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.

@YourNameGoesHere

mommacots
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.

So by that logic you don't lock your door at night time either?

Our house doesn't have a yale lock, so if someone has a key in the lock, no one else can use the lock. So we tend to leave it unlocked during the day, and leave it locked at night, with the key in the door so it is easy to unlock in the event of a fire. During the day, we don't as it would prevent others from getting in. But I live in a rural, safe area... very little crime here. I also know several people who have been in house fires. Whilst rare, important not to overlook

Same! I’ve had different front doors for many decades and all have worked like that.

when we go to bed we lock it with a key then and then always leave the door keys at the top of the stairs so we know where they are in case of fire

Hell yeah I keep my front door locked, it has a Yale automatic lock, but even if it didn't I would still lock it. I also keep my back gate bolted top and bottom unless I am working in the front garden or on the car. I live on my own and when in the back garden or in the shower I wouldn't hear if someone let themselves in the house and I'm not prepared to risk it. I mean why make it easy for some chancer.

I do when I’m in on my own but DH now works from home in the summerhouse so he’s in the garden all the time and anyone coming up the drive would be seen by him, plus we have security cameras that alert our phones as soon as someone is approaching the door. When I’m home alone though I just feel safer if I’m locked in. We live in a small town with a low crime rate but there have been occasions recently where someone has been going around trying doors and I don’t like the thought of that!

I do, I'm a little more lax when DH is home, but when he's away working which is quite often then it's locked during the day without fail.

Always keep mine locked! Why on Earth wouldn’t you? Draw back of locking it…none. Possible draw back of not…? Theft/being murdered! I listen to way too many true crime podcasts to swan around with an unlocked door 😄

I,ve watched too many criminal minds epsiodes not to keep my door locked at all times .

Thefts from an unlocked house are rarely covered by insurance. Why risk it?

I lock ours but it is to keep the 3 year old in rather than keep anyone out. I live in a very sleepy small village though. When DD is not here it’s sometimes unlocked. I’m not obsessed with it that’s for sure.

I think if I lived somewhere else I would

In fact when we first moved into our house my DP always locked the door but 5 years later I leave the door unlocked now when I go out with the dog. More than once I've left my keys in the front door as well. Whoops.

I live in the kind of place when my evri man and local postman just leave my parcels on my doorstep because there's nobody around to take them.

I always lock my front door (and my back door if I'm home alone) I live in a safe enough area, but lived somewhere before where there was a high crime rate.

People always keep their doors locked? I've never heard of anyone doing this when they're home and would say it's OTT. Sometimes we leave it unlocked when we're out of the house if we're not going to be long.

I always lock mine.

Its simple! Get a thumb turn lock. You don't need keys for inside, people can unlock from outside and you don't need keys at night.
All HMOs have them (or should) so when I saw them I promptly fitted one in my house.

What type of area do you live in?

I get a feeling that house insurance wouldn’t pay out if doors weren’t locked 🤔

OMG. @Coral569, please check your household insurance policy - you are leaving yourself open to having no cover if this is the case!

Same here. I’m amazed it’s not on this thread more. I can’t imagine the front door not locking at all.

Night time is double lock and chain (was here when we bought it)

I mean seriously what harm is it doing to lock your front door?

I don’t leave key in mine as my brothers on the police and explained that they can use simple tools to pull the key out via letterbox.

It also means I don’t have overzealous visitors just ‘popping round’ and letting themselves in.

I’ve done it since the kids were little as well so little ones couldn’t just let themselves out.

Yes you should lock it. Avoids opportunistic thieves or worse. Why wouldn’t you?
My DH doesn’t always and it annoys me. He says I’m locking him out, compromise is I open it if I know he’s enroute.

But if I lived in a town or a city, I absolutely would lock it even when I was home. In fact I used to live in a city and I lived in a converted Victorian house which only had 3 flats in, I knew my neighbours, but I still locked my front door the moment I got home. I wouldn't have felt safe otherwise.

We live in a quiet cul de sac, nice area, but I always have both doors locked at all times. DH doesn't thoughbut I always check. YANBU.

We keep ours locked. In the 18 months we've lived here, I've seen two people try the handle on the front door to see if it's unlocked.

I also live very rurally and have nipped to the shop without locking up. However, a new friend recently told me she was at home (up a farm track, very rural) when a man came into her living room and exposed himself. He was ill rather than malicious, but was very frightening for her. She had a dog, but it just ran away.

I used to be complacent about locking doors. My Mum lives with me and a few years ago while she was away with my niece a couple got murdered two villages away... Always keep doors locked now.. We tend to be in the sitting room with the door shut and if someone came on through the back door we wouldn't hear...