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 watched someone walk into my neighbours house and steal. He was so blatant I assumed a friend. Didn't I feel like a duck!

I live in a block of flats and we have a main entrance door to the building that anyone can enter, but also the doors to each flat are accessible for anyone to enter from the main hallways. I had an incident where a workman let himself into our flat without knocking and as I went to door, he was on his phone and not concentrating. He took one look at me, all calmly apologised and walk out, without a care in the world. I lock the door now from the inside. During the day and night, even if I'm home. I dont trust anyone.

My door is always locked when I'm in/ out in the garden. I don't want anyone just walking in - I even lock it when I take the dog around the block. ( dd 16 asleep / d's 25 asleep) Don't ever want to come back and find a stranger in the house!,

I've just started to. We are in a cul de sac and one of the neighbours called round early this week to say he had seen 4 lads driving up and down the cul de sac slowly and looking at each house in 3 different cars on 3 different days.

Im in a wheelchair, alone most of the day and don't fancy being a sitting target!! I think it's spurred me on to be a bit more conscious.

Always. I like my stuff.

My friend used to leave hers open until a random man came in to Nick stuff!

We lock the front when we are in but not the back

1 front door locks automatically

2 front doors that you have to remember to lock them and I don't normally bother when I'm in, except in one place if it's really windy the door will blow open if you leave it unlocked

When I'm out I leave all of them locked though

We once accidentally left our flat open for a week while we went on holiday, the door wasn't even shut properly and it opened onto a busy high street, seemingly no one had been inside

All the time. Unless I'm just nipping in to quickly go to the toilet then I don't. Our outer communal door has to be locked at all times anyway. The only times no one locks it is putting rubbish out, hanging washing out or in my case going out to the end of the drive for a cig. I did however once pop out for an hour just after my tv was delivered and somehow managed to leave my door wide open and the communal door open too. How the hell I wasn't Burgled I don't know

Locked when we’re in and out!

My front door is always locked when I’m in or out. My back door is unlocked if I’m in, but I lock it, say if I go have a shower or go upstairs for a period of time. There’s lots thieves, low life’s and weed smokers and alcoholics around here, so I wouldn’t want to risk it even though I have a Pitt bull (who is a wuss!)

Always locked front and back and if I can’t lock it straight away etc then the chain is on until I can grab a key. Had someone force their way into the home before but in this case they knocked the door and then barged past when it was opened

@patienceandprudence

Maybe I’m not so concerned because we don’t have much to steal. There are 2 TVs, one older than my adult DD, phones which everyone has with them… they can take my bag but good luck getting any money!

Very naive to think that’s the only thing that could happen by someone walking into your house.

Lock the door, but unless it’s a Yale type, leave the key in the door, especially at night, or else you will face a serious fire risk as you won’t be able to escape

Local fire brigade said to always take keys upstairs with you so if there's a fire you can throw them out of the window to them if needed.

Doors are always locked.

We only lock the doors overnight.

Every single time it's closed. I'm fairly sure that your home insurance could be invalidated if you leave your door unlocked and you're burgled

@SirenSays

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.

There are still old pattern "traditional" nightlatches on the market, complete rubbish, but you can buy a nightlatch confirming to British Standard 3621 at higher cost.

They are a bit bigger, and usually have an armoured cylinder protector on the outside.

They will generally use the existing cylinder hole in the door, but need extra screws and fitting.

They block attacks by a strip of plastic, and other simple attacks.

If the door has not been deadlocked, it is possible to open it if the handle can be reached through glass or a letterbox.

House wasnt unlocked but relative in her sixties lives in a very place. Two young lads had broken in and were just waiting. Poor woman only just survived she went through total hell and yes everything that could have happened, happened.
Different story my friend works as domestic engineer, whilst working in an old ladies house a young man walked in. Engineer told old lady her nephew had gone in other room. Didnt have a nephew, engineer head locked him out of house. Lock your door!

I am amazed at how trusting and naive so many people are.

As I said earlier we live in an area with low crime rates, but it isn't no crime, just low crime. and most crimes are by opportune bruglars, so why would you make it easy for them?

I specifically requested that my door would 'lock' behind me. So when it is shut it can't be opened from the outside. But to be fully secure you are supposed to lock it. We only do that when we go to bed....and sometimes forget.

Yes because my mum lives in a lovely village, but it didn't stop a complete chancer tiptoeing in and lifting her handbag and car keys from the front hall.

Not during the day but I have a big nasty dog! Otherwise I would & I do at night. I was a prison nurse for a lot of years so I know quite a few tricks of the trade where burglars are concerned. One particularly unpleasant man would put a pan of water on to boil when he burgled a house at night, then if the householder got up, he would threaten to throw it over them. There are some horrible people about.

Always locked and we live in a very nice area. Next door had a guy just walk in their back door. They definitely keep them locked now! Why would anyone risk someone walking in off the street and letting themselves in. To burgle/rape/murder/abduct? Naïveté indeed.

I’m terrible for not locking ours my dad is always moaning at me about it. Live in a really quiet street and I work at home as do my close neighbours plus I have 2 dogs one a crazy barker who goes nuts if anyone even walks past. So I do feel safe & leave it unlocked during the day as my kids are in & out but probably not the best idea xx

Of course you should lock the door when in. We had a lot of thefts in our neighbourhood from chancers who just tried every house for unlocked doors and grabbed things that they found near the doorway. Also quite important to read your home insurance policy as it may be void if entry was from an unlocked door.