Is DH U or am I paranoid? Locking doors at night

[Spiderpigspiderpig]

We live in a bungalow. Front door and back door are on the left of the building and are opposite each other... Hallway & kitchen between them. We have another external door at the back on far right handside of building in ds room. So 2 rear external doors & 1 front one. The one in ds room is closest to all of the other bedrooms.

Before be Dh prefers to lock all door and hang keys up in kitchen.

I prefer to lock doors but leave all keys in locks.

His argument is that a burgular will smash a window and reach the key, so it's not safe to do this.

My argument is that if there's a fire we'll be trapped in the house as we won't be able to get to keys. Our windows don't open enough to climb through.

Who is bu?

Also, the DCs bedrooms are at the back of the house with concrete paths underneath their windows. I have rope ladders in each of their wardrobes in case of a fire, and have taught them how to use them. Our bedroom is at the front and goes out onto a bay window so can be climbed out of in an emergency. My Dad was always militant about having another escape route when I lived at home as his Aunt's terraced house burned down when he was young and it terrified him.

I have rtft so sorry if this has been suggested, but what about getting something like this if you're worried about not being able to escape via windows: www.amazon.co.uk/Emergency-Hammer-Window-Breaker-Lifeaxe/dp/B00EFZC62Q

Keep your keys near the doors, but out of sight.

Change the key locks to Yale locks.

Would you rather be burgled or die of smoke inhalation in a fire? Burglaries are far less common than they used to be (the crims have moved on-line). Smoke fumes are what kill you and they can move faster than Usain Bolt can run. You will never remember to get the keys from their customary place in an emergency, even if accessible. You could invite the Fire Prevention Officer and the Crime Prevention Officer to visit your place together and sort something out between them. I've got my doors on thumb locks so I can always get out and so could anyone else staying.

Keep a set of keys In the bedroom with you, burglars can use certain tricks to unlock your door if keys are left In locks it may also void your contents insurance if there is no forced entry.

We take the keys out but having them hanging on a jock (out of sight to any window - but close enough to hand if needed to unlock in am emergency)

Double glazed windows are very hard to break (by law you have to have an opening window in every upstairs room,for this reason ).We keep window keys taped to the sills underneath.
We leave our 2 ' back door'keys in the locks but there is a padlocked gate between them and the road and a bolted door to a side passage behind one of them too .Wouldnt leave key in outer front door ,though it is double glazed too. There is one in the inner hall but not within reach of any windows

We use the latch and bolts at night, so you don't need keys to get out but burglars can't get in. We only deadlock when we are out. Could you add bolts to a couple of the doors and then leave on the latch?

My windows are locked, keys removed except the main fire escape route which is either closed unlocked or open. The keys for alternative route are on my bedside table.

If you have double glazing then the keys are fine left in the locks; it takes a a lot of welly with a ruddy great big axe to get thru DG windows.

We were burgled , they broke the lock in the French doors ( new ones not old ones) then let them selves out of the front door as at the time it had one of those twist lock things on the inside ! We changed that one to a key lock now and all keys are taken out of locks at night and put somewhere accessible to us.

Oh we had our back gate bolted and padlocked but they simply kicked it in . The sad truth is if they want to be in the will be - burglars that is .

Having once been attacked by an intruder (who got in through an unlocked door) as I lay in bed, I'm rather paranoid about locking doors before going to bed - I always go round the house and check - and regularly find that O/h has gone to bed without bothering to lock up.
We have bolts on our doors - one at the top and one at the bottom, so at night we use those instead of the lock so we could get out in an emergency. Our bedroom has a first floor balcony so that's another way out - unfortunately when it's really hot my husband likes to sleep with the French window open....... I am only too aware that an intruder could get in that way, but he refuses to let me shut it. Fortunately it's his side of the bed, so he'll have to fight off the intruder if one does climb in.
The neighbours four doors down were burgled while they were asleep one night. the burglars dismantled a window over the kitchen sink and climbed in through the frame. They could have saved themselves the bother and tried the back door: it wasn't locked (but the friends didn't tell their insurance company that!)

I am unsure of its veracity, but I heard that in a house fire, keys can actually melt into the lock, thus preventing you from being able to get out anyway...

Hmm if a burglar smashed a window surely he wouldn't need the keys? And you would hear it and phone police? Also have you ever attempted to smash double glazed windows quite difficult! I leave my keys in backdoor as no letter box but remove from front and leave on the otherside of our inner door so all easy in an emergency to locate

We leave keys in the door locks too. But our old wooden doors could easily be pushed in my a burglar anyway. If they want to get in they will. No letterbox to reach in for keys though. I would rather take my chances with the burglar than a fire.

Keys in the door here.

They would have to smash a window to get in. Or fish through the letter box. The dog would go nuts.

When I was a kid a famile of 4 died in a house just up the road. They couldn't get out through the french doors in time. Neighbours were trying to smash the windows to get to them.

If anyone can break in they can take what they want. But I won't have my family die to protect possessions which are insured.

And I say that as someone who worked for a burglar alarm company and someone who has been broken inot while I was in bed asleep and alone as a 21 year old.

The dogs went nuts and I phoned the police.

I take my keys to bed. I what a program called the real hustle and it was so easy to hook the keys out the lock and just open the door.

I used to leave mine in the door til next door got burgled during the night. They managed to somehow remove a glass panel out the door and unlock it from the inside and then put the panel back.. I have a upvc door with no window. However can hear anybody outside the front of the door! I always keep my keys and car keys on my bedside table so in the case of an emergency I can just grab them and run!

Front door, keys stay in lock.
Back door, key on hook next to door as we have a keysafe outside so emergency services can get in if I'm ill and alone in the house.
French doors onto patio, keys stay in lock. We have a catflap for MouseDog, but it's not possible to reach the keys from it - we tried.

I used to leave my key in the door until I got burgled one night. Burglar smashed the small glass door panel, then reached through, unlocked the door and walked in. He would've had to break the whole door down if I'd taken it out. Scariest thing I've ever experienced.

I regularly have disagreements with OH over this. I prefer to leave keys in door for same reason, we would have seconds to escape a house fire, I don't want to have to rummage for wherever he's chucked them.

His argument is burglars but we have double glazing and the letter box is at the bottom of the door so not a case of reaching in. His Dad was burgled a few years ago, broke in the basic back door then found the main keys and loaded up their car before stealing it. To me that said more about the security of their back door than the fact the keys were in the front door!

I ponder this pretty much every night. I leave the keys in the front door incase of Fire but I really worry someone will reach in through the letterbox and manage to get them 😁

I lock all doors and put the keys on the bedside table, along with the car keys. I believe your husband is right. I've always been told that a clever thief could get a key from the lock possibly through a letter box and let themselves in. I'm inordinately scared of being burgled

Sorry not read whole thread. A friend of ours left house / car keys on a table in the hall visible from front door and had them "fished" through the front letter box. Downstairs was burgled whilst her and the kids slept and the car stolen. Maybe keys in lock not so much of problem if no letterbox x