Living with roommates requires a light touch,
and loads of patience,
when it comes to preferences and habits.
But, when those habits put your safety at risk,
it's time to get real.
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Today's question comes from a poor soul
whose roommate intentionally leaves
the door unlocked all the time, coming and going.
They're looking for a way to make that laissez faire
housemate lock the door properly for safety.
We approve this activity.
And fortunately, we've got some solutions
to help this worried roomie lock things down.
But, before we dive into the answers,
we'd love you to subscribe to our channel
and start thinking about any burning safety questions
you've got that you'd like to see us answer
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Alrighty, then let's dive in.
I'm going to attack this lackadaisical lockup quandary
from two angles.
First, why do they leave the door unlocked to begin with?
And next, I'm gonna talk about how you can take
the choice for them to ignore safety
away from them completely.
Now usurping the autonomy of the roomy might feel extreme,
but the way I see it, they started it
by flouting common safety practices
they've surely known since grade school.
First, let's look at the possible "why"
behind this puzzling behavior.
(uplifting music)
My nearly three decades of motherhood
has taught me many things,
but one thing that remains true to this day
is that some people just can't remember
where they put their keys,
or their shoes, or anything else.
Those folks would often rather risk a burglar
strolling in than finding themselves
locked out of the house.
If this roommate is one of those afflicted souls
who just can't keep track of the keys,
locating trackers just might be the answer
that will make this high-strung housing situation
calm and peaceful once again.
One of my favorite things is Tile trackers.
I have literally gifted these to everyone
in my life who drives me nuts
because they constantly lose everything.
This is a tracker that can attach to anything,
and it uses an app to help you
locate the thing that you've lost.
So no more excuses, roomie.
Tile has multiple styles.
There's a button with a sticker
that you can stick on anything,
there's a tag that will fit around your key ring,
and there's even a little card
that will fit into your wallet or other credit-card holder.
Tiles are also fairly inexpensive,
and when you add the premium plan for just $30
for an entire year, you can even invite your friends,
family, or that lock-averse roomie to the party,
and they'll be able to help you find your stuff too.
Pretty cool.
Now, new on the scene are Apple AirTags.
These were just released, and basically
it expands the "Find My" universe if you use Apple products.
Surprisingly, these were cheap, especially for Apple.
They start at $29 each, which shocked me,
because I really thought Apple
was going to slap a big price tag on there.
The only downside here is that it only works
in the Apple ecosystem.
So, if you are not an Apple connoisseur,
you're going to need to consider something
like the Tile instead.
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Now, if your roommate balks at using one of these trackers
or still can't remember to turn the lock
even if they have the keys,
you can remove that choice from them completely.
I'm talking about adding a smart lock.
And, yes, you can put one in your apartment
or other rental without tearing out the old lock.
Although you should still run it
by your landlord to make sure it's okay.
A smart lock is nothing more than a lock
that works with an app or uses a keypad
to give you keyless entry.
If you're renting, we recommend locks
from August or SimpliSafe or Wise as your best bet.
These fit right over your current deadbolt,
give you remote control to lock and unlock the door,
and even check to see if you locked the door via an app.
You will also get alerts
whenever the door is locked or unlocked.
So if your housemate heads out the door
and forgets to lock up, you can take care of that,
even if you're across town.
To get all the deets on smart locks,
check out our favorites on SafeWise.com. It's linked below.
And see our videos about smart locks right here.
So locking the door is seriously
one of the easiest things you can do
to up your security game at home.
And, if you live with folks that just can't
seem to turn that lock, we've got two recommendations.
One, help them keep track of the keys
with a nifty tracker like Tile or Apple AirTags.
Or just get rid of the keys all together
with a smart lock that lets you lock up,
even if they forget.
Thanks for stopping by, and before you go,
don't forget to check out our recommendations
for the best smart locks out there.
They're linked in the description box below.
And go ahead, give us a like,
and subscribe to this channel,
to stay in the know on all things
safety and security related.
Plus, you can check us out on social.
The hookup is in that description box.
Until next time, be sure to lock up and stay safe.
(uplifting music)