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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To tell you to change your locks

199 replies

Palomb · 05/07/2017 14:01

If you have euro type barrel locks on any of your doors they are not secure. We were burgled last night for my husbands car. The scum that did it snapped the lock on our back door with a tool you can buy on ebay for less than a quid. We were asleep in the room above with the windows wide open and didn't hear a thing.

All out locks are currently being changed to anti snap locks. They are only £40 each. We had no idea lock snapping was even a thing.

Also, while I'm being bossy, if you have more than one car don't have all the keys on one key ring. I have to get all the locks changed on my car and it's going to cost £500+ this is not covered by my insurance. Keep your keys seperate. You can only drive one car at a time.

OP posts:
BitOutOfPractice · 05/07/2017 16:56

Euro cylinder locks are often known as Yale locks colloquially

TinselTwins · 05/07/2017 16:56

Our burgler was high as a kite! he got about 2 miles away before crashing the car. I don't want to think about what could have happened if his rampage had happened inside our house instead of 2 miles away.

Our car keys were hanging on a nail in the hall so we never had to find out.

thecapitalsunited · 05/07/2017 16:58

To me a Yale lock is a rim lock. The sort of thing you'd have on a wooden door. A Euro cylinder is for upvc or composite doors.

PickleSarnie · 05/07/2017 17:00

I always leave my car keys not visible (so can't be hooked out) but in a fairly obvious place if some one was to break in.

They can have my car. It has no sentimental value and covered by insurance. The thought of some one rifling through my house and my things would make me want to move house. So I make it as easy as possible for them to nick it and piss off out of my house.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/07/2017 17:00

thecapitalsunited I was just replying to a PP with what they are known as colloquially so that they knew what sort of lock had been snapped

PickleSarnie · 05/07/2017 17:02

Apparently my car is on the top 10 most stolen cars. If they were to break into my house it's what they'd be after (because feck knows there's nothing much else of value). So they can have the damn thing and then hopefully wrap it around a tree with them in it afterwards.

SofaToad · 05/07/2017 17:05

kind of tool

BitOutOfPractice · 05/07/2017 17:06

I had to break into my own house a few years ago (don't ask!) and even though I thought I made a hell of a lot of noise, not one neighbour noticed. It's remarkable what they can get into

The lock industry tends not to talk about lock snapping and bumping because it will give people ideas Hmm but it is a big thing and, because there is often no sign of a break in, many people find their insurance won't pay out Sad

Justmuddlingalong · 05/07/2017 17:07

Sorry for your troubles OP Flowers And thanks for the heads up. How do I find out which size locks I need to buy? Ta.

britespark1 · 05/07/2017 17:08

We were broken into a few days before Christmas last year and it's devastating. All they wanted was my husband's car and they smashed the glass in our back patio door to get in. Our alarm didn't even go off :-( the police also told us to leave the keys in an obvious place.

thecapitalsunited · 05/07/2017 17:08

Bit I got that but other people might know a different type of lock as a Yale lock (I've only ever heard people refer to a rim lock that way) so I didn't want people to rush out and change it if there's no need Smile

Brittbugs80 · 05/07/2017 17:11

My colleague at my previous job had their car stolen and had trouble with their Insurance paying out as the Insurance didn't accept their had been a break in. They got in the door without breaking anything and closed the door on their way out. Eventually the Police gave a CR number but they couldn't find any forced entry either.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/07/2017 17:13

Ah OK. I thought most people refer to all rim locks as Yale locks and mortice locks as Chubb locks. But maybe that's regional thing

Anyway, we both mean the same thing Smile

Original poster
Palomb · 05/07/2017 17:14

Yes we couldn't work out how they had got in as the door looked completely normal from
The inside. It was only when we tried it we realised it was unlocked. They had even closed the door behind them.

OP posts:
BitOutOfPractice · 05/07/2017 17:14

That was to thecapitalsunited BTW!

wherearemymarbles · 05/07/2017 17:20

We were burgled, wooden door and yale insurance standard night latch. They had to kick the door in. Lock was undamaged!

We also locked ourselves out once. Locksmith couldnt get in so had to cut lock out of door!! That was an expensive mistake!!

shatteredstudentmum · 05/07/2017 17:25

We were broken into for the car and the keys were always kept upstairs. I woke at 3am to see a strange man stood in our bedroom.

Keys are now always downstairs and easily accessible and the alarm is on every night.

JustKeepDancing · 05/07/2017 17:33

I'm so sorry you were burgled, what a horrible experience.

A note about keys - police advice seems to vary on visible keys (although I've heard the "stolen to order" vs selling computers etc for drugs too) but a friend is a fireman and told me I should always, always have keys near a locked door so that I, or anyone else in the house, can get out of the door if there's a fire.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/07/2017 17:38

A fireman should tell you that you should be able to get out without a key, single handed

dollydee · 05/07/2017 17:42

OP, did you have to get a locksmith to change your locks or is it easy enough to do?

thecapitalsunited · 05/07/2017 17:45

BitOutOfPractice, that's how I've always heard it too with Yales and Chubbs. Euro cylinder is completely different to a rim lock/Yale lock though which is probably where we got mixed up even though we agree with each other Smile

I've heard that about getting out of a house quickly too. I think HMOs are required to have thumb turn locks for exactly that reason but thing is if you have thumb turns then some scrote can just smash a window and get in without a key. You have to pick security or fire safety and hope for the best. It's annoying.

thecapitalsunited · 05/07/2017 17:47

dollydee, it's easy enough to change locks yourself. B&Q have some videos showing you how. I did a rim lock and a mortise last year and will be doing two euro cylinders when I move next week.

OldHabitsDieHard · 05/07/2017 18:03

I keep my keys in the front door.

Give zero fucks if my car gets stolen - its insured. My priority is getting my kids out quickly if there is a fire.

It is annoying to have to pick between security and fire safety but you hear more stories about people dying in fires than being murdered by burglars.

Not saying it wouldn't be scary as fuck waking up to a burglar in your house though. Happened to my parents it sounded terrifying.

coursedarlin · 05/07/2017 18:07

We recently had our car stolen from outside our house while we were asleep without even bothering to enter to get the keys. Apparently it's all done with a laptop now! The keys for that car weren't even in the house at the time. We have alarms etc and would of been alerted had they attempted the house but didn't even get that. It's horrible and took weeks to sort with the police

dollydee · 05/07/2017 18:11

Thank you thecapitalsunited I'll have a look at the videos. Smile