To feel a little bit creeped out..

[aloneathome]

Hello :)

So I'm really sorry in advance if this sounds crazy.. but I don't know what to
Think.

This morning, I came downstairs to let the dogs outside, to find the back door (goes into the garden) unlocked.

We don't leave keys outside / in 'safe places' or anything like that, and always lock doors from the inside before heading off to bed.
Nothing seems out of place, didn't hear any noises through the night that were alarming, and I am a very light sleeper so most things would wake me up.

The door itself was still shut, it's just the actual lock has been unlocked which I found quite unnerving 😳 as I was home alone last night (DP on a night shift and has only just got home)

When I came downstairs this morning, I noticed the utility door was ajar (always close all internal doors - don't know why! Just a habit - so this was also odd but again nothing out of place from what I can see so far. (Loft hatch is in the utility room in case this is of any importance)

Fast forward to now, working from home and I notice a couple of large handprints on the living room windows from the outside. Too high up for me to reach, and DP wasn't here last night as I say.
Rational me is trying to think 'probably been there for weeks, unnoticed' but at the same time I definitely haven't seen them and we had all of the windows cleaned 2 weeks ago.

Not sure what to think! What would you do? I will keep an eye, but more worried as to how the outside door was unlocked this morning 😩 we have had a spate of burglaries in the area so feeling a bit vulnerable as it is..

I've lost count of the number of times I've come downstairs in the morning and found that DH has left one of the doors to outside unlocked . I always ensure they're locked when I go to bed, he goes to bed later and often forgets (fortunately we live in a very safe rural area).

Have you checked you bag/wallet to check all your cards etc are still inside?

Wouldn’t the dogs bark op if someone came in?

How long have you lived there? Could someone have a spare set of keys?

If not it could be possible you just missed the back door and forgot to lock it.

Op you seriously need a new ddog!!
Can't imagine anyone getting close to our door /window with my lot!!

YADDDDNBU - that would freak the fuck out of me too. Have you lived in the house long? Is there potentially someone out there (previous tenant, previous workman, etc) that might have had access to the keys?

I like @Calmandmeasured1's suggestions, but getting those locks changed and having some additional security measures put on the doors would be an urgent "to do" point for me.

Honestly, nothing missing, nothing disturbed and no keys missing - the most rational explanation is that you missed locking the door.

I've got two sausage dogs they sleep at the other end of the house, are the most docile little things and never bark! (Always though this is fab until now!!!) I wish they would have alerted me but to be honest probably didn't hear anything anyway, they sleep directly under my bedroom so If I didn't hear anything (light sleeper) they most likely didn't either. 😩

Someone has been in OP . Sounds like they came in through the window and left by the door. They could have found your spare keys to unlock the door.

I just wonder why the fig didn’t make a noise. Or perhaps s/he did and that’s why the burglar/intruder left. Do you have a big dog?

@Santaisironingwrappingpaper

Op you seriously need a new ddog!! Can't imagine anyone getting close to our door /window with my lot!!

Sounds like the op has dogs plural. Unless they are deaf it would be very unusual for dogs not to bark at an intruder in the night.

Dog didn’t make a noise, obviously

Now going to check my bag - thanks all for the help so far.

The house is a new build, we are the only people living here but it is possible I suppose that tradesmen / workmen and the people who sold it to us have had access before..

Could your dp have let the dogs out for a pee before he headed to work, and forget to lock the door when he let them back in. My dh works nights, he'd let our dog out in the morning for a few minutes before he does the school run, I've often come down to the back door not locked.

See if your neighbour opposite has a ring doorbell.

Sorry cross posted, ok, little sausage dogs, that explains it 😃

Get handles off today to check sizes, order today and get from Amazon by tomorrow.

My DP left for work around 10:30pm last night - I was still up and locked up everything after he left (he locked the front door behind him) so I know I definitely locked everything up. He got home at around 8.30 this morning and came through the front door again (so we hadn't checked the back at this point) both went into the kitchen, let the dogs out but the door was already unlocked. Xx

Cross posted with you. If the dogs are “soft” the intruder could have just petted them or given them a treat.

Maybe get a German Shepherd or Doberman to join them.
Take all steps to secure the house: change the locks, either alarm or big dog. If you know you locked the door, you know someone has been in.

Horrible for you.

I can’t see why anybody would come into your house and then leave again without taking or doing anything. How would they have got in anyway? The only rational explanation is that you forgot to lock up.

DP has always wanted a big guard dog.. maybe now I will finally agree to one 😭🤣

Thanks all for your help. Sorry this post sounds so silly. I just feel so confused and the fact nothing that I can see is ajar, makes it all the weirder..

Definitely 100000% locked the door. I know for a fact x

Get cctv set up

As a single parent, I use a ring doorbell to monitor who is near the front door. You can’t get to the back door unless you climb the neighbours fence

Do you mean that building work is continuing around where you live? If so then honestly, lots of workmen will have had keys and lots of people will have access to your working patterns.

The development is a single private development so not a large company or anything like that - only 5 houses on the row overall. The last house at the very end is still being worked on and not yet finished - so loads of tradesmen of different kinds are there each day.

@aloneathome if your home is a new build and you are recently moved in then the Builders or someone related could have a key or a master key to the front or back doors.
I would change the lock barrels asap.
Always a good idea to do that when moving into a new home as you don't know who was given a key to the locks there.

Also are any of the windows unlocked but "open"? Could someone have climbed in through a window and closed it behind them and gone out of the door?
My friend found a whole sheet of glass had been removed from one of her windows - was leaning against a wall in the garden.

Don’t doubt yourself OP. If you know you locked up, you know.

There could be many reasons why nothing is missing: maybe they lost confidence and, once they were in felt uncomfortable and left could be one of them. Maybe you haven’t discovered what they took yet.

@Flavabobble

Honestly, nothing missing, nothing disturbed and no keys missing - the most rational explanation is that you missed locking the door.

This. I have set routines that I do every day, except occasionally I will forget something, and I don't know I've forgotten because I can picture doing it so clearly (due to the repetition). It happens.

What's more likely, you forget to shut the door and have only just noticed the mark on the window, or someone snuck into your house without anyone noticing and then rather than stealing anything just patted your window? Why would they do that?

Changing the locks might give your some peace of mind, but honestly I doubt there's anything to worry about.