3 ms·

What country do you live in? In the US, almost every door I’ve ever seen can be unlocked from the inside (but not the outside) without a key.

chrisseaton 7y ago
The UK. What stops someone breaking glass or a panel and reaching through and unlocking to get in quickly if you can open without a key?
- umanwizard 7y ago
  > What stops someone breaking glass or a panel and reaching through and unlocking to get in quickly if you can open without a key? I suppose this can be avoided by not having any windows close enough to your doorknob that you could reach the lock from them. But people could just break a window and climb through into your house, anyway.
- ghshephard 7y ago
  You either have strong or no glass on or near your front door. I have never seen an exit door in Canada, or the United States, that could not be opened from the inside. I'm reasonably confident that is super illegal in those countries.
Gibbon1 7y ago
I think doors that can't be opened from the inside are serious possibly criminal safety violation everywhere in the United States.
wazoox 7y ago
I've never seen that outside the US. Keyholes both sides of the door, everywhere. When it's closed, you need a key or you don't get out.
- umanwizard 7y ago
  Well, TIL. Never realized this was a US-specific thing.
  - lillesvin 7y ago
    It's definitely not US specific. Here in Denmark it's standard that the front door opens from the inside without a key. Same goes for at least Luxembourg and Germany as far as I know.
    - jwilk 7y ago
      Same for Poland.
    - usrusr 7y ago
      Germany checking in: all the front doors I know are two stage: first stage closes just by falling into the lock and and opens keyless from the inside, second stage requires key action for both closing and opening, on both sides.
  - Sharlin 7y ago
    Add Finland to the list. Pretty much all of Central and Northern Europe I believe. I don't think I've ever seen a residential exterior door that needs a key to open from the inside.
  - asveikau 7y ago
    I don't think it's US-specific, as I have seen it work the "US" way abundantly when traveling. But having it not work this way is very unusual in the states, while common to not exactly rare in some other places.
  - gdy 7y ago
    Same thing in Russia
  - yesenadam 7y ago
    It's not. Same in Australia, I've never seen a house here you need a key to get out of.
- DanBC 7y ago
  Some places have euro-profile locks with thumb turns for the inside. I think in some English rental properties these are compulsory. (Or Yale latches). https://www.wickes.co.uk/Yale-P-ET3535-SNP-Euro-Profile-Thumb-Turn-Cylinder-Lock---Nickel-35-x-10-x-35mm/p/109882 https://www.wickes.co.uk/Yale-P-ET3535-SNP-Euro-Profile-Thum...
DoreenMichele 7y ago
In recent years, American apartments I've lived in have made it impossible to lock the front door from the outside without a key so you can't lock yourself out, thereby eliminating the need to call the landlord or manager over incidents like that. They have a knob that doesn't have a locking mechanism at all and a deadbolt that locks from the inside without a key, but cannot be locked without a key if you leave.

chrisseaton 7y ago

The UK. What stops someone breaking glass or a panel and reaching through and unlocking to get in quickly if you can open without a key?

umanwizard 7y ago
> What stops someone breaking glass or a panel and reaching through and unlocking to get in quickly if you can open without a key? I suppose this can be avoided by not having any windows close enough to your doorknob that you could reach the lock from them. But people could just break a window and climb through into your house, anyway.
ghshephard 7y ago
You either have strong or no glass on or near your front door. I have never seen an exit door in Canada, or the United States, that could not be opened from the inside. I'm reasonably confident that is super illegal in those countries.

Gibbon1 7y ago

I think doors that can't be opened from the inside are serious possibly criminal safety violation everywhere in the United States.

wazoox 7y ago

I've never seen that outside the US. Keyholes both sides of the door, everywhere. When it's closed, you need a key or you don't get out.

umanwizard 7y ago
Well, TIL. Never realized this was a US-specific thing.
- lillesvin 7y ago
  It's definitely not US specific. Here in Denmark it's standard that the front door opens from the inside without a key. Same goes for at least Luxembourg and Germany as far as I know.
  - jwilk 7y ago
    Same for Poland.
  - usrusr 7y ago
    Germany checking in: all the front doors I know are two stage: first stage closes just by falling into the lock and and opens keyless from the inside, second stage requires key action for both closing and opening, on both sides.
- Sharlin 7y ago
  Add Finland to the list. Pretty much all of Central and Northern Europe I believe. I don't think I've ever seen a residential exterior door that needs a key to open from the inside.
- asveikau 7y ago
  I don't think it's US-specific, as I have seen it work the "US" way abundantly when traveling. But having it not work this way is very unusual in the states, while common to not exactly rare in some other places.
- gdy 7y ago
  Same thing in Russia
- yesenadam 7y ago
  It's not. Same in Australia, I've never seen a house here you need a key to get out of.
DanBC 7y ago
Some places have euro-profile locks with thumb turns for the inside. I think in some English rental properties these are compulsory. (Or Yale latches). https://www.wickes.co.uk/Yale-P-ET3535-SNP-Euro-Profile-Thumb-Turn-Cylinder-Lock---Nickel-35-x-10-x-35mm/p/109882 https://www.wickes.co.uk/Yale-P-ET3535-SNP-Euro-Profile-Thum...

DoreenMichele 7y ago

In recent years, American apartments I've lived in have made it impossible to lock the front door from the outside without a key so you can't lock yourself out, thereby eliminating the need to call the landlord or manager over incidents like that. They have a knob that doesn't have a locking mechanism at all and a deadbolt that locks from the inside without a key, but cannot be locked without a key if you leave.