To think you don't just walk in

[Eerrnohun]

Yesterday afternoon, sitting on the floor playing with my son. I hear the a knock at the front door and before I had time to get on to my feet, my aunt is bursting through the front door.
Didn't know she was planning on coming over so was very taken back at her just bounding in.

Even if I had known she was going to come over, I'd still expect her to wait until I'd answered the door. I don't enter her house, or anyone else's house without being invited in. We're not super close - see each other once every couple of months or so, so it's not like she's round all the time and just felt so welcome to let herself in.

AIBU to think it's rude as hell to just walk in?

And before anyone says it, yes I'm aware locking the door would stop people walking in but DH was in and out throughout the day.

This thread makes me understand exactly why the burglary rates are so high! Most thieves look for an easy opportunity and an unlocked door gives them very easy access to your home.

Unexpected visitors can wait for a minute to be let in. I don’t want anyone just walking into my home if I’m on the toilet etc

@Eerrnohun why can’t your husband take a key with him if he’s in and out of your home? Yes, your aunt was rude not to wait to be let in.

Lock your doors. I live in a nice safe area but there’s still opportunistic thefts where people will walk in and grab keys/handbag etc. Plus risk of pets and small children getting out.

Totally normal in my family and friendship circle.

Very normal in my family! Maybe it depends whether you were brought up with this being normal, my grandmothers house everyone just walks in, no-one even knocks and we've kind of just carried that on, I would usually knock, open the door and shout 'Hello' then walk in whether they know i'm coming or not tbh

Umm, not to let the facts get in the way, but burgularly rates have been declining since the 1970s and are currently the lowest they've been in decades.

It was very normal growing up for friends/family but I don't love it either - I just keep the door locked.

My mum does this. I find it incredibly rude/invasive – started locking the door as a result!

Did you tell her you didn’t like it?

My own family always knock and wait for the door to be answered - l’m disabled so they’re aware that l need privacy at times, so they don’t just walk in on us. However when I met my partner and moved closer to his relatives some years ago I found out very quickly that they were used to just tapping the door and walking in. Despite asking several times for them not to do this and explaining why, it continued. The door is now locked.

Burglary rates have declined because more people lock their doors and have better home security. Break ins still happen to thousands of people every year.

Statistically though, there is still a burglary taking place in the UK every 173 seconds.

OMG OP do you live in one of those American soap opera style homes where everyone just barges on in through an unlocked front door?

Just lock the bloody thing and have one of those instant cameras that alert you to whoever is standing there. Your choice then to answer the door and let them in or not.

Ask her to please ring the bell in future and wait to be invited in.

And see her less until she complies.

Lock the door maybe?
I lock my doors every time I come in;
but yes it’s weird to just barrel in and I’d be pissed too.

It might be that she assumes that the unlocked door means that you're cool with people just walking in.

You can’t open our front door from the outside without a key. It’s always been like that.

I wouldn’t want anyone but very close family just walking in, so it’s just as well they can’t.

If I was your in-law, I’d think you were ‘stuck up’ if you did this because you’re effectively saying (to FIL) that your cultural norms are better than his by ignoring his request to knock and enter.

I knock and wait with new friends but if they say ‘just come right in next time’ then that’s what I’ll do.

We are a open door shout ‘hello’ or ‘only me’ family- just how it was growing up and it’s stuck,

I've said YABU because it's as wierd AF not to have your front door (and any other accessible from the road/drive door) locked all the time.

No-one can burst into my house because the front door is locked, and access to the garden is via the locked garage or the locked gate. In what bonkers world do people leave all their doors unlocked?

Yeah. My grown up kids all have keys to mine and let themselves in . Just suddenly appear lol. I had a key to my mums house also as did my brothers. In fact in the couple of years before mum died it was better for her as saved her having to get up to answer door

Lots of people lock their doors 100% of the time. Lots of people only do when the are out or overnight.

Both are very common and neither are weird AF.

Used to live in London, in multiple places, now in a village. Never thought about locking the door if I'm in and awake.

Not for my generation it's not

Doors were locked and people knocked

My FIL used to just walk into our house all the time, fucking wound me up! One day I was on the sofa breastfeeding and he just walked in (he didn't do it after that I dint think)

Yeah fair enough. But OP mentioned it was her aunt - of course an aunt can be the same age as you (or even younger!) but I’m making an assumption (perhaps wrongly) that her aunt was the generation before. Also OP specifically states she didn’t have her door locked as DH was in and out - which would have solved the “problem”.

So I was simply offering the viewpoint that it was perhaps a generational thing rather than being rude.

My own opinion is that I completely wouldn’t mind a friend or family member knocking and entering. In fact, I’d positively welcome it as I could have been in the middle of something - say, washing up - and it would save me having to stop and go answer the door.

It also allows the MNetters who, gasp, don’t answer the door, to know it’s not a salesperson or religious nut.

Was exactly how I was brought up- in Scotland.