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.

@Plantstrees

I lock mine at night or if I go out. This is a step up from my ex who didn't even possess a key for his door so it was never locked regardless of whether he was in or out. He often also leaves the keys in his car ignition! We live in a safe rural area and have never had a problem.

See, my best pal's mum & partner lived in a "safe rural area" when one night, three men in balaclavas burst in, tied them up, beat them up quite badly (he was hospitalised for over a week), ransacked their house and made off with all that was worth stealing.

Thieves, burglars and rapists don't stick to built-up areas...

@VickyEadieofThigh
That sounds scary. Maybe I should be more careful.

[quote Plantstrees]@VickyEadieofThigh
That sounds scary. Maybe I should be more careful.[/quote]
Definitely!!

It actually confuses me why people would even take the risk. I couldn't imagine going through something like that because I didn't lock the door.

Our front door locks itself anyway. We leave the back door unlocked during the day, but we have a locked and bolted garden gate. If I'm here on my own and going to be upstairs for any length of time - changing beds, having a bath etc, then I do lock it then.

But it is naive to assume that it will never happen unless you live somewhere really remote. We get a lot of problems in the more rural parts of our county, especially with farm thefts

I have never assumed it will never happen. I do however know that it's very unlikely to, in the place that I used to live. And when it does happen (which hasn't happened in the area that I lived, but it has in the town 25 miles away), the police do investigate and the culprits have been caught.

I always lock my door where I live now, as it's a) statistically much more likely to happen here and b) the police are too busy with other things to do much about a burglary.

@VickyEadieofThigh that sounds like a carefully planned burglary. They would have gained access whether or not the door was locked.

[quote FluffyBooBoo]@VickyEadieofThigh that sounds like a carefully planned burglary. They would have gained access whether or not the door was locked.[/quote]
I see you belong to the 'men are going to assault women so don't bother taking any precautions to try to prevent it' school of thought.

The point of the story is - evil men go around trying to gain entry to people's houses and anyone not securing their home is insane.

@butterflyze

Our front door locks itself anyway. We leave the back door unlocked during the day, but we have a locked and bolted garden gate. If I'm here on my own and going to be upstairs for any length of time - changing beds, having a bath etc, then I do lock it then.

Some friends of ours were burgled while the mother was upstairs, bathing the kids. They don't have a large house but she didn't hear a thing, even though the burglars moved furniture to take a rug they must have thought was valuable (it was from Dunelm Mills 😆). We have other friends who were burgled at night despite 4 teens having a sleepover being asleep in the sitting room. Both burglaries were in quiet low-crime areas.

No one was hurt in either case, but who knows what might if happened if the burglars had been disturbed/confronted?

I see you belong to the 'men are going to assault women so don't bother taking any precautions to try to prevent it' school of thought

Yeah, I can see why you think that. Given that in the post right above the one you commented on, I fairly clearly state that I lock my door now that I'm in a place that warrants it .

The point of the story is - evil men go around trying to gain entry to people's houses and anyone not securing their home is insane

Interesting. It read as if your point was that these things happen in rural areas too. Thanks for clarifying.

I'll make sure to tell my friends and relatives that still live on a remote Scottish island that they need to consult a psychiatrist though, given that their mental wellbeing has been called into question by a randomer online

Always. I had some bloke (who was later found by police in the building and taken away in a police car) try our door when DH had just left very early for work one morning. God knows what would have happened if he hadn't locked the door.

I am not afraid of burglars but I lock my doors. On one occasion I had come home and put the bike away, leaving the door open while I went in for a cup of tea and a sit down.

I heard a noise in the garage and went down to confront a random stranger rooting through the shelves. Voices were raised. He accused me of insulting him by suggesting he was a burglar

I sent him packing but suppose I should have called the police.

The front door locks automatically unless you put it on the latch which I never do. The back door I only unlock when I'm going out there and then I lock it as soon as I come back in and leave the keys well away from the window. It annoys me when DH doesn't lock it behind him. I don't know why I'm so paranoid as we live in a nice neighbourhood and even have a gate on our driveway which is always shut so it's not like anyone could be lurking around!

I always lock my door when I am in the house or out of the house. I don't know how you would stand with your insurers is you went out and left the house door unlocked.

I am paranoid about locked doors, always have been since the children were little and I didn't want them escaping!! I grew up in a rural area where the door was only ever locked at night and people walked in without so much as knocking.

My sibling lives in our family home, and has been burgled and attacked twice in the last few years. First time, the back door was unlocked. Second time, they just kicked it in.

I also know people who've purses and phones snatched from the kitchen while they were upstairs watching a match. They had no idea anyone was in the house One of my neighbors also caught someone trying their back door one morning when he presumably thought they were out at work. She happened to be at home with a sick child and he ran away when she walked into the kitchen.

So yes, I always keep doors locked when we're in the house and we have an alarm system that's set every night. The previous owners installed it and we thought it was overkill when we first moved in - but after my neighbor's experience, I'm glad we have it (plus a dog)!

• who've had

We lived next door to a retired chief inspector who helpfully showed us how easy it is to break into a locked house and said that if someone was minded to get in they will do it’s much of a muchness and getting out in a fire was more important.

@NeedAHoliday2021 I can't understand some of these posts and yours.

Does nobody have a RING doorbell or anything similar they would go off as soon as someone even comes near your door for a start.

You can see what's going on VIA phone and speak to them through your phone if you thought a person was trying to get in your house. Technology is advanced so I don't see why you would leave your door open.

@NeedAHoliday2021

We lived next door to a retired chief inspector who helpfully showed us how easy it is to break into a locked house and said that if someone was minded to get in they will do it’s much of a muchness and getting out in a fire was more important.

I don't get the fire argument. My keys are in the lock at all times when I'm home. If I can get to the door then it's only 2 extra seconds to turn the key in the lock.

Plus the argument of "burglers will get into locked houses anyways if they want to" is silly. I might still die in an accident if I wear my seatbelt. Doesn't mean I shouldn't wear it anyways.

Mine is always unlocked. I live on the countryside though so it isn't a city flat. I also live a very frugal life so there is nothing worth stealing in there. A standard lock is so easy to pick (i have learned how to do it for educational purposes) so my opinion is if someone is really wanting to break in they will. So my house is covered by CCTV

I should say unlocked when I am in and awake!

My door is always locked. I’ve left it open on the school run a couple of times (the school
Is across the road) and I’ve always felt uneasy when I came home. Just a few weeks ago my
Friend had a few people back to her house, it was about 1.30am and she was in the kitchen with the friends, she went into the living room and a man was standing there!!! She asked him what he was doing and he said he’d gotten the wrong house. All the friends who were visiting were male so they all came out the kitchen to see what was going on and he ran out the house! Terrifying

Always locked and I think it’s weird when people don’t lock their doors. I mean it’s hardly a taxing job is it? Your insurance would be invalidated if you went out, someone strolled in and ransacked the place. Why take the risk?

The insurance would not be invalid.
Even the terms and conditions they put on (when they are on) only ever stipulate to lock the doors and windows when you're out and overnight, so not when you're in the property in the day

Yes always, always have too. I know people that have been burgled while in the back of their house. I’m not talking big houses. Never worth the risk.