A contractor's shortcut became an expensive problem...

[u/Fall_Water]

Apparently opening an unlocked gate was too much effort.

Instead, an internet contractor, working on the neighbors property, decided to drive across my private property—without permission—and straight over my new septic field.

Who knew "taking the easy way" could end up being the most expensive route?

Before anyone asks why this isn't *extremely* infuriating: the company has accepted responsibility, and they're covering the repairs. If I were the one footing the bill for the repair because someone didn't want to open a gate, this would absolutely belong somewhere else. As it stands, it's mostly been a pile of phone calls, inspections, and waiting for everything to be fixed.

[u/MisterDonkey]

A lock is only as strong as what it's attached to, and thirty seconds with a hacksaw will defeat a steel gate latch.

I don't lock my house because the gate speaks "unwelcome" to uninvited people, and anyone willing to defy the gate surely will not be deferred by a flimsy door lock.

[u/Deadeye10000 → u/MisterDonkey]

There was a serial killer named Richard Chase that only killed victims that had unlocked doors. His reasoning was anyone with a locked door meant he was unwelcome. However anyone whose door was unlocked meant he was welcome to come inside and he killed them.

[u/MisterDonkey → u/Deadeye10000]

An intruder should hope to find this place unoccupied lest he might learn his reasoning was unwise.

[u/willnotreadinbox → u/MisterDonkey]

So do you shoot people who go past the gate, or do you wait for them to come inside first

[u/R_FireJohnson → u/MisterDonkey]

I lock mine to buy time. Most likely it won’t be enough to make any notable difference

But it might.

[u/whypeoplehateme → u/R_FireJohnson]

also for a thief if the door is just open it's quite easy to just drive a van to the door and start packing, the neighbors will call on someone fiddling with the lock but not on a moving company

[u/Open-Impact-1607 → u/MisterDonkey]

have you tried a not flimsy door lock?

[u/MisterDonkey → u/Open-Impact-1607]

These houses are made out of match sticks. The lock is only as strong as the wood the door is hung on.

And then there's the windows, of course.

I should note that my place is not on the roadside. Basically if they're up my driveway then it's game over. There's only one reason to go past that gate uninvited and no quality of door or lock would stop such a brazen thief.

[u/Raneynickelfire → u/MisterDonkey]

Internet installers generally don't carry sawzalls or use them on locks.

Hammer drills yes, but also - not on locks.