My neighbor

[hobish]

If someone wants in your house badly enough, they'll get in, regardless if you lock the doors or not.

This is true, to some extent, but it is also true that a lot of criminals who go into peoples' houses (burglars, rapists, etc) will try doors and go into the one that is NOT locked.  It's much easier and low-risk than trying to pick a lock or jimmy a door.  Also, like the lady who was killed in her kitchen, if he can go in and grab something like a purse or money or something while you are in the back, he might just do that, but if you walked in on him, it could be bad.

Better just to lock the door.  And if you come home and your door is open, DON'T GO IN.  Go to a neighbor's and call police and let them check. 

You've illustrated part of the reason i am terrified to live on the ground floor in an apartment complex in my area. It's the ideal place to go looking for open or easy to get into doors if one is looking to make trouble.
Our apartment now is in a pretty low-crime area & has a security door at the entrance. We're on the 3d floor & i still keep the deadbolt on when i am home. Our back steps still frighten me a little because you can walk right up them in the dark & there is nothing but a bunch of pigeon droppings & a lattice door between the creepy dark steps and my balcony.
Luckily although Mr. HGish thinks i am a little too paranoid he agrees to keeping the windows by the balcony closed & locked & the doors always locked.

[Mrs. Eclipse]

I would worry that someone would need to get into the house in a hurry and had to not only remember the code in a panicky state, but be able to accurately push the buttons and then wait for the door to open (and hopefully the code had not been changed without their prior knowledge.)  I just don't like those things.  We had them at work on the doors that went into the confidential areas,  That wasn't too bad because there were employees all over the place since reception was right there but if there hadn't been employees around I would not have felt very safe about it. 

I saw this nifty little invention at Innoventions in Epcot, which is basically a lock for your door that reads your thumbprint.  It can remember up to 250 different thumbprints and will open upon reading it.  And if somebody looses thumbprint privilages, it's easy to delete it from memory.  I can't wait until that becomes common

[hobish]

I would worry that someone would need to get into the house in a hurry and had to not only remember the code in a panicky state, but be able to accurately push the buttons and then wait for the door to open (and hopefully the code had not been changed without their prior knowledge.)  I just don't like those things.  We had them at work on the doors that went into the confidential areas,  That wasn't too bad because there were employees all over the place since reception was right there but if there hadn't been employees around I would not have felt very safe about it. 

I saw this nifty little invention at Innoventions in Epcot, which is basically a lock for your door that reads your thumbprint.  It can remember up to 250 different thumbprints and will open upon reading it.  And if somebody looses thumbprint privilages, it's easy to delete it from memory.  I can't wait until that becomes common

THAT would be great! I am a good one for losing my keys.

[CocoCamm]

I'm not a door locker, and I can honestly say that I only know one person that keeps their door locked during the day while they are home. Perhaps I'm nieve or I have a false sense of security, but I dont feel as though its a must. Of course the boy toy thinks I'm crazy and has appointed himself head of security of our apartment 

Now I think the OPs situation is totally different because she KNOWS this guy comes in without knocking! In a situation like that I cant imagine NOT locking my door.

[Browyn]

Just to add onto Suze post - Swords/knives are not playthings...

Renaissance Faire geek here (not SCA) and DH and I own quite a number of sharp and pointies.  Some are edged weapons and some are dull on purpose (stage combat).

We treat them like dangerous weapons.  They live in a locked gun cabinet that DH modified inside to hold his claymore (Scottish broadsword) and rapier (think 3 Musketeers) as well as my dagger collection.

Of course my 6'2" 300+lbs "built like an offensive lineman" DH could do serious damage to a burglar with or without a weapon.  But we lock our doors anyway. 

Better safe than sorry.

[DottyG]

Perhaps I'm nieve or I have a false sense of security

I'm afraid I'd have to say it sounds like you're at least one of those.  All it'll take is once to help you understand how dangerous this is.  But, I'd rather you not have to experience it to learn.  Please lock your doors.

[MerryRaven]

Just a question for all of you that leave your doors unlocked.

Where do you keep your purse?   

