For the past four years I have been renting an in-law apartment in an old farmhouse owned by a young couple. During that time we have become friends and I have never given them a reason not to trust me. They took back one of the rooms I had upstairs for storage a couple of years ago and there was never any reason to lock that door, even though it accessed their side of the house. I have never opened that door or gone in there and I NEVER have people over. They know that. All of a sudden there is a fresh, new hook and eye on the door and it is locked. I can see it since the door is warped slightly. This is not an issue of whether I have literal access or not but one of trust. I have NO reason to go over on that side of the house and in turn, they have NO reason to lock it. I just makes me feel uncomfortable. I see the situation from both sides. They want THEIR side separate, private and secure but from what? I would rather not ask them outright since it may sound as if I tried the door or am thinking about it. Wondering why and all of that. Trust is a big thing for me. I have spent a lifetime of building a good reputation and of being honest and what most people would consider sane. Maybe it is because of my gender, age and the fact that I am a Vietnam vet. Maybe they have visions that I will go over there and kill them as they sleep. Who knows!
If the door is warped enough you can see the hook, maybe they were having trouble getting it to stay closed?
Personally I wouldn't put too much thought into it...with it just being a hook and eye I don't think it's a matter of keeping you out cuz let's face it, a thin piece of plastic on that warped door and voila!! Door is unlocked. It may just be for their peace of mind...not that they don't trust you, but just because. Sometimes people do things for no reason. And maybe someone else is giving their opinion on the adjoining door. I think that if it was a trust issue that they would have installed a dead bolt rather than a hook and eye. Don't worry about!
If I were your neighbor, I'd still lock up everything, even if you were the best person in the world. Don't take offence to it. It protects everyone, especially you! Now there's no way they can blame you for anything missing.
Quote:Oooh!! Excellent point...never thought of that!! That makes more sense than my idea! Good observation! Makes sence!
I wouldnt worry about it... Maybe they put it up because the door is warped and they didnt want to worry about it opening up..or they put the lock there to "tighten" the door up...because like you said its warped.. Just keep being who you are and dont let it bother you.
I wouldn't worry about it. Perhaps they have put up valuables of some sort and want to double secure it for their own peace of mind. For example like a gun safe. You can just lock your doors to your house, but many also buy a safe to put in your locked house and then lock each gun within the safe. I'd think of it like, perhaps in case someone came through town and broke into the house, it would be one more door to go though if the robber wanted in. Perhaps they have added a lock to their side of the storage space too, so this middle space is like a room safe. Like, I trust the people I live with, but when we leave, we not only lock up the house, we also lock up valuables within a secondary area to make it even harder to get to...and remove key parts to certain things and take them with us in the event someone got to the goods.
I personally think it is more about them feeling 'in control' of their own stuff, NOT about distrusting you. I trust my caregiver with a key to my house (she takes care of my parents every morning) but I put the check books in the safe when I leave. It isn't that I don't trust her....it's my way of feeling secure and in control of my important stuff. Please don't take it personally, I'd bet it was not at all about you. If you say anything about it to them, it could raise an issue in their mind that would never have been there. Best not to say anything or react at all. You know who you are and that's good enough.
I agree with the above poster. If it were me, I'd put the lock on for my own peace of mind, nothing against you. You know... one of those stupid and quite pointless (because the door is so warped you could probably just break it down if you *really* wanted their stuff) actions that leads the human mind to feel more at peace. Sometimes you just can't sleep at night unless everything is locked.
