5 Reasons Why You Should Never Leave Your Garage Door Open

Is It OK To Leave Your Garage Door Partially Open?

Sometimes it makes perfect sense to leave your garage door open. In winter, if you like to warm up your car in the mornings, you’re not going to start it and close the door, unless you want carbon monoxide poisoning.

But idling vehicles left unattended, even those ‘safely’ in the garage, are a temptation that few car thieves can resist.

The risk of having your car stolen is just one of the often-serious consequences of leaving your garage door open, even for a short time. Here are a few more.

1. Risk of a Home Invasion

Attached garages that have entry doors to the house are one of the most common ways that burglars gain entry to a home. Leaving your garage door open for even a short time gives a full view of the layout of your garage and how they can get into your home.

2. Animal Infestation

Outdoor critters like to find shelter from the elements just like you do. An open garage door is an invitation to a cozy spot.

3. More Cleaning

Open doors let leaves and debris blow into your garage. And, if you’re like most homeowners, you don’t need anything else making your garage even messier.

4. You Could Be Liable

If your car is stolen from an open garage, you could be liable for injuries suffered by the thieves. A Bruce County, Ontario, garage owner was found 37% liable for the ‘catastrophic brain injury’ suffered by the 15-year-old accomplice of a car thief who crashed the stolen vehicle.

5. The Security of Everything in the Garage

Stolen cars are one thing, but an open garage door is an invitation to take anything in the garage. Thieves can swipe bicycles, lawn mowers, and power tools in just the time it took you to go inside for a drink of water.

We should all start thinking of our garage doors as the first layer of security for our homes. If that first layer is wide open, all the other layers are easier to get through.