The Student Room Group

Do you lock your bedroom door at uni?

I was going to post this in the Accommodation bit, but the question is more to do with trust I guess so it's here instead.

Basically, when do you lock your bedroom at uni? Assuming your door has a lock, of course. Probably when going out, but when else?

More specifically, what did you do when you first moved into uni halls and didn't know your flatmates? After all, although it'd be very nice to trust them all straight away, they are essentially strangers that you're suddenly living with. For those of you without an ensuite, did/do you lock your bedroom door when you go to the shared showers? (Showers more so than toilets, since you'd take longer).

I'll be starting uni this year, and it's likely that I won't have an ensuite. I'm not overly suspicious or anything, but I might have the misfortune to be living with someone less-than-trustworthy and I'm not sure how I'd feel about leaving my door unlocked (again, particularly when in the shower). Surely I can't be the only one thinking this...It's common sense, isn't it? How does everyone else feel?

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When I lived in halls, I always locked my door when I wasn't in my room because anyone could get into the hall and it only takes a few seconds for someone to break in.
Used to in the first few months but after all our flat got to know each other (and thankfully we all get on well) most of us have our doors propped open all the time apart from at night.
Reply 3
i only ever lock my door at night and when i'm not in the flat. but the rest of my flatmates always locked their doors even when they were in the flat.
Reply 4
My door's always locked, regardless of whether I'm inside or not. It is an issue with feeling comfortable, not trust. None of my flatmates think it's an issue.
Reply 5
only at night to stop my male housemates from sexually molesting me in the dark
I didn't lock it and our rooms weren't even divided into flats. I don't think anybody would steal anything because they would have to live with you for a whole year so it isn't worth the risk to them of getting caught. Even if they werent caught surely creating a bad atmosphere wouldn't be worth it for the sake of a phone or some cash.
Reply 7
Original post by Sternumator
I didn't lock it and our rooms weren't even divided into flats. I don't think anybody would steal anything because they would have to live with you for a whole year so it isn't worth the risk to them of getting caught. Even if they werent caught surely creating a bad atmosphere wouldn't be worth it for the sake of a phone or some cash.


You never know...
Reply 8
I always lock mine, just out of habit, especially if I randomly decide to have a shower, since the girls in my flat have a habit if randomly barging into rooms
I only lock my door if I know i'll be out of my room for a long period, or if i'm leaving my college.
Original post by tehforum
You never know...


Its worth the risk I think. Although some people I know found out a guy they had been sharing a house with for 3 years was stealing from them.
Original post by Sternumator
I didn't lock it and our rooms weren't even divided into flats. I don't think anybody would steal anything because they would have to live with you for a whole year so it isn't worth the risk to them of getting caught. Even if they werent caught surely creating a bad atmosphere wouldn't be worth it for the sake of a phone or some cash.


Wow that is naive.
Didn't any of your flatmates have guests around, or parties and such, where people who you would probably never see again were around?
I do everytime I leave the flat. I used to lock it when I was going to have a shower (I have shared bathrooms) but I don't bother now because it's unpractical carrying all of my stuff from the bathroom and then trying to fiddle with my key. Generally, as long as I'm in the flat and awake, my door is unlocked.

It's not that I don't trust my flatmates not to steal my stuff, I just don't trust others. Some flatmates leave the flat door off the latch so if someone wanted to steal stuff then they coudl easily tailgate someone going through the block's front door and enter my flat.
Reply 13
I only lock my door when I actually go out of my flat. I don't lock it when going to the toilet or using the showers. None of us are thief's and most of us will leave our doors open if someone else is in the flat. We have 6 people in ours and a lock on the door to actually get into it.

EDIT: We lock our doors more on the basis of it getting raped than looted lol
(edited 11 years ago)
Always locked mine. I was in Owens Park Tower in Manchester and lots of people I know (thankfully not me) had things stolen while they were in the showers and kitchens. One guy in the room below me went to the toilet (just down the corridor, about 20') and in the 3-5 minutes he was gone lost just about everything small and carryable :frown: Once you're in the building you could get to any room on any floor and people were always shadowing in. With 16 accommodation floors and 24 people on each floor plus guests that's hardly any security at all really.
In halls, a lot of laptops/phones/wallets/etc got stolen and it was usually when someone popped to the kitchen or shower. Is it worth the risk just so you don't have to bother locking/unlocking the door for a short trip?


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Original post by WelshBluebird
Wow that is naive.
Didn't any of your flatmates have guests around, or parties and such, where people who you would probably never see again were around?


Yes but my door was shut so it would mean someone would have to be going round trying doors. I don't think people would do that because if they tried the door and I was in then they haven't got an excuse to be coming into my room.
Original post by WelshBluebird
Wow that is naive.
Didn't any of your flatmates have guests around, or parties and such, where people who you would probably never see again were around?


Where you think people are naive, I'm sure people think you are paranoid...

No-one in my flat ever locked their doors and there was not a single incident in the entire year. Ditto in my student house in the second year.
Reply 18
I lock mine when I got to bed or when I'm changing or when I'm leaving my block. I've had my bed stolen far too many times.
Reply 19
If I go to the shower- no
if I go out shoping or to lectures/tutorials - yes If I don't forget.
If I go sleeping/ (or masturbating for that matter)- I always do
wouldn't want some drunk moron coming in and waking you up or disturb you while you are having fun :-)

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