Delivery driver let himself into my house

[Wineatfiveisfine]

I WFH. A delivery driver knocked quite loudly on my door a few days ago. I got to my hallway within 10 seconds to find a very tall man in my hallway setting the delivery down on a table and taking a photo, as proof of delivery.

He said “hello, delivery”. I was too shocked to form a cordial response and just said “erm, why are you in my house?” He said “delivery, thanks bye” and off he went.

We’ve raised a complaint with said company - but they’ve said this is a common occurrence (!) and that they will speak to the driver, but it won’t be taken any further.

i was terrified to find a stranger in my house - but having googled, this seems to be a common occurrence!!!! How?!?!?

Not if he was wandering through my home, no, but if he'd just stepped through the door to put a parcel on a side table, in a small rural setting like yours where it was common practice for everybody to keep their doors unlocked I wouldn't be clutching my pearls. Have you asked your neighbours whether this happens with their deliveries and whether they are as outraged as you are?

(Incidentally, women building other women up does not mean that we should necessarily nod at everything every other woman says! 😏)

Of course people shouldn’t enter your house without your permission, but (clearly) some of them do anyway, including criminals. Which is why it’s common sense to lock your door. I don’t live in London, I live in a lovely low crime area and am not paranoid in the slightest but would never leave my front or back door unlocked.

Gobsmacking that 3 in 10 people think it's unreasonable to object to strangers entering someone's house uninvited.

The EVRI courier lady let herself into my house this morning! I didnt realise until the dog started barking as she left a parcel in the kitchen! I've had interesting situations with couriers in the past...

It is totally unreasonable to object, if you have not secured your house against unwarranted access! If you have a front or open door that anyone can access without your knowledge, you have invalidated your home insurance policy.
https://www.ageco.co.uk/useful-articles/home/10-actions-you-might-not-realise-will-invalidate-your-home-insurance/

How many burglaries really take place with someone walking into a clearly occupied kitchen in the middle of the day? Leaving aside houses known to have safes or lots of cash etc this scenario seems pretty unlikely and I’ve never heard of it happening.

Sure your insurance may be invalidated but I would have thought it was a pretty unusual event with intruders usually targeting empty properties for obvious reasons.

About one in ten I believe.

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-media/news/2022/aug/window-of-opportunity-for-burglars-as-brits-adopt-open-door-policy

https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/home-insurance/burglary-statistics#how

Sorry it took me three posts.

I’ve never locked the doors when I’ve been in the house (unless the doors are self locking). Same when I live in a quiet village or a roughish road in town.

Then you’re happy to accept a level of risk I wouldn’t.

Not even when you’re getting washed?

@PigletJohn nowhere does it say in that piece that the houses were occupied at the time of the burglary. Unlocked windows are clearly a great opportunity for a burglary when a house is unoccupied but I would really like to know how many “normal” burglaries take place when a house is clearly occupied, ie car out the front, voices, music etc.

All of you who keep your doors locked the whole time, do you do the same for your windows? Summer must be difficult.

Only when going to bed. The chances of someone walking in are tiny. In a big city maybe…

If you're referring to no.6 it specifies when you leave a property not when you're in it.

I'm not afraid of burglars, but I am fairly careful. I live at the end of a short lane on the outskirts of a small town.

On one occasion I came home on a hot day, opened the garage and wheeled my bike inside, and went upstairs for a cold drink and a rest. I heard a slight noise, and went down to the garage, where I had left the big door open. I found a stranger rummaging around and remonstrated with him forcefully.

Those relying on burglars to avoid occupied houses
There are other crimes.
Offences against the person.

Look up Cilla Black’s £1 million pound insurance blow - her Son mistakenly opened the door to the burglars, and because not all of her windows were LOCKED, the insurer refused to pay out! They would have a field day if the door was unlocked, too!

Happens to me regularly and I have zero problem with it, I really don't see it as a big deal.
If you don't want it to happen then lock your door.
It's a you problem, not a him problem and definitely not something to try to complain and get him into trouble about.

I had this happen to me. Courier knocked, I was upstairs but immediately went to down to answer the door and found him stood in my hall putting the parcel on the floor. I was alone in the house and it definitely made me feel uncomfortable. But I'd forgotten to lock the door so I accept that I was partly to blame, and it has prompted me to be more careful in future. Since then I've seen two other delivery drivers try the handle on my front door as I've been on my way to answer it, but they've not been able to get in as it's been locked.

I definitely don't think it's OK to try to let yourself into a complete strangers home uninvited just because you're delivering something. But you should also lock your door.

@Anyotherdude didn’t the Cilla Black burglars come armed with a crowbar?

If she had jewellery worth more than £1m in her home (highly portable and sellable) I’m not surprised her insurance required the house to be completely locked at all times, including windows.

If invalidating your insurance means you can literally never open a window, what would be the point of it?

Recently the estate agent let herself into my house unannounced!

Insurance policies are very specific , @AzurePanda. Reading through the small print of householder policies as an Insurance specialist many years ago taught me to think of ALL potential consequences of overlooking clauses regarding home security - down to the types of locks expected to secure your doors and windows.

For a front door to NOT be locked, i.e. closed, but allowing entry without needing use of a key, it is likely that the OP’s insurance policy terms and clauses would render her policy terms as breached.

In Cilla Black’s case, which was an example only, it didn’t matter that the burglars came in threateningly through the front door: it was the fact that the terms of her policy had been breached, as the windows weren’t locked. And yes, an Insurance Company‘s Loss Adjuster/ Undewriter can be that petty and nullify the policy to avoid paying out - particularly if the sum of money is very high!

I’m just trying to make people understand this, as so many comments indicate that most people wouldn’t even consider that something as small as an unlocked window, which normally couldn’t be casually opened from the exterior, let alone an unlocked door, which can, might jeopardise any claim made against a policy, if the terms, that the policyholder has agreed to, in the small print, are not followed by the policy holder!

Wow. You don't lock your door? Wth is wrong with you? Could be anyone!

@Anyotherdude i know insurance policies are very specific but I find it hard to believe there are average people out there who never have an open window while they are home - according to this thread an unlocked let alone open window even while home would void a policy! Again, summer must be unbearable.

Cases like Cilla Black with jewellery etc worth millions would no doubt have climate controlled homes.