I am the kind of person who locks her apartment door as soon as she gets home, as soon as something is delivered, as soon as it has to be opened for any reason. Mom and SIS called me the lockfreak because, you can hear each time I lock the door. It is loud. Cluck! Cluck! There is a deadlock and there is a normal lock.
Well, yesterday around 9:30 p.m. as I was talking to the friend whom I visited today, I hear someone trying a key on my door! WTH? I told my friend to hold and loudly yelled "Who is it? Why are you screwing with my door?" The only people who have keys to my apartment are my SIS and uncle. So, I knew it couldn't be them. They know better to call before coming for a "surprise" visit.
I went by the door and demanded who it was without opening it. It turned out to be a contractor who failed to deliver some items during the day. He had the keys to the other number 4 in the next building. I knew that apartment was sold and was going through some serious renovation. The guy was more freaked than I was. I told him it is the other building and he went away and apologized several times. I can see the other apartment from my windows so, I looked to see if he entered the empty apartment and turned on the lights. He did. So, he was not lying.
The apartment complex I live in has 9 apartment buildings. There is a fence all around with cameras installed. Every floor has cameras and actually on my floor, the camera is installed right over my door. If someone wants to come visit or deliver something, she/he needs to go through the security guard who will call me to confirm if I am home and if I know this particular individual. Once he lets the person in, she/he will need to come to my building and ring my bell. I see who it is on the screen of the Intercom and buzz the person into the building. So, it is actually very safe. However, I guess the new owner of the other apartment gave the contractor not only the keys to her/his new apartment but also, the buzzer token all tenants use to come into the complex. This way, the security was bypassed. I did not have time to bring this issue up to the Management's attention today but, I will do so tomorrow.
If my door was unlocked and if the person who meddled with my lock had sinister purposes, my apartment could be broken into. So, am I right to keep my door locked at all times or not?
My SIS says, if the expected earthquake hits Istanbul, I may not be able unlock the door because it may get jammed. Well, I guess a steel door can be jammed in such a situation even if it is not locked. Yes, my door has wood panels on both sides but, it has a thick steel piece inside. The frame is also steel but painted a matching brown. When I first moved in, we did not have the fence or the cameras so, it was a necessary purchase.
Uncle has a different argument. He says, if I fall at home or get into any sort of medical trouble, keeping the doors locked would make it harder for the emergency people to get to me. Well, I leave that to luck I guess.
When we replaced the front door of our house a few years ago we had an "electronic keyless keypad door coded lock" installed. I love it! Never need a key, and we can give a contractor a code to get in for a day, then change it and they can't get in again. We went away while our bathrooms were being renovated, and we would get a notification when the workers arrived and again when they left for the day. I highly recommend!
ReplyDeleteSounds really good. I wonder how much they cost in my neck of the woods. Next time I move, I should definitely consider it.
DeleteI'm like you - I always, ALWAYS lock the door behind me - doesn't matter if I'm heading back out in 30 min. I was a single woman until I turned 36 & married, so my safely/security was really a priority for me, also because I am hearing impaired! Unfortunately, my husband is rather lax on checking doors at night, so that is my job, and I do it well & religiously! Too many crazies out there for me!
ReplyDeleteOh yes too many crazy people no doubt! Stay safe.
DeleteI keep my front door and the basement door locked at all times, but sometimes I am lax with the back doors and the side door.
ReplyDeleteThis depends where you live as well. I am living in a very crowded metropol. More people, more trouble.
DeleteGood for you keeping safe. I lock my doors, my windows, my car, everything, all the time. Sometimes I do it so automatically that I lock my husband out when he's working outside. Lol
ReplyDeleteWell locking your husband out is a system test and the system works. Right?
DeleteOur front door is permanently locked, and our garage door is always shut (and locked). Now that we are home a lot during the day (working from home), our sliders around the house (not accessible via the street, unless you make a lot of effort to wander around the entire side of our house) are often open with screen doors, that don't lock. We close & lock those doors when we go to bed.
ReplyDeleteGood habits! Better be safe than sorry. My BFF in the US almost always leaves the door next to the garage doors unlocked and I always lock it when I'm staying with them.
DeleteGosh, I rarely lock my doors. OK, if I'm going to be working in the back garden I usually lock the front door but not always, and my garage doors - both front and back - are never locked (although you can't get into the house from there, just the basement). I have been nagging my friend who was taken ill in February to PLEASE give me a key to her new door and to make sure she takes her key out of the door at night after looking it. She has fallen downstairs before now and nobody had a key to get in. I think she's got one for me now though. Or at least I hope so!
ReplyDeleteIt is a good idea to give a key to someone who lives close by.
DeleteIf I lived in a big city like you do I would definitely lock like you do. We don't keep or doors locked here in the rural area during the day, but do at night. When dh was in the hospital, though, I did keep locked during the day since I'm upstairs in my office and probably wouldn't hear someone if they came in.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it is safer to lock up at night where you live.
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