To lock the front door even when we are in?

[fitofthegiggles]

Not always but often enough that OH comments that I'm a bit obsessive about it and tbh I feel I'm a bit overly cautious.

Context is we live in a pleasant suburb in a peaceful neighbourhood where there is a very low crime rate. However occasionally over the years people have had someone walk in through their unlocked front door in broad daylight - even when they were in - pinch stuff and scarper. It was quite a scary experience especially for one old person who was living alone. As I say this has happened maybe twice in the 12 years we've lived here. My thinking is "better safe than sorry".

So I lock the front door (it's one of those ones where you have to use the key on the inside rather than a "snick lock" but I leave the key in the door for emergencies) if ever we are in the back garden or upstairs or I'm leaving the (now adult) kids at home and they are upstairs.

They and OH sometimes raise their eyes and think I'm being OTT and to be honest I feel that in terms of crime rate statistics in our area it's not really necessary and I don't want to be that person who thinks there's danger lurking everywhere (I don't believe there is) or give that impression of fear to the kids.
But I still do it.

I do it too.

I always lock my door. I thought most people did.

Yes of course. You'd have to be a bloody idiot to not lock your door.

YANBU, I do it to. There are plenty of pros to doing this, and as far as I can see no cons

I always lock my doors even if i am in, why take the risk?

Why would you have a door that just opens? I've lived in well over twenty places and all had doors that could only be opened from outside with a key.

I always lock mine too! Can't see any reason not to. Why make it easy for passing chancers to get in?

I live in an area that I would describe in a similar way and always lock the door and nag DC to do the same as I don’t like the idea someone could just walk in and I often leave my bag in the hall with car keys in it. I think it’s sensible. someone could take my car keys and it could be hours before I realised the car had gone

I don’t lock ours in the day, unless I’m leaving the (teen) children home alone.

Yes because it's a pain in the arse if someone comes in and nicks your keys.

You'd have to get all the locks changes, keys for the car if they were on there. Etc.

Yep, similar setup here, and we always lock it - not least because we both wfh upstairs, and wouldn’t hear someone come in.

I don’t know why you wouldn’t, to be honest - it takes seconds to unlock when you want to leave.

People who don’t lock their doors are very foolish. It always comes up on here (usually the “Amazon driver opened my front door and put my parcel in” threads) and the number of posters who will say ‘I live rurally/a really safe area’ is shocking.

Yes I always do but then my area, while not rough, has a lot of low level crime. A friend had her car stolen while her family were home, they walked in and took the keys of the side table.

I think men can be so much more lax with security because they don't have the same sense of fear women get hammered into us. My partner thinks I'm nuts because I put my phone away in certain situations to avoid it being snatched, or won't sit in traffic with the car window wound down.

I do but DH smokes so is in and out the front door all day. He'll leave it unlocked between cigs but we do have motion sensor cameras so we know if someone is coming down the drive way.

This took a while for me to get used to but my DH was right - it doesn't make good sense to leave it unlocked. If you're just 'nipping to the loo' or going upstairs to fetch something, that's all it takes for some chancer to in then away on their toes before you even know it.

I would lock it. A colleague of mine was watching TV with her kids one evening when an armed gang in balaclavas walked in, demanded their car keys and knicked both cars off the driveway. If the door had been locked then it would have added another layer of protection. She had time off work with the trauma of it all.

I can’t believe that anyone thinks it’s ok not to lock it.

Even in a very safe area, I just don't see the benefit in leaving a door unlocked? What does it achieve?
You're risking a burglary or worse and your insurance wouldn't be valid as there would be no break in.
I think anyone who doesn't lock their door when at home is a bit ridiculous tbh.

oh ok, i have always locked the door when i'm in. thought everyone did except for those who live very rurally where there are no passers by. Last time doors were unlocked with someone in were the 80s and early 90s but then stopped.

I amazes me there are people who DON'T have their door perpetually locked.

Might want to check the small print in your home and contents insurance.

If your front door is locked, how easy would it be to get out in the event of a fire? I always think the two have to be balanced against each other. Electrical faults, knocked over candles, kitchen fires etc do happen too. You need to ensure you can get out easily if there was a fire.

Mine is always locked

YA(def)NBU

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-65883583

I always lock mine, it's a good habit and just becomes second nature.

Most of the times my keys are in the front door. I appreciate fires happen, but like the OP i've had several neighbours experience people walking in (not all had bad intentions) but none of them have ever had a fire.