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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Doors unlocked at night?!

53 replies

LockedOrUnlocked · 18/04/2022 10:34

I’ve lived rurally in the countryside. I know people who live in farms. We all lock the doors at night. During the day probably less so much, but I don’t know anyone who leaves the doors unlocked at night. Just to clarify, I lived in a nice area with very little crime. But we still locked the doors. Because a crime can happen at any point, and to be honest rural means darkness and isolation and usually a delay in police presence whilst they travel there.

I’m not stupid, I know that if someone wants to commit a crime like robbery or burglary they will unlikely be stopped by a locked door and will probably smash a window. But there’s a chance the locked door will act as a deterrent.

So why would you not just lock it? Has anyone else noticed that it seems to be almost a boast on here if you leave the doors unlocked at night? Even if you have something against doing it for whatever reason, in the slim chance that it could help prevent a burglary or someone entering your house why would you not just do it? It takes 10 seconds to lock a door! Especially if you have children or pets, why would you not do absolutely everything you can do to keep them safe and lock the doors at night? Even if it’s just to stop them going on an adventure and ending up outside during the night, because we’ve all been kids once and we know how impulsive and daft they can be so it’s not unheard of! So why not do absolutely everything to protect them and everyone else inside?!

Does anyone else think there’s a trend on here that it’s boast worthy not to lock the doors at night?! Is it because it makes people feel better that they live in an area they deem nicer and less likely to have a crime?! Or is there a reason for it that I have no idea about?!Confused

OP posts:
DatingAWidower22 · 18/04/2022 10:35

There are going to be a lot of rural burglaries tonight!

Aconitum · 18/04/2022 10:38

Are you just trying to cause an argument? What is it to you what anyone else does? I have seen the post and she didn't say she doesn't lock her doors at night she said she doesn't lock them in the day when they are around. The child got into her house when she was outside with the dog. There was no boasting she was just stating facts.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 18/04/2022 10:39

Why are you posting a new thread to disagree with what a poster on another thread does?

DappledShade · 18/04/2022 10:40

We live in a safe and quite rural area but we always lock the doors, if we didn't we'd probably wake up to a sheep or two in the kitchen!

OppsUpsSide · 18/04/2022 10:44

YABU and oddly argumentative about it. Why would you even care about how other people secure their houses?

CharlotteRose90 · 18/04/2022 10:45

Can you really not come up with a better thread idea. Absolutely hilarious that you’re trying to start a debate based on someone else’s thread.

LondonQueen · 18/04/2022 10:54

Why have you started a TAAT? I live in a "nice area" too and wouldn't leave the door open as that's just tempting fate. Burglars travel...

koperteapot · 18/04/2022 10:59

We live rurally too, but I lock my doors. Why chance it for something so small and easy?

Plus, a lot of insurance policies have big disclaimers about unlocked/unsecured property. They won't pay out if they found you hadn't locked up. It has been known that they don't payout if you post all over social media that you're on holiday too!

Excited101 · 18/04/2022 11:34

I’ve noticed this too op.

LockedOrUnlocked · 18/04/2022 11:36

Oh for goodness sakeHmm

I deliberately didn’t mention anything about another thread so that it wouldn’t be a TAAT! The only people mentioning it are people commenting hereHmm

And incidentally, I felt sorry for her because people ended up taking over her thread with the door unlocked or locked debate and that wasn’t the purpose of her posting her thread in the first place! People shouldn’t have been derailing her thread about locking or unlocking doors so I posted a separate thread (without mentioning any other post at all) because I was genuinely unsure why people would go to bed without their doors locked, after seeing lots of threads about it here.

It’s nothing to do with starting an argument, it’s just a thread about why would people leave unlocked doors overnight. AIBU is for posting discussions like that Confused

OP posts:
LockedOrUnlocked · 18/04/2022 11:39

@koperteapot

We live rurally too, but I lock my doors. Why chance it for something so small and easy?

Plus, a lot of insurance policies have big disclaimers about unlocked/unsecured property. They won't pay out if they found you hadn't locked up. It has been known that they don't payout if you post all over social media that you're on holiday too!

