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.

Always lock it. We have people trying door handles quite regularly in our area. Sometimes we will hear the handle being tried, and be thankful we locked it.

I keep both front and back doors wide open both day and night so that anyone can just walk into my house, kidnap my children and help themselves to all our belongings. And rape/murder me if they feel so inclined.

People who don't do this are weird.

Yes, the front door is always locked. I don't think I could sleep at night if it wasn't. In the day time I would worry someone might come and steal my dog.

@LittleBoPeepHasLostHerShit.

Always locked, and with the key half-turned in the lock so it can't be picked. I live by myself so no-one else needs to use the door except me!

Always. Well I do but my teen kids forget constantly despite me telling them of my friends' having their cars stolen when I burglar helped themselves to keys just inside an unlocked back door.

Insurance policies don't pay out if doors are unlocked and keys available.

My door has a Yale lock so locks itself when it closes, but no way would I leave it unlocked either in or out of the house! I live in an OK village, no massive crime, and have a driveway to my house and a dog, but I'd still keep the door locked.

@FluffyBooBoo

Good Lord! I can't imagine not locking my door, and I live in a safe area and the residential complex has a security guard

If where you live needs a security guard, it sounds like it maybe isn't all that safe.

The security guard was hired to prevent non residents using the private parking and handle auto access. Not because there are burglars or rapists all around.

The front door is always locked. And the first thing we do when moving into a new home is to change the locks. Otherwise you have no idea who has a key to your house!!!!!

@LittleBoPeepHasLostHerShit

I keep both front and back doors wide open both day and night so that anyone can just walk into my house, kidnap my children and help themselves to all our belongings. And rape/murder me if they feel so inclined.

People who don't do this are weird.

Anything less would simply be bad manners

I guess if you're in sight of the door all day it wouldn't matter but even then surely you have to go to the bathroom or whatever every now and then. I find it easier to just always lock it, then I don't have to use mental energy remembering whether I've locked it.

I always lock the door behind me when I come in, it's just automatic - let myself in, drop the keys in their drawer, hang up my coat and bag, kick off my shoes and put them in in shoe rack, lock the door and continue into the flat.

Growing up we lived in a big house where the living areas were all at the back of the house and you couldn't see or hear the front door so it was always locked so that nobody could just walk in without warning and it was always drummed into my siblings and I to lock the door whenever we came in.

Now I live in a flat but on weeks when DD is with her dad it's just me so I lock the door behind me as nobody else needs to get in/out. The way our block of flats is laid out you walk through the main door and up some stairs to the flats and my door is literally at the top of those stairs so everyone coming and going in/out of the building has to walk past my flat. One of my neighbours has lots of people coming and going at all hours thats an issue for a whole other thread so I generally tune out any hallway noise, so if someone was to come in I probably wouldn't know about it until they walked into my living room at the other end of the flat. Locking the door behind me means I know that nobody else can get in.

I do, my kids would escape, especially the 2 year old. I'm a bit more lax about the back door because we have a high fence and a key locked gate which is always locked. But I would lock it at night.

My door has a Yale lock so locks itself when it closes

Just a very friendly reminder to check the security of these Yale locks. I thought mine was safe until I accidentally left my keys in my house. I found a washing up bottle in my recycling bin, ripped it apart and used it to quietly and subtly (I didn't want anyone to think I was a burglar and call the police) open my front door in less than two minutes.

Never! Whether I'm in or out it's never locked.

My mums is always locked and she can't hear you at the door so you can never get in. It's such a bloody pain in the arse.

Yes I lock all doors even when in during the day. Criminals will try doors randomly and if it's open, that's the house they will rob. They tend to leave the ones that are locked. I like my stuff, so don't want it nicked. Dunno why you wouldn't lock the door, it's not complicated.

Always lock it but I remember letting my MIL in once and she laughed at me for locking it. I had a curious toddler at the time so made perfect sense to me!

I recently read that New Englanders lock their doors 58% of the time. We probably lock ours less than that. I'd guess most people in the cities are locking theirs but in the medium and small towns and rural areas most don't bother.

Front door is always locked so the children can't escape (even the 9 year old hasn't worked out how to open it yet), unless it's a hot, sunny day and we have all doors and windows open.

Back door is unlocked during the day for ease of dog and children egress into the garden for play.

Our front door automatically locks when you close it - I never even realised there were front doors that you could just open from outside without needing a key!

Yes, because one evening DP was away with work and about 11pm someone knocked the door. I didn’t answer as it was so late and then the door handle went down as they tried the door! Luckily it was locked so now I always lock it.

I do. I have had someone from the letting agent just let themselves in one time (I had no warning at all), and in my current place, a man just walked into my house. So, I always lock it now, and leave the keys in the door too.

Your house will not be insured if it's left unlocked even if you're in.

Always have my door locked and keys out the door. Not worth the risk of someone just wondering in. I know people this has happened to and one whose child just walked out the door when they were only 3 years old.

@Aurea

Your house will not be insured if it's left unlocked even if you're in.

This is not true as a blanket statement. A very small number of policies may require this but I have never seen one that does, even for rental contents insurance.