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 don’t lock my front door if I’m in, but you can’t open it from the outside without a key. So best of both worlds - no one can get in, anyone can get out :)

If you can’t open the door without a key, it’s locked?

so your door is locked, it’s just got a snib on the inside to open it rather than a key.

I found that type of lock was on all houses in London.

moved north, and they’re all key operated multipoint locks.

I do it too. Why wouldn't you? Best case scenario nothing happens.
I once read somewhere men lock their house to protect their possessions. Women lock their house to protect themselves.

@FadeAwayAndRadiate I have answered this three times in this thread.
If you look at the small print for your household insurance, you should be able to find the Insurance Company’s requirements for security of your windows and doors. This is an example from L&G:
https://www.legalandgeneral.com/_resources/pdfs/insurance/minimum-standards-of-security.pdf
I have never come across a front door that doesn’t automatically lock to prevent ingress from the outside when it closes. As a child we always had a Yale lock, which you could override, by slipping the latch on, and as a homeowner, all 5 front doors we have owned, have had a single-point lock or by lifting the handle, a further 3 or more locks have deployed around the frame.
If you have locks that don’t conform to your insurer’s requirements, making a claim for being burgled could result in the insurance company turning down your claim.
I also mentioned the celebrity whose house was attacked. It was Cilla Black. Her son opened the door to some burglars, who overpowered him and ransacked the home, making off with quite a lot of jewellery. Her subsequent claim was refused - not because of the son opening the door, but because her window locks were not compliant, despite the fact that these had not been used to gain entry!
See this link for details: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1518272/Cilla-Black-1631m-insurance-blow.html
I hope this clarifies the insurance point. As a former employee of an insurance company, I know at first-hand that these are the things that can catch people out.

Slight bit of misinformation there. Until the advent of UPVC doors, nearly everyone in Britain would have had a Yale type lock, with a snib/catch. There was a keyhole outside and you did not need a key to lock or unlock it from the inside, only to get in from outside. UPVC doors generally have a lock with a key. I can't see why this is a problem in your own house. Keep the key in the lock or hang it near the door/somewhere everyone knows. GRP doors usually have a thumb lock. You can lock the door from the inside with no key. It takes a nano second. I love the thumb lock personally. I lost count of the number of times I accidentally locked myself out of houses with Yale type locks.

No (thumb lock) but it's an apartment and the main door is key fob only and currently nobody else lives in the block except me!

Oh and mine doesn't need a key to open it, you just open it with the handle. Unless it's locked from the inside then you need a key

For me it depends - if I'm working downstairs all day then I don't always lock the front door when I'm home. Firstly, I can see if anyone's approaching anyway, and secondly the door has a sensor that beeps when the door opens, so I would immediately know if someone had tried to get in. If I'm going to be upstairs for any length of time, though, I do lock it, as I wouldn't see or hear if anyone came in.

We always lock it at night, obviously.

This. Isn't this the way most front doors work (in the UK anyway). I have never lived in a house where is didn't work like this.

This is interesting to read, as I actually don't know anyone who locks their door when at home. I live in a busy village/semi rural.
If I call to see a friend/my parents/my in laws, I always knock then walk in, calling "hello", as same when they come to mine.

I actually sometimes feel like a weirdo when I do lock my door! This thread has given me some food for thought though, I might start locking it more often

I can’t imagine not locking my door and being in the house. Both where I grew up and where I live now (different parts of the country) are quiet, nice suburbs of big cities. I generally feel pretty safe here but I’d never be able to relax at home if the door was unlocked. I’ve heard too many stories about people just walking in.

My brother lives in a very nice area and recently the back door was unlocked, I think accidentally as he’d forgotten to shut it. My mum was there looking after my nephews and when she left she couldn’t find her bag. It was only then they realised someone had come in, quickly gone round the house taking bags, wallets and a few other small valuables. It’s actually quite lucky she didn’t notice and disturb them as it could have been much worse.

Totally and absolutely NOT unreasonable. Not these days. I live in a fairly remote 'country' region in Australia and for the last 20 years or more, have always locked my doors - when I'm in. And I work from home too. Just think - all those people living in apartments etc. - their doors are always locked - whether they are in or not. Super safety - where someone just can't walk in. So, what is so different with a 'house'. Greater vulnerability of someone relying on people to not lock their doors even when they are home. Imagine someone with a weapon - don't second guess yourself - you are very smart and realistic to keep yourself and your family safe.

I have only just noticed this @Anyotherdude My sincere apologies. I didn't ignore you, I only just saw it! Thank you very much for this information, it's very helpful, and I WILL be locking my door when I am in all the time now. I usually do anyway,

@FadeAwayAndRadiate no apology needed! I was getting worried that this point was being overlooked by everyone - it’s not about having stuff stolen (although that’s bad enough) but the fact is that most of the answers to this thread appeared to be ignoring this small, but very salient point…