That’s exactly what I was thinking too! It takes 10 seconds to lock the doors so why leave them unlocked and risk it?! Interesting about it invalidating home insurance too, I hadn’t realised that but it makes sense.

I honestly don’t know if there’s a good reason why people leave doors unlocked overnight and I’m just not aware of it, if there is I’m genuinely open to learning it! It just seemed so unusual to me yet lots of people say they do it.

OP posts:
DDivaStar · 18/04/2022 11:48

I agree but similarly I've heard on fb of people complaining their cars have been rifled through because they leave it unlocked. I just don't get whats do time consuming about locking things, I just thought it was standard !

ShirleyPhallus · 18/04/2022 11:51

I’ve noticed it on here too, there seems to be an amount of reverse snobbery against living in a city and instead a bunch of posters who with superiority about “living rurally” and talk not locking their doors. I presume to indicate how fabulous and safe their area is compared to the crime ridden dumps that the rest of us live in

BlueEyesWhiteDragon · 18/04/2022 11:55

We live rurally and don't lock the doors. Sometimes they aren't even bloody closed.

I can't say its been a particular decision more one that evolved over time due to various reasons at various points and neither me or my dad (or DBs when they lived here) made enough of an effort to lock them.

We do have CCTV though, and security lights which come on with movement and dogs. The perimeter gates to the place are also always locked and secure so I suppose its more that we treat the house doors as internal doors.

VyeBrator · 18/04/2022 11:57

Does anyone else think there’s a trend on here that it’s boast worthy not to lock the doors at night?! Is it because it makes people feel better that they live in an area they deem nicer and less likely to have a crime?!

Yes, I've always thought this!

I just don't understand the big deal in turning a key to help keep yourself and your kids a bit safer.

CellophaneFlower · 18/04/2022 11:58

Unless I'm constantly in and out of the garden, or sitting in it, I always lock all doors. A friend of mine's husband was napping on the sofa during the day once and someone came through their unlocked backdoor, stole their laptop, grabbed their car keys and drove off in their car, all whilst he was asleep!

A lot of burglars are opportunists, they just go from door to door trying the handles, as they do with cars. I don't think the area makes a massive difference as if I were a burglar I'd head to the affluent areas or more remote ones assuming more loot/less chance of being noticed and clearly more of a relaxed approach to security!

VyeBrator · 18/04/2022 11:58

And I agree, what's the point in having house insurance when you can't claim off it?

Chely · 18/04/2022 12:00

Insurance wouldn't cover us for unlocked doors or open windows in unoccupied rooms. So yes, always lock the doors, even during the day. Keys are always easily accessible in case of fire.

bcc89 · 18/04/2022 12:04

The other thread OP annoyed me. She kept saying "of course townies would say that" and "😂😂😂" as if it was just laughable that someone might burgle her.

Despite her not being aware a child that wasn't hers had entered the house!

Good grief. Lock your doors. It only takes one intruder one time!

Escarpahell · 18/04/2022 12:04

I live rurally and never lock doors (haven't for over 7 years now). Several dogs who kick off when a butterfly farts means I've never seen the need.

Sparkletastic · 18/04/2022 12:05

TAAT. Poor form.

IglesiasPiggl · 18/04/2022 12:05

There are various perspectives on what "locked" actually is, depending on the type of door you have. We have one with a heavy duty Banham latch, so I suppose technically it is always "locked" when shut as in you can't open it from the outside without a key. It also has a deadlock at the bottom. I would consider it "locked properly" if that was also on, but hardly ever put it on because the top latch is pretty secure already.

RagzRebooted · 18/04/2022 12:07

Our back door doesn't lock properly, it has wierd little bolts that get stuck so we leave it unlocked because I worry we would struggle to get out in an emergency. We lock it if we're going away, but it would be very easy to break into so not much of a deterrent.

LockedOrUnlocked · 18/04/2022 12:07

@Sparkletastic

TAAT. Poor form.
Not reading the full thread. Poor form.
OP posts:
PegsandBags · 18/04/2022 12:07

Locking up is an automatic thing for me, every time I go out, and before bed.

I even lock the bathroom door when doing my business. Imagine that!

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