Roommates Not Locking Doors

**Ultima Designs** · 10-19-2006, 12:11 PM

Got a question that I couldn't find an answer to on Google. I have two roommates, two of my best friends, and we get along great. However, there is one problem -- we live in a relatively bad neighborhood (not horrible, but not the nicest place in the world, either), and break-ins and that sort of thing occur frequently. No matter how much I ask them to close and lock the doors all the time, they don't. Just today, I came home, no one else was home, and I found they hadn't locked the doors. Now, I have renter's insurance, but it is specifically voided in the case that a buglary occurs due to negligence (e.g. not locking a door). My first question is, how would you guys go about handling this? I'm not around all the time to make sure the door is closed. The second question is, who is responsible (legally speaking) if something were to happen when they failed to lock the door? Thanks everyone.

**RUSHVision** · 10-19-2006, 12:16 PM

You might just try a note on the door that serves as a reminder.

As for who is legally responsible, get comfortable with the fact that if your stuff did get stolen, you'll never see it again and neither of your roommates will feel compelled to reimburse you. It's up to you to protect your own. If you get Johnny Law involved it will only get ugly and/or expensive.

**japangreg** · 10-19-2006, 12:17 PM

...and where did you live again?

slips on gloves

**dean29** · 10-19-2006, 12:20 PM

That's pretty unfair man. Does your room have its own lock? My roommates and I are pretty good about locking the door, but if someone forgets to lock it we normally give him **** about it. You've gotta be firm about it without being an *******. If you come home and the door is unlocked, when your other roommates get home ask who left the house last. Ask them this when they're alone, and whoever admits it tell them "well when I got home the door was unlocked."

**jasonsplace** · 10-19-2006, 12:24 PM

I had a friend with a similar problem. One day he came home and found it unlocked so he took some of his room mates valuables (a laptop, TV, DVD player) and put it in his closet. he also took a Playstation 2 and other electronics that they had in the family room and hid them. His room mates came home and were so scared. When my friend came home he gave the stuff back but his room mates haven't left the door unlocked since. They realized that they'd hate to come home and find their stuff really missing.

**robbmcaulay** · 10-19-2006, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by RUSHVision

You might just try a note on the door that serves as a reminder.

If you want to be a dick about it...

**Ultima Designs** · 10-19-2006, 12:39 PM

No separate locks on my areas of the house, at least not the office that has my computer components. The lock on my bedroom, which has far less valuables, is your standard indoor lock kind of thing, really easy to pick using a paperclip.

**lefteyewilly** · 10-19-2006, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Ultima Designs

No separate locks on my areas of the house, at least not the office that has my computer components. The lock on my bedroom, which has far less valuables, is your standard indoor lock kind of thing, really easy to pick using a paperclip.

replace the handle and lock. It's not too expensive to do so or hard. Probably be worth it. It's not to hard to put in a deadbolt either. Just have to have a drill and a hole saw.

**donaldparkerii** · 10-19-2006, 12:41 PM

put a lock on your bedroom door??

**robbmcaulay** · 10-19-2006, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by donaldparkerii

put a lock on your bedroom door??

Did you even read the post?

**atRax** · 10-19-2006, 12:53 PM

Automatic Door lock is what I got and a spare key hidden 30m away

**ondraedan** · 10-19-2006, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by jasonsplace

I had a friend with a similar problem. One day he came home and found it unlocked so he took some of his room mates valuables (a laptop, TV, DVD player) and put it in his closet. he also took a Playstation 2 and other electronics that they had in the family room and hid them. His room mates came home and were so scared. When my friend came home he gave the stuff back but his room mates haven't left the door unlocked since. They realized that they'd hate to come home and find their stuff really missing.

I like this solution. Be careful if you try it though, you don't want your room mates to call the cops and report a burglary cause they think somone broke in.

**japangreg** · 10-19-2006, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by ondraedan

I like this solution. Be careful if you try it though, you don't want your room mates to call the cops and report a burglary cause they think somone broke in.

Steal the phones too.

**Ultima Designs** · 10-19-2006, 01:16 PM

Haha, I may try that solution, but I think they'll react angrily to it. It's a rental property, so I don't think that the landlord is going to be ok with me installing locks on the doors myself -- although perhaps asking him if it would be ok would be cause for him to be firm with them about locking the doors.

**jAQUAN** · 10-19-2006, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by robbmcaulay

If you want to be a dick about it...

How is leaving the doors unlocked not dickish? If they're acting like kids treat em as such.

**Ghostgirl705** · 10-19-2006, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by jasonsplace

I had a friend with a similar problem. One day he came home and found it unlocked so he took some of his room mates valuables (a laptop, TV, DVD player) and put it in his closet. he also took a Playstation 2 and other electronics that they had in the family room and hid them. His room mates came home and were so scared. When my friend came home he gave the stuff back but his room mates haven't left the door unlocked since. They realized that they'd hate to come home and find their stuff really missing.

This is excatly what we did with our old roomie and it worked like a charm. He kept leaving the garage door wide open all night. The good part was that our stuff in the living room was a couch and chair and lamp, his stuff was a TV, DVD player and stearo system.

His problem was he grew up in a very safe area and his parent never locked thier doors. I on the other hand was raised super parnoid and had three bolt locks on the door locked at all times.

**silverx2** · 10-19-2006, 01:37 PM

im pretty sure you just need a zombie with an arm off to come through the unlocked front door.

**Frets** · 10-19-2006, 03:55 PM

Locks protect you from nice people breaking in.

Laughingly I joked about all the deadboldts (7) on my door when I took an apartment in Detroit.

The thieves took a battering ram and knocked out the threshold.

***gerbick*** · 10-19-2006, 04:16 PM

I'm definitely on the side of replacing the locks one day - and give only the keys to yourself and the landlord.

Let your roommates knock and knock. Wait to do it on a rather bad weather day too.

**lefteyewilly** · 10-19-2006, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by Ultima Designs

Haha, I may try that solution, but I think they'll react angrily to it. It's a rental property, so I don't think that the landlord is going to be ok with me installing locks on the doors myself -- although perhaps asking him if it would be ok would be cause for him to be firm with them about locking the doors.

The landlord can't be against it. If there is a safety/security issue that exists, i believe it is required by some laws that the landlord has to (within reason) comply with upgrading locks/deadbolts. However i'm not sure if that is applicable once you get past the entrance doors. Can't hurt to ask him about it though...tell him you'll buy the locks if he installs them at no cost. If he does that it'd be the last time a tenant wuold have to ask...until someone breaks the lock.

Otherwise, tell your roomates to lock the doors or suffer the consequences of constant pink bellies and atomic situps.

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