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 unlocked unless in bed at night or out.
Many times I've left without locking it though, or slept without locking.
A number of times I've locked and left the keys in the door while I've gone out.
My memory is shit, but thankfully I live in an area that would be difficult for someone to access without being spotted or stopped in their tracks.

Always locked day and night, as much to keep the toddler in as burglars out.

Having said that I did once in a sleep-deprived state go out with the kids and leave my front door wide open, ipad in view. Luckily it's a low crime area so when I returned 3 hours later everything was as I left it.

Mine locks automatically, but I'd lock it if it didn't. Always have. I also lock the balcony door at night and if we're out of the house.

Front door locks automatically when you shut it. It's double locked from the inside at night, and from the outside when we are all out.
Back door has to be locked with the key to be secure, so that tends to stay locked most of the time.

DH hates double locking the front door at night, though. He worries that if there were a fire, we could be trapped.

My parents were tied up & held at knifepoint while 4 men ransacked the house at 7pm in the evening, they came in by an unlocked kitchen door - my parents were in the room at the time.
I lock everything while I’m in the house, if the living room window(front of house) is open I close it if I go to another room.

Only overnight. I have a couple of friends who lock their doors in the day and I always thought they were outliers till I joined MN!

No, almost never. We live in a very quiet rural area and the most exciting thing that ever happens is maybe once a year someone’s sheep get stolen. I only ever lock it if I’m home overnight without dh (just so I’m less inclined to freak out if I hear a noise). Previous to moving here 10 years ago, I lived in several big (non-UK) cities and yes, always locked my door even if we had a locked door downstairs to the building or a security guard.

I used to leave my flat’s door unlocked during the day when Nice Old Neighbour was here, so that if she knocked I could just shout for her to come up. But the exterior front door was always, ALWAYS locked. We get quite a few nefarious types around and not only do you see them trying car door handles on the off-chance (and rummaging through vehicles if they find one unlocked) but they’re not beyond trying house doors either.

Then Scuzzy Old Neighbours moved in and not only was my front door locked but I was going to get an alarm because of them and their dodgy mates. Fortunately they moved out and I have Nice New Neighbour but my door is still kept locked most of the time now.

If nothing else, insurance for theft will require “forcible or violent entry” - anything stolen when a door was left unlocked wouldn’t be covered.

Always lock the door others anyone can walk in.

Wtf you go to bed with the door unlocked?!

Yes I lock the door when I'm home. Last year a bailiff literally walked into my house looking for dps ex. They are still sending letters.

Nope, I have a fear of being trapped if there is a fire which is greater than my fear of having someone enter the house.

I lock up when the house is empty though.

@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.

That's insane.

We lock the doors every single time we go out, and unless we are going straight back out or expecting someone soon the doors are locked when we are at home.

It's just sensible to protect your home and possessions?!

Anyone visiting can knock. And anyone who lives there should have a key.

Ours locks automatically. Even if it didn't, I would lock it anyway.

I always lock my doors, live in the middle of no where so anyone could walk in and no one would see!

I've never understood the logic of not locking doors because you live in a "nice area." Countless horrific, dreadful things happen, and have happened, in nice areas. Your home is your protection, always lock your doors.

Always locked here. I live on a semi busy road with cars and pedestrians. I got no gate or fence at the front so anyone can walk straight to my door and open it. And unfortunately I do live in an area where people would try

I always lock the door whether we're in or out. None of the houses on our road have gates or driveways, all of our front doors open straight onto the pavement. Every now and again the police knock on to remind us to keep our doors locked when they've had reports of people going down the roads trying the door handles!

It's not an overly rough area either, but you get opportunists everywhere.

People try door handles, come in hour house, can grab anything handy (car keys, handbags, phones etc) and leave and the first you would be alerted is when you can't find said thing or your cars gone during the night.

Why anyone would leave their door unlocked is beyond me.

Our door is always locked. The local fb page often has reminders to do this if opportunistic thieves have been spotted trying doors in the area.

I live rurally and I now always lock my doors when we're in.
There have been many cases of opportunist thieves trying door handles in the locality.
When the dc were little I started to keep the doors locked as on one occasion I had forgotten to do it, toddler dd managed to get out and wandered down the road!

Can’t see any logic on not locking them when you’re in either? It takes someone less than 5 seconds to open a door and grab a hand bag or car keys. And if they they can’t grab them quickly, once they’re in they’ll likely think fuck and enter further and grab what’s to hand, regardless of if you’re there or not.

Oh, and my parents were burgled while they slept after my mum forgot to lock the door.

They stole her handbag, car keys and the car off the drive. The only reason they didn't make off with more is because my dad got up to use the toilet and disturbed them and they panicked (though he didn't realsie at the time).

He found his Macbook on the front doormat - they'd clearly left it there to grab, panicked, got in the car and did a runner.

I always lock the door.

No I don’t. But my front door cannot be opened from the outside without a key.