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..

also OP it's alarming how many tools there are for picking locks.

hope you have called police by now.

This would freak me out, it’s good your DH is doing a sweep, I’d be making extra sure everything is locked up and even move things in front of the doors so you can hear people coming in. I do it all the time. We still have a baby gate on the bottom of our stairs, we don’t need it anymore but I’ve left it on while my DH is working away as someone would have to try opening the bloody thing or climb over it. Sometimes if I empty the bins before bed I will leave them by the back door rather than put them out, not because I can’t be bothered but engine coming through the back door would trip over it or have to push it out of the way. All silly stuff but I lived on my own for years when I was younger so I did silly things so I’d hear if anyone was breaking in.

I had a similar scary moment last week. I got home from the school run to find the toilet seat up in the main bathroom. As I said my DH is working away, not that he would ever dare leaving the seat up. It’s just me and 3 girls home. It really freaked me out that someone had been in the house. Luckily it turned out to be my 6yo who was apparently fascinated by flushing her poo so was watching it go down and lifted both lid and seat up 🤦‍♀️

Surely your dogs would’ve barked if someone had been in?

I have a stbxh I can send over so you can send him in the bloody loft 😂😂😂

Is there any chance you may have got up in the night (half asleep) to let the dogs out? Sometimes our dog gets up in the night for a wee - it would be very easy in a sleepy state to forget to lock the door again when he comes back in.

Dogs don't all bark. Also could explain why nothing is missing. Person comes in, starts looking around, friendly dog comes and says hello, person not too sure if dog will remain friendly so leaves...

I should write books!

Probably a daft question OP, but when you lock these french doors, are they actually locked?

Maybe the lock mechanism works but the various latches and stuff don’t engage properly.

You come down in the morning and unlock , then turn the handle I imagine,but just wondering if they’re properly locked in the first place.

Defective doors on a new build I’m thinking.

@BrandyandDeath that episode still gives me the shivers. Usually when I'm in bed at night just before I fall asleep. Awful.

Occam's Razor for me too. I know you're sure you locked the back door, but memory is not 100% reliable, and with things you do as a routine you don't know if you're remembering that specific occasion or just the 'pattern' as it's laid down in your memory.

Are your car keys there? Someone may have come in, looked for something specific (car keys, cash), not found anything and left.

Definitely call 101 and report it.

@HarrietOh

My sausage dog would have barked the place down

Occam's razor theory here, with nothing missing or out of place then you forgot to lock the back door last night.

Mine would too. Her nickname is security snausage 😂

OP hope you get to the bottom of it. I would find it creepy too. Is your OH home tonight?

Sometimes, having a strict routine can work against you.

You have done it consistently, you have total faith in it, you feel sure that it's done because you always do it...
Then, one day, something happens. A little thing you barely even notice, and it interrupts your routine . You knock something over and have to clear it up, your pet throws up, you get an unexpected call or text, etc etc.

You deal with it but your brain sort of tricks you. You always do X therefore you did do X because you always do X so you couldn't have not done X. You even remember doing it!

Meanwhile, X is left undone.

That said, it's very possible someone came in or tried to. Maybe they did a quick sweep and there was nothing to take.
For peace of mind, change the locks and add bolts and chains. It never hurts to have good security.

Sorry you're feeling so unsettled.

Oh goodness OP how worrying for you. I hope you manage to figure it out and have called the police.
On another note Luther absolutely traumatised me for months and I’d just gotten over it and this has brought all those images screaming back.

Just another thought make sure you keep your doggies safe. There are so many dog thefts at the moment and Dachshunds are selling for a lot of money.

Sorry don't want to worry you further but would hate to think someone was scoping your place out for that reason.

How unnerving - I think I'd be going out today to buy a camera. And once the doors are locked tonight I'd be jimmying chairs under the handles!

My patio door lock has been opening itself after I lock it recently. I kept finding the doors unlocked in the mornings and thought someone was sneaking in.
After a LOT of investigations I found that the spring in the door lock was pinging open again about 15 seconds after I locked the door and took the key out. You can hear the little ping of it unlocking if you stood by the door long enough.
It may be worth checking your lock isn't doing that.
Had me freaking out for a few days until I worked out what was happening - still not fixed though 😳

If they knew that the loft opening was in your utility they may have looked in there because some people hide Christmas presents in the loft.

Maybe worth investing in a PATLOCK for your French Doors,
We have them on ours for peace of mind.
Your just slip it onto the handles of the door and it clicks in place then in the morning you take it off.
They are around £40/£50 but worth every penny.
We purchased ours from Amazon.

We are in a new build. It was wired for an alarm system but we didn't get one right away. When we did do it we got all the external doors alarmed so when they open an alarm sounds.

I have just checked Amazon you can purchase this PATLOCK from J C Plastics Ltd for £49.48 - Patlock Instant French Door and Conservatory Security Lock.

My first thought was, you just know when you've locked your door, so I won't ask that....but, is there any chance your door was already locked, maybe by your DH and you unlocked it by mistake?....

I have been completely convinced that I locked all the doors, as I always do, but have later found that I left one unlocked. Just putting it out there op

Did they leave a strange ironing board that's not yours? Or a safe?

What I would say is that it is worth the investment in a burglar alarm (a monitored one preferably). We have one and we set it to 'night set' when we go to bed, which means that the sensors upstairs where we sleep are disabled but that all the downstairs sensors are activated. It gives piece of mind.

@Calmandmeasured1

If they knew that the loft opening was in your utility they may have looked in there because some people hide Christmas presents in the loft.

I thought the same.