Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What would you do? Front door and garage wide open

circatee

circatee

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,565
3,116
Where I am
You notice your neighbours garage door open, front door, wide open, and no cars in sight. No car in the driveway, or in the nearby parking spots. Been that way for ages (a few hours or so).

I already took action.

The real question here is, "What would you do, or not do, as the case maybe?"
 
If you have their phone number, call them. Otherwise, that’s a police matter for them to clear the house if their was a possible break-in. I assume it’s unusual for your neighbors to leave the residence in the state of doors being left open, at least for ‘hours’.

I wouldn’t start walking onto somebody’s property closing doors just to be ‘courteous’, that opens you up to liability.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: KaliYoni and Apple_Robert
I would assume someone was working on it, stepped out to go to the store and to go get some food, and needed the outside air and sunlight in there. If I saw it still like that still the next afternoon, then I'd be concerned.
 
Nothing. My neighbours often leave their house unlocked when out for the day. The entire village is watching each other’s houses and it is not uncommon for the mailman to deli to your kitchen bunker (at least it was pre-covid).
 
I would just call police to do a welfare check. You never know if there is a medical emergency. Could have been anything really but the great majority of people do not leave there homes wide open and unattended.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KaliYoni
My neighbor does this all the time so I'd just mind my own business. If it's neighbor that doesn't regularly do that then they could have left it open for a number of reasons or they forgot for some reason. Either way. I'd mind my own business. Unless I had an obvious sign something was wrong.
 
Depends on the neighborhood lol. Some neighborhoods I've visited have their garages open with nobody around. Tools and toys all over the lawn. Stuff sitting in the bed of a pickup. Absolutely zero theft. Nobody cares about locking doors, etc.

Other neighborhoods you can't even open the garage past dusk for fear of someone driving past and thinking you're an easy mark. That or you get followed home from your local ATM so that someone can pistol whip you the moment you get out of your car in your driveway all so they can steal a couple hundred in cash. Crazy world we live in.
 
HOA or non-HOA.

Going to make a difference. Most garages in my neighborhood (HOA) are closed all the time. No one wants to hear from the HOA. Generally if a house in my neighborhood is wide open like you mention it's because it's been sold and a rental property company has workers there preparing the house for renting.

So…I'd be suspicious, yeah.
 
circatee said:
You notice your neighbours garage door open, front door, wide open, and no cars in sight. No car in the driveway, or in the nearby parking spots. Been that way for ages (a few hours or so).

I already took action.

The real question here is, "What would you do, or not do, as the case maybe?"
Click to expand...
So, we are on the edge of our seats for a status report. Did the cops carry out numerous body bags, was your neighbour sleeping off a bender and forgot to shut the door after arriving home, was there a robbery or did they flee moments before the FBI showed up?
 
  • Like
Reactions: KaliYoni
Update:

At my neighbours house, it used to be a Mum, her daughter, and her daughter husband. A few weeks ago, the daughter and husband moved out.

Anyway, a bit of Googling and I found the daughters details online, and I phoned her.
I explained that the garage door and front door are literally wide open, and no cars and such are in the driveway or in the car parking spots (actually been like this all night and all day yesterday). Oddly, she made me feel like I wasted my time contacting her, and showing any concern for her Mum.

I did explain that I was merely making sure her Mum was okay, since the doors were opened and no cars around. Anyway, short version, I will not do that again.

She made me feel like a right pillock.

Apparently, the doors were left open, to air out the painting that had been done.
So, there's that...
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: KaliYoni and Jessica Lares
circatee said:
Update:

At my neighbours house, it used to be a Mum, her daughter, and her daughter husband. A few weeks ago, the daughter and husband moved out.

Anyway, a bit of Googling and I found the daughters details online, and I phoned her.
I explained that the garage door and front door are literally wide open, and no cars and such are in the driveway or in the car parking spots (actually been like this all night and all day yesterday). Oddly, she made me feel like I wasted my time contacting her, and showing any concern for her Mum.

I did explain that I was merely making sure her Mum was okay, since the doors were opened and no cars around. Anyway, short version, I will not do that again.

She made me feel like a right pillock.

Apparently, the doors were left open, to air out the painting that had been done.
So, there's that...
Click to expand...

I think you did the right thing, even if they were ungrateful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mw360, Expos of 1969 and KaliYoni
circatee said:
Update:

At my neighbours house, it used to be a Mum, her daughter, and her daughter husband. A few weeks ago, the daughter and husband moved out.

Anyway, a bit of Googling and I found the daughters details online, and I phoned her.
I explained that the garage door and front door are literally wide open, and no cars and such are in the driveway or in the car parking spots (actually been like this all night and all day yesterday). Oddly, she made me feel like I wasted my time contacting her, and showing any concern for her Mum.

I did explain that I was merely making sure her Mum was okay, since the doors were opened and no cars around. Anyway, short version, I will not do that again.

She made me feel like a right pillock.

Apparently, the doors were left open, to air out the painting that had been done.
So, there's that...
Click to expand...
You did the right thing, most people would say thanks for the concern. I once pointed out to somebody he'd dropped some money and he got angry about it and tried to force me to keep it. ?‍♂️
 
  • Like
Reactions: VulchR
mw360 said:
You did the right thing, most people would say thanks for the concern. I once pointed out to somebody he'd dropped some money and he got angry about it and tried to force me to keep it. ?‍♂️
Click to expand...
Yes but that's because they use it as a scam.
Once walking along the road guy walking towards me picks up huge gold ring just in front of and says 'Did you drop this?' I said no then he tried to make me take it then as I continued walking, tried to get me pay for half so we should split it, then it belonged to his mother and he really needed the money......
You just get in the habit of saying no to people trying to do things for you.
And if you are ever outside a really nice shop selling handbags, Chanel, Prada that sort of thing and a nice young girl asks you to go in and buy one for her mother because she's already bought the quantity allowed- It's a money laundering scam.
 
What I do not understand is as to why you care now that the doors are open.
If you had that "caring" relationship with your neighbors you would have known they painted their house inside.
To me it sounds like a case of that annoying neighbor snooping around to find out what's going on.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: circatee
circatee said:
You notice your neighbours garage door open, front door, wide open, and no cars in sight. No car in the driveway, or in the nearby parking spots. Been that way for ages (a few hours or so).

I already took action.

The real question here is, "What would you do, or not do, as the case maybe?"
Click to expand...
I would have alerted the police, then tried to contact the neighbour. I think you did the right thing. No harm was done by your actions, which were based on concern for others. There will always be cantankerous people who whine about privacy, but burglary is one of the worst invasions of privacy there is and the only way of stopping it is reporting events that seem suspicious and atypical.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back