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?!

Weirdly I am unfazed by the postman doing this as if I am downstairs, my front door is often unlocked and open but resting on the door jamb.

On Tuesday, I was sitting on the sofa, just out of sight of the front door , when I heard a 'hello', A fecking weird father of one of DD's friends was standing sort of inside the house putting something on my hall stairs. We DON'T have the sort of relationship where I was cool about this at all.
(Knock next time, you moron)
However it is as much my intense dislike of this man that fuelled my reaction as any annoyance at what he did.
Godzilla could probably have dropped in a bunch of Bananas and I would have been less irate

My front doors unlocked except when we go to bed. We live in a quiet place and my Rottweiler would eat someone if they walked in when we weren't there.

I don't have a Yale. Just a door with a key. If I'm at home noone can come in without me knowing. Maybe I'd lock it if I had a huge house, maybe not.

Yes in theory anyone could just walk in, but they don't. I walk in and out a lot though and answer the door a lot and having to muck about with keys and locks everytime would be a pain.

I wouldn't expect the postman to let himself in though no.

My postie often leaves parcels in the hallway. We have one of those doors that have to be locked with a key and sometimes I forget. Not sure if I'm glad or a bit freaked by it.
That said, I was very put out last week by the fact that I had to go down to the sorting office to collect a very large parcel. I was out when the postie called and the door was locked! Maybe I should leave him a key

I would be scared shitless if some random person opened the door, postman or not. If I knew him well or we had an arrangement to do this then it would be fine.

I'm not so paranoid that I lock my door all day while I'm there though, does anyone do that outside of London? My DH's parents don't ever lock their door, even when everyone is out or in bed, that does make me a bit nervous.

My postie does this, goes round the back and leaves stuff in the conservantry.

I can't remember the last time I locked our door tbf I live in a little village in countryside, house is hidden behind another and big hedges all the way round, so its not visible from the road or path.

I had a scary experience with a courier a couple of weeks ago. He didn't bother to knock on the door/ring the bell and just flung the parcel over the back gate. I was in the kitchen and heard an almighty crash as the parcel flew into the garden. Admittedly I had forgotten to take down the note that said if I was out he should leave the parcel in the back garden but, as my car was visibly on the drive and nowhere in the note did it say it would be ok to throw it, I was quite and . Thankfully DS's birthday present wasn't broken.

Our front door doesn't lock unless you physically put a key in and turn it, which I never do during the day because... I don't know. I just don't. I live on the quietest street in history surrounded by little old ladies and their dogs.

Our postie did open the door once, but he thought it was a porch door and got all flustered and apologetic when I shrieked and shouted FUCK loudly at him.

I didn't realise people left their doors unlocked but I'm within 10 miles of Croydon and all houses round here have Yale locks (although that means I lock myself out quite a lot)

I never lock my door during the day.

Our postman comes in and puts the post on the kitchen table, doors always open, and on the rare occasion it isn't, they open and chuck the post on the table.

and if someones here we have a chat.

I don't lock my front door unless I'm going out or going to bed either, and TBH I don't see why the OP should have to justify what she does with her own front door just because her postman doesn't appear to understand boundaries.

If you leave your door unlocked you might want to check your insurance policy.

xpost with Fireandashes

postmen should understand boundaries.
Burglars and rapists don't.

Mine does this everyday,i live in remotest rural ireland,he does this in most houses.I am from Dublin originally so was not used to it.
As our post isn't delivered till about 3.30pm it usually coincides with the kids coming in from School.Am used to it now.

It sounds odd to me, I guess it depends on where you live.

I can't imagine not having the door locked, though our front door opens straight onto the street and we live in a high-crime area and have been attacked and burgled while in the house.

Actually I think every house I've lived in has had a front door that automatically locks when closed. I thought that was quite normal, isn't that how people manage to lock themselves out of their own houses?

locks only keep an honest person out.

Good locks will do more than that quote

Actually it is worth considering how good your locks are (and indeed your door) - when we were broken into the door actually was locked (on the Yale lock), but they kicked it in, surprisingly easily. We have a better door now.

I know some people will think it's 'paranoid' to worry about this stuff, and I probably would have been the same until it happened. I think I'd still take security seriously if we moved to a quiet area, have heard of similar things happening in quiet/rural and in a way it's worse if there are no near neighbours or passers-by to call the police, and the police presumably take longer to arrive.

I think it depends where you live really. When i lived in a little village, the postie thought nothing of opening the door and leaving stuff. Sometimes he would even ask if he could get a drink or use the loo. Where i am now i make sure my door is always locked and id rather go to the sorting office than leave my door open

I live in yorkshire: in a village now but in big city before - have never locked door. I grew up 20 miles outside London; didn't lock door then either...except at night. When I remember.

You mean he didn't even knock twice?

postman in the isle of man in the early eighties used to open the front door, or if it was ajar, walk in - through the (small) hall into the living room and put the mail on the dining table.

in those days, if a boat was coming in from liverpool (it sailed from there - no reflection on the community!) with a criminal element on board, a warning to 'lock your doors' would be put out on local radio...

Curryspice,

I can get into your house in under a minute. probably faster than that,

I run a building firm, we have a lot of toys as now everything is cordless we don't have to put any effort into it,

we are always been asked to get into houses when people have locked themselves out, it's very easy when you have the tools and understand how building work.

locks are there to keep honest people out.

Get a couple of fire proof safes, build them in well, totally concealed so they can't be found, and don't tell anyone you have them ,long and set bolt to three points of solid fixing,

keep your sentimental items in safe, and documentation.

then relax, if they want to come in they will.

I doubt it quote. I work in the architectural ironmongery trade (door hardware to the unititiated)

My locks comply with PAS 23 and 24 and cannot be bumped, snapped or picked.