to be mad that a complete stranger just opened my front door?

[Truffleshuffler]

Was sitting in my living room this evening with DS (22 months) asleep on my lap when I hear a knock at the door. Dogs start quietly barking and I start panicking. Should I open the door holding sleeping child? Should I run upstairs and put him in bed and then go to door? All the while dogs are getting louder impatient. Am worrying that dogs will wake up DS. DH is out.
I take DS upstairs and mystery caller decided to ring doorbell. At this action dogs in their excitement manage to escape from kitchen and stand at front door. Hurry downstairs to see the front door being opened by complete stranger to be met with my 2 barking dogs so he quickly closed it. I get to the front door and see man walking away.
He tells me that he is a friend of PIL and is here on business and called to visit my DH.
AIBU to expect:

1. Visitors to phone first
2. Strangers not to open my front door

He did use the first names of my PIL and DH and he told me his name was Brian. I phoned my DH who said that it could be any number of Brians and he would speak to his PILs. Is assume it was them who gave him our address.

Of course you shouldn't need to lock your front door to stop random friends of your PIL walking in. Maybe he lives somewhere that knocking, going in and shouting hello are the norm? Did you talk to him after that?

and why so many of you expect people to phone? You have a front door - it's for knocking on...?

I agree people shouldn't have to phone before they knock on a door. That bit is odd.

i'd of phoned the cops for that to be honest unless he mentioned actual names etc because thats bang out of order, my doors always left unlocked cos the wee lass is out backs playing till bedtime most days with the street kids but even my family and friends including mum and best mate know to knock. there are only 2 people who are granted unlimited access to my house and that is me and the OH.

YANBU to be mad that a stranger opened your door, very strange indeed that he should try and enter after no reply at the door - would make me a bit suspicious myself.

YABU to have your 22 month-old DS sleeping on you in the living room (unless he is sick or something)

You must all live in naice areas.
Round here, the police had a campaign earlier this year where they let themselves into people's homes through the open front doors to warn people how easy it was for a burglar to get in. And you wouldn't get any insurance pay-out if they go through an open door.

I had a similar address as an employment agency, the difference being I was in a village and the employment agency was in another town. Unfortunately Yellow pages listed my postcode as the Emp. Agy. and I had 2 strange men just walk in looking for work. They didn't believe me when I said i wasn't this agency (I think the living room setting of sofa, coffee table and tv may have given this away though), and I had to nearly physically remove them. They had had the view of my ass as I was reconnecting my computer under a desk at the time though. Maybe I should have taken it as a compliment! Anyway, yellow pages were most non-helpful and said I should keep my door locked till they got round to changing the web post. Needless to say I was ready to growl like a rotwieller for the 3 weeks it took them to do this at everyone who knocked at my door!

Yes, seriously. I don't know anyone who would keep a front door unlocked, I would absolutely walk into someones house if I found an unlocked door - I would assume something was wrong, they'd been burgled, had an accident, or left door open by accident etc.

I once left my front door open when putting sleeping DD from car into cot and had forgotten that I hadn't shut it and woman who was delivering leaflets came in when I didn't respond to knocking for exactly the reasons I listed above.

I might walk through a door that was open - for one of those reasons you give. I wouldn't know if a closed door was locked or not because I wouldn't dream of knocking on a door and then trying to open it.

Even if it was a strangers house Gaston?

An open front door maybe, but an unlocked one? You'd be going in to every house where my parents live, and everyone in my PIL's village too!

YANBU, I would have been annoyed, just to add that whilst I too live in a rural location, I would never leave the doors to the front unlocked as my two 3 years olds would escape.

Ah yes Georgi, I am assuming that it is the kind of door where it is obvious if it was open.

Maybe not a complete stranger but this guy probably didn't feel like he was a complete stranger, he knows the DH who lives in the house, he couldn't know he wasn't in. And if Truffle has in laws like mine then he probably knows every dull fascinating detail of her life

I guess the difference here might be location, I live in Surrey where crime is relatively low but we are in zone 6 and I lived in London for years. Also most front doors around here, well of my family and friends, are auto locking so if it was unlocked it would be ajar.

I assume there are other types of doors where this isn't the case though!

na see now i expect the phone call or a text or a wee message on fb but thats more because my lot have kids/ busy lives plus the fact im usually in my jams and dont like to tidy unless i really have to lol so we have to arrange when to visit meet up etc :) xx

So OP's NBU Gaston?

Someone you've never met = stranger.

Some people know lots of things about celebrities lives, doesn't make it alright for them to just walk into their houses.

Just to confirm, door was closed but not locked. He would have had no way of knowing it was unlocked, other than trying it.
The reason that it was not locked is that my DH asked me to leave it unlocked so that he didn't have to take his keys to stupid cricket.

He tried the door??? He deserved to have his nose broken with the door and ankles shredded by the dogs!

I might also be over reacting however, but I would go uttely ape shit and call the police if someone opened my front door without invitation.

I don't lock my front door and know many people who also don't lock their front door!If I am home it stays unlocked unless we're going to bed or if DH is not here, I am napping or going in the bath. Never had anyone try and come in!

What was his attitude like when you spoke to him OP? Did he seem embarrassed, or was he just a random loony?

I can see why OP is annoyed but I can also see the other side of it. Although now Truffle has explained that it was shut it does seem a little odd.

I do however think that it's fairly simple to prevent this, lock your doors. It also keeps out other complete strangers, also known as burglars! I would assume that most celebs wouldn't sit around with doors unlocked so that anyone could walk in.

Depends on whether they're Z list or not Gaston

Some people do anything to get on TV.

I had a similar experience last year. There was a knock at the door and I yelled through "just a minute". Ran downstairs to open the door and discovered two random young lads sat on my sofa. One was even flicking through the channels on the TV!

Turns out they thought I was hosting an AA meeting and were waiting for it to start!

We never lock(ed) the doors unless going out or to bed either. We have started to now though!

But Truffle, why haven't you called the PIL and asked them who the hell this Brian is, what he wants and what the hell he thinks he's playing at? I'd have been on the phone to them straight away, raging.

The man was lucky your dogs didn't bite him!