To think he should knock.......

Oh, and sorry menet - Welcome!

I believe it's normal for insurance companies to reject claims if entry hasn't been forced. This also applies to unlocked cars and bikes.

DH worked in the insurance industry and insists that the front door and high side gate are always locked so the house and garden are secure and we're covered.

When saddles were stolen from a shared tack room a few years ago we had to produce the cut padlock for police inspection so the insurance would pay out. We were lucky in that the padlock was borderline as regards size. Too smaller one and there would have been no payout.

A friend of mine who works for a well know large housebuilder always tells new owners to lock their front doors when in the house. They hear reports from all over the country of optimist thieves who try front door handles, pop in and grab either your car keys or handbag. These are new houses built in the street style with little or no front garden so easy to just go down the road trying door handles as you pretend to deliver leaflets.

Oh dear, I think I'd better have a look at my policy too! And DD's back door is always open when she's at home because her girls are in and out, plus their friends and the odd neighbour...

Presumably if she was upstairs changing the beds, the girls had disappeared off next door and a thief walked in and nipped off with the tv and computer she wouldn't be able to claim...

Welcome menet.

My Terms and Conditions lists under exclusions
"Theft not involving forcible and violent entry to, or exit from, your home".

Their 'Terms and Conditions' vary from company to company Ana but they do all mention taking reasonable care and most are very specific about locking all windows and doors and removing the keys from the locks, when you are out.
It would not be considered taking 'reasonable care' to leave your from door unlocked so anyone can just walk in. It doesn't seem to matter that you just popped into the back garden to hang out the washing.
I had this conversation with the young man who went through the main points of my house contents insurance with me when I recently renewed it with a new company.

This is my first day as a forum member so if I break any unwritten rules apologies in advance.
I grew up in a huge family/village environment and its perfectly normal to walk in and out of each others doors, anybody who wants to feel an extra security just gives out keys.
The rule is if an outer door is open or ajar frrl free to come right in. If its shut, knock first. If its locked, we're up to something that's nobody else's business so only knock in a genuine emergency...
That said, I see your husband's point. In-laws are given full family rights so if that's the current status carry on as normal. If he weed all over that gesture then he gets downgraded to a knocker. If you're maintain good terms for the family harmony you and husband should consult the rest of the family.
It took me years to convince my son in law to just walk in, he causes mild worry insisting on knocking. Good luck.

I'm a bit confused now. Are you saying, Anya, that an insurance company won't pay out if an opportunist thief sneaks into our house while we're in and steals stuff, if one of our outer doors was unlocked?

In other words, unless we lock ourselves into our homes at all times our contents insurance is worthless..?

Likewise with the car. Even on our drive, if we leave the car unlocked and it is stolen the insurance policy is null and void.

No-one can see my house from the road. I always lock the door even if I am only away for five minutes.

Also as I mentioned earlier, if you have left the doors unlocked you cannot claim on your contents insurance.

I accept we should lock up Nelliemoser. A friend came in from pegging out the washing, and found her tv, radio, toaster, kettle etc all gone. She'd left the front door unlocked. She doesn't live in our area - but I agree, I'm a bit complacent. Will shape up

None of us should leave outside doors unlocked due to basic security concerns. It's a situation opportunistic bag snatchers love. If I am not round and about in the kitchen I keep that door locked as well.

When I was a young mother we lived in a big detached double fronted house in a quiet street which had never had any burglaries. I habitually left the front and back doors unlocked.

One day I was changing sheets upstairs in a bedroom and I heard the front door open and close. I looked down the stairwell to see a man climbing the stairs.

I asked him what he was doing and he mumbled something about thinking it was flats and he was looking for a friend. I told him to get out and luckily he ran off down the stairs and back out the front door.

My two young children were having their lunchtime nap in their bedroom, so I was very shaken. After that I always locked the doors. You just don't know who is out there.

Our front and back doors are never locked during the day. Our children, their partners and close friends just walk in and shout for us. I understand the fear of burglaries but we've lived here 25 years with no problems at all.

I sympathise with nina, but I'd try and keep things as normal as possible, for the sake of the children.

We haven't had anything stolen in our village for years and years, so no-one I know locks there doors apart from incoming Londoners. They give up after about two years because everyone looks at them in amazement when they hear they lock their doors. The last 'burglary' was three years ago, of two boys bikes left on a grass verge somewhere.

Starling we do too. It's in the Terms and Conditions of most house contents insurances.

I don't understand about the gate. Is the gate locked? How do people get in through it? (I don't want to burgle your house, just trying to understand the set-up!) How is the gate any protection from intruders if SiL can get through it?
Personally we keep everything locked, even upstairs windows if we are out.

Oh heavens I never have an unlocked door!!

The idiot doesn't come on our house at all - don't know why - but DD has to take the children out to him on the drive!

My sons would be livid with me if I didn't lock the doors. They expect to have to ring the doorbell. I can see that you don't want to rock the boat with sil though. It's a tricky one. But on balance I think you should lock the doors and therefore he would have to knock.

In the interests of security, the Police recommend locking all doors because bogus callers often work in pairs. One knocks or rings at the front door while the other slips round the back to see if the back door is unlocked. While you respond to the first, the second walks in and ransacks your handbag. You can legitimately quote this recommendation to your ex-SiL. Oh, and keep a chain on the front door.

I suggest you tell him a little 'porkie', saying that a neighbour found an intruder at the back of their house, therefore you are starting to lock yours. For safety you should be securing the gate and all doors anyway.

nina Lock your doors, it's a nasty world out there (quite apart from the sils that are about!)

Hmmm. Interesting. My son and daughter and their partners always ring the front doorbell before they come into my house, and tell me off if I open it without having to unlock it. They expect it to be locked. They have keys which they can use to get straight in, but even so they would ring then unlock.

If Ex-SiL can get past your 6ft high gate to reach your unlocked back door, then so can anyone else. My move would be to lock the doors for safety, that would force him to knock or ring, but without singling him out.