I am a person that tends to just drop my purse and keys on the table just inside the front door. 

I am trying to break myself of the habit as there were several daylight burglaries in my town where juveniles just opened front doors and snatched purses. 

They think they were 'casing' houses prior to robbing them by going around as if they were selling raffle tickets or something and would notice when purses were near the door.  Then they would come back later and if no one was around just open the door and take the purse.

I shudder when I think of the times I left my purse on the table by the unlocked door while I went to the bathroom or to the back yard. 

Another common place women leave their purses is the kitchen.   They come in with a bag of groceries and drop them and the purse on the counter while they take care of a child or run to the bathroom or whatever.

I am not one who likes to live my life in paranoia, but I am retraining myself to a) lock the door when I come into the house alone and b) take the purse into the bedroom.  That's on the way to the bathroom anyway LOL. 

What amazes me when I take a walk in my neighborhood  are the number of unlocked cars I see with a purse on the front seat.

Now as for the OP, since she already knows someone is walking in her house without permission, I would lock my door all the time.

[Twik]

They'd have to find the purse first.

Goodness knows, most mornings I can't. At least not without a lot of head-scratching and "What was I carrying last night? Oh, right, a cantaloupe! I bet it's beside the fridge!"

[Alida]

My purse is in the upstairs bedroom.  My drivers license, credit cards, CCW are all in my gear bag with my dobok, since I went to class last night.  That's in the family room in the basement. 

I don't lock my doors when I'm home.  Is it a false sense of security?  Maybe.  But I also know how easy it is to break into this house for someone who wanted to.  I also know that if someone did, I'm armed in numerous ways, depending on which room I'm in.

[MerryRaven]

I just think an unlocked door is leading someone into temptation and trouble can be avoided if you just lock your doors when alone.

I can take care of myself also.  It doesn't mean I want the opportunity to prove it.

[aloe]

Please change your mind, and makes sure you lock your doors and windows when you are home.  My husband thought I was paranoid until he took a Criminology course at college. 

[sparksals]

What gets me is that people in this thread are broadcasting they don't lock their doors.  They probably don't realize how easy it is to find out about someone, including where they live, by doing an internet search.  That would be more than enough for me to start locking my doors if I wasn't one to do it already.  There's alot of crazies in this world.

[Ki]

We've gotten so far into the habit of locking the door that none of us will go down to do laundry if no one else is home - we've each locked ourselves out way too many times!

The campus where I spent most of my college years was relatively free of violent crime.  The exception was a series of 5 rapes.  Note that though the dorms are supposed to be locked after 7, people prop open the doors all the time.  Each victim (or her roommate in a couple cases) had left her door unlocked or first-floor window open.  The rapist just walked right in. 

Please, please lock your doors, and make sure your living companions do too.  It could save your life, health, or sanity.  No one deserves to have their home invaded, and a lot of criminals will leave your place alone if it's not easy to get in.

[DottyG]

I always lock mine - even if it's to go outside to do something in the yard for a mere moment - for even another reason than just the safety issue.  If I ALWAYS, ALWAYS lock it - no matter what I'm doing - there's no way I'm going to ever get somewhere and suddenly think, "Oh, my goodness.  I can't remember if I locked my door or not.  What if it's open?  I'll never be able to rest now, because I can't remember!"

My way, I never have to worry about it, because it's become such a habit.  There's no way I didn't lock it, because I always do.  It's just so natural for me to do it that I don't even think about it anymore.

[Buffy2424]

Teenylee, you don't need to move.  You just need to lock your doors and additionally, add things like upright "door jams." 

If the problem with an alarm system is that you rent, most landlords will be cool with chain-locks, and you usually have the right to change locks so long as you give the landlord a key. 

Of course none of these things solved my problem last year, as it was our landlord who unlocked and let himself in, without notice, while I was still sleeping in my underwear and tiny t-shirt.  But door jams at least afforded me the security of taking a brief shower or whatever when I was in the house alone.

And except for in difficult situation like the one above, there is really no reason for someone to be walking into your place!  Lock, maybe add a little extra, and ignore this guy.