor walked straight in one day. We both got a huge fright when he arrived into the sitting room!

When in house shares there was always someone who would leave the door open. Often woke up in the morning in my College days to the front door wide open onto a main street of a busy city!

Never done this. I have a DS the same age and he's been leaving the house after me (at least some days) since he was 9.

My partner once locked the door but it was ajar - so locked open. But my three kids have never left the house insecure. I can think of one occasion I shut the door but didn't lock it. So that works out to twice in thirty+ years for five people.

I've done it twice in my life (42) and I'm extremely absent-minded. I've never had a door that's difficult to shut properly though - it sounds like you need a new lock.

D h not infrequently leaves it unlocked, both coming on and going out. Occasionally he leaves it wide open. He's done that to the car doors too.
It's why I always check the doors, but nothing's ever happened, even when he left the back door fully open when we went away one time.

Me: never.

My children: apparently born in a barn (despite my memories of hospital births).