The most annoying thing is coming home and someone had walked into your unlocked house and took all your shit, right?
If they're gonna break in, a $40 Weiser lockset from Home Depot will not deter them. I have three dogs - one of them looks not unlike Ghost on Game of Thrones. All the locked door does is provide you with a false sense of security - it can be kicked in faster than it can be unlocked.
I see both sides. If someone wants to break in they will break in, but what I locked door does stop is people just wondering around trying doors to see if they are unlocked, which actually happens a surprising amount sometimes.
I mean I guess it depends on where you live. I'd be afraid of someone walking in while Im home than having a deadbolt busted while Im away. My dumbass little brother decided to come home at 3am unannounced one time and I wasn't aware anyone else was in the house until I was mid piss in the bathroom in near total darkness. I promptly had a heart attack, grabbed my gun, and almost dialed 911 until I looked out a front window and saw his car in the driveway. Home invasions freak me the fuck out.
I live in an apartment building with a keypad entry to the door. Maintenance staff are around most of the time. I don't lock the door (as I'm several floors up). My wife does. Times I've been locked out? None. Times she's been locked out? Twice. I also have a very big, and very loud, dog. I always say if someone wants my shit, just make sure you take the dog and cat too.
So the door to the building is locked via keypad? Then I don't see much of an issue with it. I live in a building with a doorman. My door locks automatically (unless I hit the switch inside the door) but I wouldn't have a problem leaving it unlocked. I used to live in a walkup in a nice, fairly affluent area of Chicago. We left the back patio door unlocked one day after grilling cause we forgot. We woke up with police in our house cause someone had walked through the back courtyard jiggling doors, found ours, strolled in, and started loading up my work bag with electronics before a neighbor walking his dog noticed something and called the cops who chased them off. If there was a padlock, $40 lock, whatever on that door, it would not have been kicked in, they would have moved along. Most robberies aren't violent, loud, or attempting to draw attention. Leaving a door unlocked aids that purpose immensely.
Agree. If someone walked in while I was home there's at least a 35% chance I'd be bare-ass naked, and I couldn't guarantee what would happen.
This is pretty similar to my house. The front door always stays locked with the deadbolt engaged home or not. However, the door leading into my house that's in my garage is always unlocked. So, unless someone's planning on breaking through my entire garage door they're going to have to break a door frame or bust out a window to get in. That being said, I also live in the very back part of a development where all the neighbors know and are friendly with each other, so someone not from the area would stand out pretty quickly.
I'm not a robber but I'm guessing these criminals want to put in as little effort as they can to take your shit, and they want as little risk unless they've targeted you for a specific reason. A locked door is a good deterrent so is any kind of dog that will bark. Really doesn't matter how big or ferocious in most cases, just that it makes noise and is paying attention. A lot of these types of folks will walk down a row of houses or apartments and jiggle the handle and see what happens. You really don't want to be the door that opens for them. My infamous college friend who had a younger brother who should be in prison by now if he continued on the path he was on. When he was 16, him and his dirtbag friends would walk up and down the street and check out houses and see which doors were locked or not. If they were unlocked they'd walk in. If my SO had a habit of not locking the door as she left, that'd be a serious discussion. Alt-Focus: If I'm awake, I either need sunlight or lights on. I can't stand a dark house or apartment. I need some lamps on or something. I like to fall asleep with the TV on, a completely dark and silent room makes me uncomfortable. I'm also OCD with doors and my hockey equipment are holy things and need to be respected and not moved or cleaned without permission. They're placed where they are for a reason, not a good one, but still.