Do you lock your door when you’re in the house?

[patienceandprudence]

Inspired by another thread (no prizes for guessing which).

I was surprised that people lock their doors sheen inside the house. Granted, we live in a small house, but it’s in a ‘bad’ area. We never lock our door when someone’s in, except at night if someone remembers. I’d say we leave it unlocked while out a good 30% of the time so if the kids come back or someone drops by to visit they don’t have to wait outside.

In my area this is the norm, and most of the time if you knock you’ll just be called in and told to walk right in next time. We tell anyone the same, even the regular delivery-people know that they can open the door and put the parcel in if it’s open.

I am baffled as to why anyone wouldn’t lock their door, even if they do live in a naice area.
It’s a two second job which means any old random can’t just walk into your home. Why wouldn’t you?!

I've been burgled when I was home, in my room. And my flat was burgled during a Saturday afternoon when one of my flat mates was in.

I always lock the doors. And the windows. Always. And I check them if DH says he's done them since he frequently forgets.

We have a 10 foot perimeter fence with electric wire at the top so no, I don't bother locking my door when I'm in the house.

Usually yes and always if I'm home alone. I might leave patio door unlocked during the day but never at night and lock up if we are going out of course. You can only get onto our garden via a locked gate.

I would have front door unlocked if the kids are playing out the front. We live in a very safe area - would have always locked up when I lived in Manchester and London!

Yes.
Although years ago we once went away for a weekend and left the front door wide open. We'd been faffing around putting newborn DD in the car and each thought the other had locked up.
We got home to find a sofa we'd ordered had been delivered two days early. It had been unwrapped and the old one removed and top it off there was a random cat asleep on our bed!

My front door doesn't have a lock. There is an inside door which does, but my husband lost his key about 15 years ago and never replaced it. The one key we have is kept in the pocket of a jacket which hangs in the porch, so whoever is out can get back in if I am not at home when they come back.

Apart from Shep The Wonder Dog, I have no security. But Shep is plenty for where I live. The last crime in my area was about 45 years ago!

I grew up in a house where the door locked automatically when you shut it. I now live in one which doesn’t but keep it locked. I find it rude when people try to let themselves in.

Never but there’s 5 of us in our house at the end of a small, nosy cul de sac. In the old house I used a chain. I hate the idea of being in a house fire scrabbling about for a door key far more than my fear of being burgled.

@Batfinkwings

I am baffled as to why anyone wouldn’t lock their door, even if they do live in a naice area. It’s a two second job which means any old random can’t just walk into your home. Why wouldn’t you?!

We work from home so there's always AT LEAST two people home and we have kids running in and out non-stop. So yeah it's a 2-second job, but one that we'd have to do at least 20 times a day. Talk about tiresome.

Plus our door is only accessible by climbing over our big gates that separate our driveway from the road, which are always shut for kids and dogs safety.

Plus we live in a small sleepy village. So on balance, we just decided it's not worth it. Once everyone's in for dinner and not llikely to be going out again though (at about 6pm), we do.

Never, and the door is frequently not locked at night. My car is currently unlocked, parked outside in the alley.

I live in a place in the US where kids can leave toys, bikes, etc strewn on the grass out front all night. There are no front garden walls or fences.

Always.

I also can't settle if dd sits by an open window at the front of the house. I have to hang around with her or else close the window for peace of mind.

No, but we can see the front door and french windows from the living room and would be able to see/hear anyone breaking into the back door too.

At night, we always lock the doors.

I’d say we leave it unlocked while out a good 30% of the time so if the kids come back or someone drops by to visit they don’t have to wait outside.

I don't understand this. Surely if the dc are old enough that you don't have to collect them from places / they come back on their own, then they are old enough to have their own key ?
Then, if someone drops by and you aren't in, then why would they sit in your house ?
If I am out, and someone drops by, then they think "Oh, shame, Kite isn't here, I'll have to catch her another time", they don't sit on the doorstep on the offchance that I might come back soon

I always have the doors locked when we are in - always have in any house we've lived in, including growing up many decades ago in my parents' houses. Like many others, our door locks itself as it shuts.

@RosesAndHellebores

We are gated and there are gates to the house. Very low crime area.

We have four doors to the outside. Doors often open to the garden often but only if side gate is locked and we are about.

Doors are double locked at night, alarm goes on, CCTV is always on, security lights are on.

If we were out and a door or window was unlocked our insurance wouldn't be valid.

Are you in the UK?

Yes, after an Amazon delivery driver opened the unlocked door himself and stepped into my hallway to leave a package, frightening the ever loving shit out of me as I walked past at that exact moment.

Locked at all times. X

If you're leaving your door unlocked you're probably invalidating any home insurance policy you might have

We always have the door locked, in or out. We don’t live in a bad area - in fact, it’s the opposite - but there are opportunists about.

When I was a kid my gran never locked their back door except at night. If she was going to be out for an extended period she’d lock the back door and hang the key up in the coal bunker. She was brought up in a close working class community where it wasn’t necessary, and never got out of the habit.

Always, years ago at a different house in a nice area at about 7pm we had someone walk in while we were in the house and take whatever they could grab before they were disturbed.

Why risk it, locking the door is just such a basic security precaution.

No. Big house, rich area, where thieves k now it is rich pickings. No one would leave their house open. One old lady last year found a burglar climbed up a shed by the house and got in an open bathroom window. I don't even leave windows open inside unless I am in the room.

Also as people say your insurance is invalidated. In that case I could lose all I have - the house if egthe intruder started a fire and burnt it down to the ground.

My mu lives in a quiet crime free (mostly) area. She found her car gone one morning. Her door had been open and someone had snuck in and lifted her keys from beside the door. My door is locked, our neighbour had her handbag stolen from her front hallway one morning as she was getting ready for work.

Ridiculous and naive to leave your house unlocked 30% of the time, in my opinion. Do you know how many burglaries happen in the day time? Asking for trouble.

Victim blaming at its best

I don't lock my door till I go to bed but I have Banham deadlocks, all other doors and windows are strong and locked. I feel safe as houses.

I lock all doors.

DH will leave them all unlocked whether he is in out or in bed!!!!

I do have a cat so often have the back door wide open all day.

I also have the top windows opened all night. Is this bad?