Leaving The Garage Door Open

[Justanoldguy]

I live in a residential area in the southern metro area of Minneapolis, and it always boggles my mind to find that some of my neighbors constantly leave their garage door open. I could understand if something like the garage door opener needed to be changed out, etc, but the doors have been open for years in all seasons. Could someone please tell me why? lol.

Maybe they are overstocked on ammo and want to get rid of some.

 

[crazytrain]

People are just stupid! We had a burglary/stolen vehicle in a neighborhood over where I work the whole neighborhood was going crazy. Burglars broke into the man door and opened the garage door manually and took lots of stuff from the garage and house while people were sleeping inside and left with their car too. The neighbors would call in suspicious vehicles when their neighbors came home or left or had company over. Basicly they thought any car on the street was suspicious until we checked it. Well about a week later our officers were driving through the neighborhood very early in the morning (like 2-3am). They notice a garage door open, they stop and check. Knock on door no answer so they go into the house through the unlocked door into the house. Find every one asleep and no problems they just didn't think they needed to shut the door anymore.

Most theft from motor vehicles occur because people leave the doors unlocked. I live in an area where I probably would have no problem leaving my cars unlocked due to very private fenced yard that can't be seen from the road. I still lock my cars and my shed gets shut and locked if I go inside for more than a few minutes. I'm not taking any chances on someone walking away with my stuff.

 

[sorethumb]

I live in the boondocks. Used to leave garage door open when I am home. UNTIL the day I walked into garage and tripped over a huge black bear .

 

[Cryptic1911]

Our doors are always down. I only open them long enough to roll something inside, and then they are closed. Also have no windows on the garage. I don't want anyone window shopping my ****

 

[JimVonBaden]

I hate to admit it, but I used to leave mine open most of the time during the daytime when I was home. Often would even hit the button on the door opener shortly after getting up in the morning to open the house up. It really helped to ventilate the house so that I could leave the household AC off for most of the day. Also had a screened kitchen door from the garage. I stopped leaving it open about ten years ago after hearing more and more of daytime home invasions in the news. Now the only time I have it open is when I'm working in the garage, and I even feel a bit uncomfortable if I leave for even a short moment to go into the house for something.

Wisdom does come with age I guess!

Sadly I feel the need to lock my house when I am in my garage with the main door closed. I can't see my house from my garage.

I must admit accidentially leaving my garage main door open a couple times over night and once during the day when I was gone. Nothing stolen thankfully!

I am on a very major road with lots of car and foot traffic, though my garage is partly behind the house, it can be seen from the road.

The only photo I have that shows the orientation and the street.

Jim

 

[sammm]

always down unless we have a reason to have one open because we're in it or outside of it.

This has always been my approach too.

 

[Journaler]

...
Most theft from motor vehicles occur because people leave the doors unlocked.

Some neighborhood kids smashed my passenger-side window to get into my car. I was a poor college student so didn't have anything of value for them to take. When I woke up, the inside of my car was a lake because there was a thunderstorm the prior night.

Ever since then, I don't lock the doors on my beater car. It'd cost more to replace the window than to replace the car!

Oh, that also means I don't leave anything of value in the car either: no cellphones, no garage door opener, no change, nothing.

 

[1jjpop]

I have a shop on a lot in residential area. I tell the neighbors you watch my place & I'll watch yours. They have my cell # & home #. Works good .They like the idea somebody is watching there place too.....

 

[dsimatt]

I leave mine down most of the time unless I'm outside then its up, but I live on a dead end with no traffic, also lock the inside door at night or when I'm gone.
A year ago there was a rash of break ins and what they did was go up to garages that the door was open and unlock the side door. They would come back when everyone's asleep and if the door was still unlocked they'd take what they could and split.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I grew up in Los Angeles and lost my very first bike when I was 5 to a thief. Now if it isn't bolted down it gets a lock.
I am not a thief but I must think like one 'cause when I drive around I look in the open garage doors and think "wow I'd like to have that...".
When I bought my last house I had one requirement for the realtor and that was the garage had to face sideways to the street so my shop would not be clearly visisble. I was single then.

 

[HSpencer]

I have a shop on a lot in residential area. I tell the neighbors you watch my place & I'll watch yours. They have my cell # & home #. Works good .They like the idea somebody is watching there place too.....

I do this same plan. It is the best idea, as usually one or the other of us is home. We also have motion sensor lighting outside, and I have motion sensor lighting inside my shop, along with a radio turned up pretty loud. If the thieves want to stand in there under bright lights and loud music at 2:00 am, and steal things, then I just imagine I can't do much to stop them except call on Mr Smith and his friend Wesson.

 

[BTC]

I think it's pretty common in rural areas. At least it used to be when I lived in a rural area. I think our garage doors were open more than they were closed. Now that I live in more of an urban area, I really don't see many people leaving their doors open.

 

[71goldss]

I do this same plan. It is the best idea, as usually one or the other of us is home. We also have motion sensor lighting outside, and I have motion sensor lighting inside my shop, along with a radio turned up pretty loud. If the thieves want to stand in there under bright lights and loud music at 2:00 am, and steal things, then I just imagine I can't do much to stop them except call on Mr Smith and his friend Wesson.

I always leave my home stereo on day or night when not at home. Not so loud as to bother the neighbors, but loud enough to be heard outside if by a window or door. Also, my main bathroom is on the front of the house and can been seen from the street if the bathroom light is on at night. I'll leave the bathroom light on and close the door if I'm away from home at night to give people the idea someone's home, but can't come to the door because they're in the head.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'll open the house grage door durin gthe Summer, my truck is either sitting inside or right in front of the opening block the view. My garage, the only time I have the door open (99%) is when something is coming in/going out.


There is a house on the south side of town and has a ton a junk piled up in the center of tha garage, 4-5' high. It has been like this for 20 plus years. I always wondered why they didn't atleast shut the O/H door, till I went by one day realizing that there wasn't one

 

[mcmlvif100]

I have motion sensor lighting inside my shop, along with a radio turned up pretty loud.

Like this approach. Think that I'll be adding a radio.

Already keep our doors closed except when actually working in the garage or the driveway. Learned a relatively inexpensive lesson in the first year that we after we moved to this house. Have a large shed / small pole barn that is at the very back of our property (~7 acres) and completely out of sight from any roads. Since it's so isolated, I wasn't routinely locking the door. Closed it to keep the animals out but ... ... some of my kids stuff was stolen out of it. Now, everything is locked, all of the time.

 

[crazytrain]

We have been looking for a new house and found one we really like it has a 2 car carport added onto the house with 3 walls inclosed (basicly a garage with no front) If I were to buy it first thing will be to close it in and add doors.

 

[DCarr]

I guess it all depends on where you live. On Sunday I had a job to do and wanted the shop to warm up some w/o using the kerosene heater.

Just opened up the 12' roll up door, let the sun shine in and left for a couple of hours. The shop sits on a residential lot and has its own street access thats behind our house and 150' away.

I have accidently left my garage door (seperate from the shop ) open all night with all the lights on a few times.

We've been in this house for 20 yrs. now and have NEVER had the house locked up 100% ( sliding lass door has never been locked ).