Our old door used to have a Yale lock (as a precaution left a key with our neighbour in case I ever locked my myself out), replaced the door though 6 months ago to a composite with a traditional multi point lock on that doesn't auto lock you out.
Poll: Does your front door auto lock when you shut it from the outside? Poll
- Thread starter jaybee
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No automatic locking here, need to lift the handle and turn the key to engage it
Personally i'd feel more secure having the risk of forgetting to lock the door the exact same night someone happens to try the handle than having my front door key in full view of anyone who walks past, "protected" by a most likely extremely weak combination lock.
If you have your key safe in a very well hidden location (e.g. Hidden away in the back garden/buried/etc.) then fair enough, but I certainly wouldn't trust one in any visible location, Iirc lockpickinglawyer has tried most of the best sellers on Amazon and they are all as secure as a chocolate teapot
Personally i'd feel more secure having the risk of forgetting to lock the door the exact same night someone happens to try the handle than having my front door key in full view of anyone who walks past, "protected" by a most likely extremely weak combination lock.
If you have your key safe in a very well hidden location (e.g. Hidden away in the back garden/buried/etc.) then fair enough, but I certainly wouldn't trust one in any visible location, Iirc lockpickinglawyer has tried most of the best sellers on Amazon and they are all as secure as a chocolate teapot
Same with ours. You'll probably find it only has a single lock that way, so less secure.
Putting a brick through your Bifolds is much quicker - plus how do they know its on a thumb-turn from the outside??
Done this. Put the bin-bag out to the wheelie bin, in my socks, and the door closed behind me.
I had to walk to the other side of town to get a spare key from my mum
Deleted User 298457
Deleted User 298457
Yes, Yale lock. Overnight 5 lever security lock but never used.
Deleted User 298457
Deleted User 298457
Done this. Put the bin-bag out to the wheelie bin, in my socks, and the door closed behind me.
I had to walk to the other side of town to get a spare key from my mum
I had a similar thing. Heading to a black tie event, last minute shoe delivery. Went down to open the door with no shoes on, half dressed; the wind pressure from the main door sucked my flat door shut. Stuck in the hallway with no shoes on
I've only once had a door that locked automatically, a glazed aluminium door fitted with a Yale lock with no handle on the front of my parent's house when I was growing up.
Locked myself out (as did all of us over the years) several times.
I don't think I've ever come across a UPVC door that auto locks actually.
Locked myself out (as did all of us over the years) several times.
I don't think I've ever come across a UPVC door that auto locks actually.
Soldato
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My parents' had theirs for about 30 years and we honestly never had a problem that I remember.
Never lived anywhere with a front door that can just be opened without a key from outside, was thoroughly surprised to find out that was even a thing when I first encountered one 
Maybe due to growing up with doors that lock behind you and being in the habit of either setting a latch or having a key but never locked myself out. I also can't imagine being comfortable or relaxed in my own house knowing that any delivery driver, leaflet dropper or other random joe could just let themselves in, even if that is thoroughly unlikely and an irrational worry.
Maybe due to growing up with doors that lock behind you and being in the habit of either setting a latch or having a key but never locked myself out. I also can't imagine being comfortable or relaxed in my own house knowing that any delivery driver, leaflet dropper or other random joe could just let themselves in, even if that is thoroughly unlikely and an irrational worry.
Soldato
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It will lock behind me but I prefer to double lock with a dead bolt when I go out.
manual lock. parents home has a yale latch/lock thing that can autolock but thankfully they've never been locked out.
thread reminded me of an incident from a few years ago that happened to me.
Brother in law and his wife were having some major renovations done but were going away for a long weekend and asked the wife and i to house sit. this is a house out in the middle of nowhere up the side of a mountain basically - lovely and picturesque but remote as ****!!
that Saturday night wife went to bed, i said i'd be up shortly. had a couple more beers (as you do when house sitting!) then i went out the back for a smoke before bed - previously had been going out the front door. door closed behind me locking me out. rang the wife, no answer. plinked stones at the window, no answer. long story short i ended up having to make myself a sort of lean-to shelter out of building materials laying about outside and hunkering down for the night, not fun in the middle of winter!! vowed never to have self locking doors. they also changed the locks to manual only ones not long after!
thread reminded me of an incident from a few years ago that happened to me.
Brother in law and his wife were having some major renovations done but were going away for a long weekend and asked the wife and i to house sit. this is a house out in the middle of nowhere up the side of a mountain basically - lovely and picturesque but remote as ****!!
that Saturday night wife went to bed, i said i'd be up shortly. had a couple more beers (as you do when house sitting!) then i went out the back for a smoke before bed - previously had been going out the front door. door closed behind me locking me out. rang the wife, no answer. plinked stones at the window, no answer. long story short i ended up having to make myself a sort of lean-to shelter out of building materials laying about outside and hunkering down for the night, not fun in the middle of winter!! vowed never to have self locking doors. they also changed the locks to manual only ones not long after!
Our front door automatically locks when closed, but not fully. You can lift the handle up and then lock which engages the additional X locking points around the door, as opposed to just the handle latch when not locked. the handle, when not locked, can move downwards, but nothing happens. When locked the handle is locked into its upright position.
Only managed to lock myself out once, when my brother insisted he had the keys, but turns out he didn't
Only managed to lock myself out once, when my brother insisted he had the keys, but turns out he didn't
I've pretty much always had self-locking doors (I thought one Yale and one a deadlock was fairly standard). As above you make the mistake maybe once then you learn. My front 'garden' now is tiny, about 2ft deep if that, so it's about 5 paces to the bins. Our keys are near the door so whenever I go out I just grab them. It's muscle memory although I've probably jinxed myself now
And that means you need the keys nearby to get out quickly anyway right? In case of fire or another emergency etc. I wouldn't want to be worrying about finding my keys to unlock the door to get out quickly if needed!
This is my main worry with a door you need to manually lock. What do you guys do when inside your house? Constantly have the door locked from the inside? What a pain
And that means you need the keys nearby to get out quickly anyway right? In case of fire or another emergency etc. I wouldn't want to be worrying about finding my keys to unlock the door to get out quickly if needed!