Have I done the right thing? Feeling bad now.

[speakout]

My retired neighbours have a new caravan, having many trips away. They left Friday morning and I noticed front door wide open, all bedroom doors open. This is unusual. I now know inner porch door was locked.
I noticed yesterday, and last night. Overnight we had torrential rain and when I peeped in this morning, porch was flooded and mail was washing around.
I called non emergency police, who eventually found a neighbour with contact details.
And my neighbours were not pleased.
They told police that they had left their home this way to "air the house and help the postman".

I am feeling a bit bad now, and feeling I over- reacted.

Why didn't you just pull the front door shut yourself when you first noticed it?

What?! That's crazy neighbour behaviour. I hope the police told them off for their stupidity at leaving the house all open?!

No, you were trying to help :)

Just speak to them about it when they get back. They could have been burgled for all you knew.

Were you worried they'd been burgled?

So the porch door was open , but the inside front door was locked?

Ok so the house is secure.

What do open internal bedroom doors have to do with it?

I cant understand phoning the police because the porch floor was wet. You're gonna have to explain that one to me in more detail because I really don't understand.

Yeah I have to say I don't understand really. You were not being unreasonable to be concerned about their house, for sure. But it seems odd to call the police when if you'd have popped round you'd have seen the inner door was locked surely? And then you could have closed the front door right?

AuntLydia I wasn't sure if the house was secure or had been burgled.

When the police came they donned gloves to touch handles.

Sorry typo- all bedroom window open.

How odd! Doesn't the front door have a letterbox? Surely if you want to get some air in to the house, you'd crack open a window, not go away and leave your front door open!?

I'm reading that as a front door (as in the main door) was locked but the 'front door' as in the porch door was open?

Is that not normal ? The house is secure?

Ah ok. So the windows were open. Still, seems very odd! You must live in a very safe neighbourhood if they feel comfortable doing that!
If the rain where you are was anything like here then it's barely stopped the past 3 days. Surely that amount of water would have done damage. Sounds like you did them a favour!

OP didn't know door was locked inside

The neighbours are crazy to leave all their windows open - burglary aside, they could have come home to find it full of water, a bird trapped inside, all kinds of stuff that would take a lot of time and money to put right.

Didn't you try the front door? I would have... And picked up their post and closed the porch door when I realised that rain water was getting in

Oh blimey, the windows were open?! You did the right thing. Don't feel bad, they could well have ended up burgled even with the inner door being locked. Daft pair.

I would have phoned the police or gone and shut the door myself. Don’t really care if they would have got mad, I’d rather that than them getting burgled.

Wouldn't that invalidate their House Insurance too?

No I don’t think their insurance would pay out if the burglars can just go in through an open window.

They sound batshit and I hope the police told them it’s stupid.

You did the right thing. You weren’t to know the house was deliberately left open (who leaves windows open when away?!), especially,if,they have never done this before. I probably,would have called the police also, having assumed the house could have been burgled.

That was really bloody weird of them, and no not even warn their neighbours?? You did nothing wrong. I hope they learnt their lesson for wasting police time though.

Windows wide open or locked ajar?

Your neighbours are naive, a bit bonkers - or both.
If they cannot see that they are lucky to have a neighbour like you then they’re definitely bonkers.

You sound to me like a very good neighbour. A - you notice things. B - you care. C - you acted.
I'd happily have you as a neighbour.
They sound a bit silly and ungrateful, OP.

Silly people. You did the right thing.

I think you were very kind and did the responsible thing. Your neighbours are cretins to go away leaving all the windows open! If they want to air the house out they should do that when they are at home!! I hope the police tore them off a strip. Unless you are now going to drip that you live on one of the Scottish islands (like where my friends live) where everyone leaves their doors open because crime is almost zilch, then you did absolutely the right thing and I sincerely hope that they will thank you (but I am guessing they will be shirty with you).