The postman just opened the door..

[DesperatelySeekingPomBears]

Er, is this normal practice?!

I was laid on the living room floor with DS, the TV was on and my car on the drive, all visible to anyone coming up the path. I heard the door go, assumed it was mam and called out a greeting, only to be met with silence and the door closing again and the postman's back retreating down the path.

Now I appreciate it's raining but isn't it normal practice to KNOCK with anything that won't fit through the letterbox, not let yourself into someone's house?!

No comment on the rights and wrongs of the postie opening the door.

he must have heard you call out and assume you'd seen him and called to him

Our postman does this, and very helpful I find it too. Mind you I live in a very safe area and have on occasions left the door wide open for the whole day when out at work. By mistake you understand!

Not the same, but my postie has taken to signing for my parcels/letters, I just get a little note through the door, saying 'signed for by postie'

Funny I did the same thing the other day. DP was most unimpressed to come home from work and find the patio doors to the back garden wide open. Now I'm doubting myself. Maybe I left the door open this morning and he dropped the letters in and, very kindly, closed the door behind him...

She shot into the living room at a rate of knots before cowering taking up a protective postion behind the six month old baby.

I don't know where my front door key is TBH. Rural area, two large dogs, I'm usually in or around the house. When I lived in London on the other hand the door was always locked.

Am I missing something? She didn't say the door was open. Do you mean not locked?

My door isn't locked unless I go out or go to bed. Is that not the norm? I don't know anyone whose door is locked if they're sat in the living room.

It is not acceptable for the postman to just open the door. It is common practice to leave mail in a porch or another safe place if agreed by the house occupiers. Yes they can sign for recorded deliveries themselves - to say they have delivered them, they can't sign for registered mail themselves.

My postman used to do when I had 2 little ones. He must have seen me struggling to come and open the door too many times and just dropped parcel/letters like this.

Perhaps even better though.
I once got stopped by a guy in a delivery van (very well known parcel company). He was just behind me, lights flashing, big movements with his arms etc... Stopped the car, wondering what the heck was going on, he came to see me saying 'hold on, I have a parcel for you' [shocked]. Went to the back of the van, came back with the parcel saying 'Oh I saw your car and knew you wouldn't be at home when I was going to do the delivery so I thought it would be easier'....
Move on a few months later, he did exactly the same thing again at my work where he recognized the car and asked if I was there!
I couldn't quite make out if I was suppose to be grateful or scared (I was feeling I was being stalked tbh)

lady I would find that slightly creepy. Around christmas time I would imagine our regular DHL delivery driver would probably recognise the make/model of my car in the street, but certainly not the reg number!

Round here, the postman always rings twice.

My door isn't locked unless I go out or go to bed. Is that not the norm? I don't know anyone whose door is locked if they're sat in the living room.

Isn't it just normal for a front door to be a yale lock, so you need a key to open it? (Plus a Chubb for extra seccurity) I'd hate knowing the door could just be opened by anyone walking past - I'm in the middle of London though.

It is a bit odd but if I wouldn't be overly concerned. Mine signs for parcels for me and puts post through the window if it's open.
Once he stopped while we were at the petrol station filling up and said I saw you and knew I had a parcel and thought you would be going out.
Was well impressed with that, there must be 4000 people here.
Our door isn't locked if we are in

Ken pmsl at your namechange!

I'm with only - my postie just opens the door and pops things in, gives the dog a treat, hangs around if I've been baking till he gets something

I guess it depends where you live - my door's never locked and it's all glass, we live in the back of beyond really. If anyone locked their door, they'd be the talk of the place!

in a minute, i'll post that the postie just let himself in and made himself a cup of tea and a sandwich.
and didn't leave any post.

but he'll have made me a sandwich too, so that's okay

in the back of beyond, we don't tend to lock the door, and yes, i do think it's normal to have the postie (the real one, not DH) open the door and drop the post off.

in fact, one, I left the door wide open all day ( ) when I went out to work, and when i got back, a packet was inside the door (he didn't shut the door though, git!, although I assume he thought I was in the garden, when I leave the door open so I don't have to faff around for my keys)
He often left packets inside the door.
that's the kind of service you get in rural areas.

but nickel he is your husband remember?

Ken pmsl at your namechange!

Oh, I'm a new Ken! (I only saw the DogsDead after I registered this!)

My Dad was a postman and once put his fingers through the letter box to make sure the post had gone through and was not wedging the letterbox open. He was bitten by a dog. When he told his boss of the incident, the boss was not exactly sympathetic and said that his fingers had been in theory trespassing by being the wrong side of the door. So I'm guessing the postman could get into trouble for entering your house but I personally would rather the item be safely delivered so not sure if yabu.

I once had a parcel left under my doormat outside the door so the doormat was a few inches off the ground and the parcel was in full view of anyone passing . I think that wbu.

I've just remembered one time that I left the door wide open all day and the washing machine repair man happened by and the door was open so he mended the machine. Most convenient

I wouldn't see this as 'letting himself in' or 'entering your house' because i bet he just opened the door a crack and laid the post down. If you'd been in the hall topless he's probably not have seen you if he only opened the door enough to put his hand in (unless you have a glass door, in which case he'd have seen you from outside anyway).

Only issue with this i can see is that some people have baskets on the inside of their letterbox to stop dogs chewing the post, but I guess the regular postie knows which houses have that.

It's quicker for him which means everybody gets their post quicker and it's easier for you as you don't have to get up and answer the door. I wish our postie had access to our communal door as getting up to buzz him in is annoying (i'm the only person in the stair who works from home).

My postman knocked on our door earlier in the week asking if he could use our toilet as it was "an emergency". He was in there 10 minutes, created the most God awful stink, and the poor man looked so embarrassed when he left!

But back to the question in hand - yes, it is a bit odd for a postman to open the door.

I used to leave my door unlocked but closed (just pull the handle to open) but started locking it when a neighbour had her purse stolen from her kitchen at the back of the house.

Intruder let himself in the ulocked closed door, made his way to the kitchen at the back of the house grabbed the purse, was then confronted by neighbour who was in the next room and he ran. This was in broad daylight.

I'm glad i do now because on at least 3 occasions since i have had people delivering leaflets, try my door handle at the same time!!!