10 Things To Do When A Stranger Knocks On Your Door

 

Here are a few ideas how to handle a situation where someone (a stranger) is knocking on your door. It happens to all of us, sometimes somewhat regularly. That is, we here an unexpected knock on our front door. The question is, what do we do?

Open the door
NOT the best idea (maybe the worst?)… Some people blindly open the door to see who it is or what it is that they want. I mention this only if you know the person on the other side.

Ignore the knock on the door
While ignoring the knock, you may want to go about your normal business and NOT pretend that you are not home, but instead continue to do what you were doing, or even make some noise or turn on a light so that the person knows that someone IS home (possibly avoiding a burglary).

Look out a window first to see who it is
Avoid looking out a door window, but instead go and look through another window away from the door if possible. If you don’t recognize them, you could shout through the door and ask what they want, or you could choose to ignore them altogether.

Arm yourself
…just in case. If you don’t own a firearm, consider pepper spray, keep a baseball bat or golf club by the door, pick up a fireplace poker, etc.. It’s your life – don’t waste it.

Set the door chain
…and crack open the door to speak to the person through the gap. Be sure that your door chain is set well with LONG screws into the door frame to help resist a ‘push in’.

Ask what they want
…and ‘interview’ the person through the closed door. You may consider installing a heavy duty security door (the kind with steel bars) outside of your existing front door so that you can see anyone who comes to the door and talk to them ‘securely’.

If you are a woman at home alone,
…mention that your husband (or father, if you are young) is fixing the bathroom faucet and cannot be bothered right now (or something similarly indicating that a man is at home).

Have an intercom speaker system
…at the outside of the front door for 2-way communication

Have a security camera
…to see who is at the door (and to deter a potential burglar). Having a sign indicating video surveillance, is a good deterrent.

Have a dog
…and allow the barking to ‘tell’ the solicitor that a dog lives there too.

In today’s world, it is always better to be on the safe side and NOT blindly open the door for anyone. The few thoughts listed above are just a sampling of many options for you when someone knocks on your door. The point is, think about your options and be prepared with a plan of action.

Remember that people can be dressed to impress but they may have ulterior motives. People may be wearing official looking uniforms while actually ‘casing the joint’. You are NOT obligated to let anyone into your home (except for police with a search warrant). Use your head and be cautious and suspicious. It may save your life or property.

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