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.

And of course as I and several PP have mentioned if you ARE robbed and the door was not locked then there is a chance your insurance will be invalid. Not nice to hear if your car has just been nicked because the keys were in the handbag that was grabbed.

Its not about fear its about risk assessment. Would it cost me more to a) lock my door or b) replace my car/phone/laptop/whatever even if the insurance does pay out?

My door is always locked whether I am in the house or out of it. If Im in the back garden, the front door is locked and vice versa. Ive known too many people who have been burgled. A previous next door neighbour was burgled, she and her partner were sleeping upstairs. The burglar got in through a hopper window, that they had left open by mistake. They lost cash and various items, fortunately they were not harmed as they did not awaken. Anyone nowadays leaving their door unlocked is very naive and their house insurance will NOT pay out if they get burgled. It's one of the first questions an insurance company will ask.

I also forgot to mention. During Lockdown last year, our community was awash with stories about door handles being tried at all hours. Leave your door unlocked at your peril.

Statistics. 64% occur when people are at home.

What is the number of burglaries vs the total number of homes in the UK?

I grew up in another country, low crime suburb. Our doors locked automatically when you closed it. Each place I’ve lived here in Uk, city and suburb, all doors locked automatically. I cannot understand why you wouldn’t lock your doors?

@mathanxiety

Statistics. 64% occur when people are at home.

What is the number of burglaries vs the total number of homes in the UK?

So you're now going down the route of, 'We shouldn't worry because it isn't a very frequent occurrence?'

If you're going down that line, leave your car unlocked too, and your handbag on show in it. You'll probably be fine. Walk down dark alleyways in cities on your own at night drunk and with your valuables on display. You'll get away with it unscathed, most likely. Advise pregnant women not to take their folic acid- after all, most won't have babies with spinal cord defects regardless.

It's a bit silly really. Just lock your door.

Our door is always locked whether we are in or not. Our insurance would be invalid if there was a burglary and doors weren't locked.

Yes always lock the door when at home to stop the toddler getting out (and to stop MIL from just walking in)

So you're now going down the route of, 'We shouldn't worry because it isn't a very frequent occurrence?'

Yes, that is what I am doing.

I couldn't resist your claim that statistics backed up this widespread fear that seems to have overwhelmed so many.

@mathanxiety

So you're now going down the route of, 'We shouldn't worry because it isn't a very frequent occurrence?'

Yes, that is what I am doing.

I couldn't resist your claim that statistics backed up this widespread fear that seems to have overwhelmed so many.

Fear is quite a pejorative term. Locking your door is just a reasonable protection against a common injury. The statistics I quoted were in response to your suggestion that it was very unlikely that someone would try random doors to see if they're unlocked, when in fact it happens all the time. I have just googled- apparently 1 in 100 homes are burgled every year

www.nimblefins.co.uk/home-insurance/burglary-statistics

99/100 homes are not burgled then.

Only at night, when we're out or if I'm home alone.

My DD (7) is in and out at the moment as its the October break (her best friend lives 2 doors away) and I'd be up every 2 minutes unlocking the door.

@mathanxiety

99/100 homes are not burgled then.

In a year. And it'd be more if no one locked their doors. My grandmother only had someone burgle her once but it was enough to deprive her of family heirlooms that she had wanted to bequeath to her daughters (and teach her to lock her front door).

Are you seriously saying that you don't make any adaptations in your life in order to avoid risk? No seatbelts in the car? No maintaining fire alarms? Nothing?

@Flowerpowwer6

What an incredible unpleasant post

Of course it's locked. It's about 4ft away from a footpath so any opportunist would be in and out in seconds. I often work at the dining table so they could be off with a laptop.
I usually keep the back door locked too on days everyone isn't playing outside.

I don't lock the door when I'm home. I often leave it unlocked when I do the 15 min school run. Don't lock it at night. Often leave the car unlocked. Even when I go out for the day I often forget to lock the back door.

@DebbieHarrysCheekbones

All this “living in a nice area” smug twaddle Nice areas are targeted by thieves and opportunists It’s not just rundown or “bad” areas you need to worry about

‘Nice’ are = often higher value possessions therefore more lucrative to thieves. I keep my doors locked even though I’m in an area of very low crime. I certainly don’t want to invalidate my house and possessions insurance!

In a year. And it'd be more if no one locked their doors.

OK, so provide stats for every year. Your stats will show a low percentage.

You have no way of proving the assertion that there would be more burglaries if nobody locked their doors. It is based on an assumption that a large proportion of the UK population are criminals, just waiting for their chance. Can this assumption be verified?

I wear a seat belt - I follow the law. The law is informed by statistics on serious injury and deaths on the roads. I keep my smoke and carbon monoxide alarms properly maintained. We have natural gas forced air heating here. Faulty furnaces cause deaths from CO poisoning, and victims are powerless to help themselves. I look to statistics when it comes to my approach to locking the door, as with everything else that could involve danger to life and limb or property.

.014% of the households in the municipal area where I live were burgled in 2018. I think the odds are in my favour.

The biggest threat to most women in their own homes is a male partner. Focusing on incursions by strangers is a mistake.

• The biggest threat to most women in their own homes is a male partner.

That is why I took the decision to divorce my exH.

Yes, I always lock my doors. Wouldn't dream of leaving them unlocked.

@mathanxiety

In a year. And it'd be more if no one locked their doors.

OK, so provide stats for every year. Your stats will show a low percentage.

You have no way of proving the assertion that there would be more burglaries if nobody locked their doors. It is based on an assumption that a large proportion of the UK population are criminals, just waiting for their chance. Can this assumption be verified?

I wear a seat belt - I follow the law. The law is informed by statistics on serious injury and deaths on the roads. I keep my smoke and carbon monoxide alarms properly maintained. We have natural gas forced air heating here. Faulty furnaces cause deaths from CO poisoning, and victims are powerless to help themselves. I look to statistics when it comes to my approach to locking the door, as with everything else that could involve danger to life and limb or property.

.014% of the households in the municipal area where I live were burgled in 2018. I think the odds are in my favour.

The biggest threat to most women in their own homes is a male partner. Focusing on incursions by strangers is a mistake.

I don't have a partner so I'm more at risk from strangers.

No. Make sure patio doors are locked before going to bed.
When home I'm constantly in and out: out the front door to my car, to the garage, putting recycling in bin etc. out the back patio doors into the garden, to get something from the back shed.
I couldn't keep the doors locked.

I used to line in a house where we never locked the door. Not even if we were away on holiday. When we sold the house four years ago I had to change the locks because I couldn't find the keys.

It really depends on where you live.

To my mind It is irrelevant whether you've always left your doors unlocked and never been burgled or attacked in your home. Other people have been, more often in cities and high crime areas but also in quiet country areas. And it could happen. It only needs to happen once for you to deeply regret leaving those doors unlocked

It's like saying 'I always walk in the middle of the road, but haven't been run over (yet)'.

Lucky you but it's not really wise behaviour. And check small print of your house insurance as pretty sure you won't be covered due to failing to take reasonable precautions/ securing the doors.

Always. Rural. Dark. No immediate neighbours so i do lock it. Day and evening.