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.

That is awful and must have been very frightening but surely most people don’t lock the door if they are nipping out to the bin/car.

I think there’s a bit of an urban/rural split in terms of what kind of doors are more commonplace. I grew up in London and everyone I knew had a door which locked automatically when you closed it. But the doors opened directly onto the street, so you only ever used the front door if you were going out anyway. Whereas now I live in a village, and everyone seems to have doors that can be opened unless you deliberately lock them. We’re in and out the front door all the time, watering the plants, taking stuff to the bins, chatting to the neighbours, the children are climbing trees or riding their bikes out the front etc etc. It would be a total pain to have to remember to take the key with you every time.

I don’t always lock it when I’m in. My family are all in London and their doors are automatically locked; ILs are in a similar area to us and only lock up at night or when they’re out.

@Maray1967

Agreed. I’m astounded that people do not lock their doors. Surely your insurance wouldn’t cover you if you were burgled.

Or would it? I have asked several times on this thread, but no-one is answering, I am surmising now that nobody actually knows.

@Mirabai

Generally, if your doors are not locked and you have a break in you’re not insured.

Yeah that's true if you have gone out, but do the insurance cover if you are IN? (and you have the door unlocked?) So your front door is unlocked and you are in the shower, and a chancer opens your front door and nicks your handbag/purse/phone and car keys? Would the insurance pay out, as you were IN the house?

Does ANYBODY know the answer to this question?

Is there NOBODY who works for an insurance company on here? Anyone?

I also should say the two times I was attacked:

1. they grabbed me and barged in while I was unlocking the door to enter the house. I think it was a rape attempt as he had me pinned and was trying to kiss me. I redialed my phone in my pocket and my friend and her dad rushed over. When he realised my phone was 'listening' he bolted.

2. my neighbor, mentioned it many time on here. He kicked in my locked door, I called the police and once again he bolted when he saw the phone (police had already heard though and he got a no contact order).

Exactly! And would the insurance pay out if you were actually IN/on the property when you were robbed?

Anyone> ???

Did in last house and people did walk in if you didn't with all sorts of "reasons" - never known anything like it so quickly started locking the door and back - because there were a few who were distracted at front when they came in the back - even though it would be over a fence or garage roof at that house still felt the need to.

Here people are normal - they knock and wait - though they could get round back people don't. Neighbours have cttv which covers our drive so probably helps also feeling safe - and in back neighbours are higher up hill so over look our back garden.

One location we lived people went to back doors rather than front and then left garden gates open which with young toddler was a huge pain in arse - so again learnt to lock back so my kids couldn't go out and wander.

I think they would but no, I don’t know that. I’m not convinced they wouldn’t pay even if you weren’t in.

@FadeAwayAndRadiate

"Agreed. I’m astounded that people do not lock their doors. Surely your insurance wouldn’t cover you if you were burgled.

Or would it? I have asked several times on this thread, but no-one is answering, I am surmising now that nobody actually knows."

And what about open windows? Whilst in, even if afar? The way my house is set up, the protruding door and ring doorbell means people are unlikely to come through my front door which has the ring doorbell on it, but could quite easily climb in through a downstairs open window, which takes you straight to the living room and would be much easier for stealing car keys... so if you're not insured for an unlocked door (when home), surely you wouldn't be for an unlocked window either? But it's madness for insurance not to pay out, for someone climbing in through an open window??

I have the front door locked or on the chain when we're in during the day.Our lounge and kitchen are at the back of the house and the stairs are only a few feet from the front door, so it's very feasible an opportunist thief could sneak in.

I never lock my doors when I'm in.

You will probably get more information about this on a forum like moneysavingexpert on the insurance board

I am amazed people actually have front doors that can be opened from the outside without a key! I only lock mine when I leave, the whole 3 turns of key, but then mine needs to be opened with a key even if just pulled to.

Literally this! I can't get my head around the fact that a lot of Mumsnetters have front doors that don't automatically lock when you close it. I've lived in a few places and have never experienced this, yet a friend of mine had moved to the Midlands, and pretty much everyone's door doesn't lock unless physically locked with a key (in her circle of friends).

I often forget to lock my car and I know you can never say never but it's a boh standard car in a very safe area so I'd be amazed if anyone would ever bother to steal it. Where I live nearly everyone has ring doorbells and cctv cameras which I'm sure is also a deterrent to opportunists

Thank you!

I have not had this kind of door since the late 1980s/early 1990s (that locks automatically when you shut it.) Don't know anyone who has one personally.

Thank you also

@mommacots @aintnospringchicken @Tulipvase

Thank you to the person who PMd me too (who works for a leading insurance company, but did not want to post on here.)

Seems there is no definitive answer, and it would largely depend on the insurance company. But everyone should always be vigilant, and locking your door as soon as you go into the house (to stay for the afternoon/evening,) is the best course of action...

Because yeah it IS easy for a chancer to sneak in and nick stuff. And some insurance companies may call you negligent, for leaving the back door locked and your purse/bag/phone/car keys on the kitchen worktop, while you are in the front room watching Corrie, and refuse to pay.

Wherever I’ve lived I’ve always locked the door. Although where I live now quite a few of the elderly neighbours don’t. They say that no one’s ever been broken into in 20+ years. That is apart from one who got burgled due to an open window, they didn’t seem to think that it counted. Or on the few occasions when the same family had visitors & they burgled the neighbours. Low crime, safe, or rural, it makes no difference.

Yes but with the keys in the door during the day, and very close by at night to allow quick exit

You can’t open our front door from the outside without a key, I can’t believe people actually have doors where that’s the case still. We lock it at night because that’s what we’ve always done but it would be ridiculous for us to lock it during the day when we’re inside.

Mine is always locked even when everyone is at home. My stepmum used to live on a farm and at the end of her farm were some cottages (so a nice rural area). A man walked into one of the cottages and ended up killing the whole family. I think only one survived.

Our whole estate built 10 years ago has doors you need to lock. You turn a lock on inside handle. If you don’t anyone can push down external handle and walk in. Someone was burgled with an opportunistic walk in recently.
I lock it, DH is hit and miss which annoys me.
We had a funny one recently where a 3 yr old ran to our door and opened it. We were in and luckily our dog didn’t get out. Whole thing inc her mortified mum caught on ring door bell but did highlight just how easy it is. I think maybe she confused our house with a friends and was excited to visit there are several the same style on estate.
I remember as a child walking around a show home with my mum and a bloke came and said what are you doing it’s my house - he’d recently bought the sales house but we didn’t realise and just walked in.

DH happily leaves front door unlocked with his wallet next to it, he's an idiot.

Our composite door is like this. It has a handle on the outside, but it doesn't actually open the door unless you have the key - you have to use the key AND the handle to open it. No chance of anyone just wandering in.

We have Ultion locks (Locks) on the doors with a thumb turn on the inside.

I would still recommend OP changing the locks to one that doesn't allow the door to be opened from the outside. You don't have to change the whole door. That way, OP's DH doesn't get annoyed if she locks the door, as she won't need to because no-one can just walk in anyway!

A friend of mine bought a house on the same type of estate. Only when they moved in they realised how annoying it was going to be to have to lock the doors constantly, so had the locks changed.

Cue a few weeks later when the builder came back to do some snagging. She took him out the front to show him something and he shut the door behind him on the way out, obviously assuming that they could just walk back in, so promptly locked them both out.

She was 8 months pregnant at the time and her husband was on a conference 2 hours away! For the rest of the afternoon, anyone that wanted to look around the development's show home had to contend with a heavily pregnant woman lounging on the sofas as it she lived there! 😂