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I hide my front door key in a combination locked shed for the regular occasions one of us locks ourselves out. It is totally unsecure, you could pull the shed apart with your bare hands and some grunt or even easier rip the window out.
I've started to wonder if I should keep it in a keysafe in the shed. They're not secure, I know but it might slow a thief down a bit. On the other hand once they're in the shed they have time and garden tools to get into it.
But a key is a lot easier to hide than a keysafe, so I fear everything I gain in protection I lose with poor concealment.
Then I thought how about a highly visible key safe with the wrong key in it as a distraction while my key remains hidden. (Or ten visible key safes all with the wrong key...) 😁
Do thieves even bother looking for keys or just break in?
One factor is my property is very overlooked from all sides, a scrote wouldnt want to be fiddling around in my garden for any length of time in daylight.
Flaming; Comedy answers; serious answers all equally welcome.
Leave a spare key with a friendly neighbour?
(Awaits the "your house insurance will be invalid" nonsense)
Then I thought how about a highly visible key safe with the wrong key in it as a distraction while my key remains hidden. (Or ten visible key safes all with the wrong key…)
You joke but my keysafe has my neighbours' key in it and vice-versa.
I have one of those wall mounted key safe things mounted on a wall but hidden up close to a drain pipe and behind a wheelie bin so unless you know its there you are unlikely to stumble across it.
I don't use it much and wouldn't leave a key in there permanently, but seems to be a reasonably secure thing. I ditched the screws and plastic rawl plugs it came with and used proper wall anchors to attach to the wall so you wouldn't be able to prize it off the wall with a screwdriver to something like that. And even if they did prize it off the wall it is a fully enclosed device so you'd need some hefty blows with a heavy hammer to break it open, which is not particularly stealthy for the average burglar. Probably easier to force your way in through the door attacking the door lock as the key safe.
Do thieves even bother looking for keys or just break in?
The scrote that robbed us must've stopped looking for keys when he found a lump of granite to chuck through the window.
We have the spare keys sorted with the neighbours, what I need is how to deal with the kids locking up from inside with key in the lock, then going to sleep or gaming with headphones on and can't be raised by doorbell or phone.
My key is left in the open, on a strut of my porch. No-one would be stupid enough to leave a key out like that, so no-one will look there for it 😛 Been fine for 8 years.
Overthinking, just chuck a key under a pot/stone nowhere near the door.
@Midlifecrashes - Can't you access the Router from outside? Just switch off the internet to gain their attention.
then going to sleep or gaming with headphones on and can’t be raised by doorbell or phone.
Stick a canister of tear gas/legal equivalent in their room and have a remote switch for it mounted by the door (if you are feeling malicious have it next to the doorbell and see how often it gets set off accidently).
For OP I think main thing is not to have the key somewhere obvious eg under mat etc. If it takes more than a minute or so for you to find and get it out I doubt most thieves would bother and would just lob something through the window instead.
I've always been wary of the keysafe things since, er, they're not very:
There's loads round here in town (lots of AirBnB/holiday lets) and I'm surprised more of them haven't been done over.
Our spare/emergency house key is in a tiny backpack on our cat.
We have a tin of cat treats at the back door,shake the tin and the cat will appear in seconds.
It's never failed.
Or
you could always leave a key in a waterproof box underneath an area of decking/woodpile/burnt out car, or just bury it and mark with a small gravestone.
Overthinking, just chuck a key under a pot/stone nowhere near the door.
Get two bricks. Put one right next to your front window and one slightly further away. Hide the key under the one that's slightly further away - thieves will always go for the easiest brick so they won't ever find the key.
Leave a spare key with a friendly neighbour?
This is what we do, we have the keys for several of our friends' houses and likewise they have ours.
I've got one of these key safes. It's down the side of the house, you have to walk around 3 sides of the house to get to it and it's not visible from the front.
I suspect anyone breaking in will snap the euro cylinder in the patio doors (that's what the locksmith did when I locked myself out) or break the double glazing.
I leave mine buried in the summerhouse that’s over the bridge spanning the ornamental lake. I find that thieves will rarely think to look for anything beyond the ha-ha. In any case, most of the time the butler is normally in the house, and unless he’s upstairs in the west wing he will always hear the doorbell.
Agree with the above - your overthinking it.
If they want to get it, they'll just put a flowerpot through your patio door.
Been there, done that.
Had a car broken into while we were in the house and it was parked on the drive. They didn’t bother trying the doors (which were unlocked as partner had just popped in to pick something up, and it was a nice quiet street). Just picked up a cobble from the edge of the garden and heaved it through the window.
Having said that something is always better then nothing unless you live next door to the lock picking lawyer.
The scrote that robbed us must’ve stopped looking for keys when he found a lump of granite to chuck through the window.
Was the key hidden underneath the granite stone?😉
As per a post the other day about locks, most thieves are opportunists, a brick though a windows is quicker than searching for a key
My downstairs neighbour has mine, mostly in case of water leaks or whatever. I have next door's .
I also have a spare buried in the garden in the case the neighbour is out or asleep. Not seen it for about five years, should probably dig it up and check it hadn't rusted away...
Well its about layers of security isn't it. A determined burglar can get through any single measure you take but are they going to spend the time and effort to get through several layers of security.
Firstly are they going to invest the time needed to break into a key lock not knowing if there is a key in there or not?
Are they going to spend time looking under doormats or various rocks in your flowerbeds...I know alot of people who leave keys under rocks.
Ultimately the main way they access houses is either by climbing through open windows, breaking into doors by breaking glass or attacking the hinges or locks so if that is their preferred method of entry they are not even going to be looking for key safes.
The reality is it is unlikely you get random burglars just looking to break into random homes. In recent years the handful of people I've heard of being broken into is almost exclusively to steal car keys so they can nab their car...they're not interested in the contents of the home at all.
In recent years the handful of people I’ve heard of being broken into is almost exclusively to steal car keys so they can nab their car…they’re not interested in the contents of the home at all.
And this is why it's wise to leave your car keys easily accessible by the front door so they don't go rampaging through your house while you and your family are tucked up in bed. If they want it, they're having it, might as well not get yourself done over in the process.
Get one of those Santa door keys, but put your key on it. They'll think you just left the decoration up!
I manage the team that fit keysafes to old people houses for carers and emergency services to use.
We only use the Supra C500 or P500 safe, they are Secured by Design, insurance approved (in most cases) and pretty bombproof. Occasionally our techies have to break in to them and it takes a lot of effort with big power tools, certainly more effort than just lobbing those same tools through a window.
The eBay keysafes you see outside holiday lets can generally be smashed with a hammer. A proper key safe (like those above) will probably be the most secure part of of your house.
Or you could just stick a key under a bit of firewood in the wood store like the rest of us.
you need more spiders... ...mrs poly won't even open my preferred hiding place!
seriously though - if your shed is tidy enough for a thief with no idea where your key is hidden to find it - have a word with yourself! Perhaps put it in an old paint tin or something so its easy for you to find.
I’ve always been wary of the keysafe things since, er, they’re not very:
Have you tried it... I have one (not the same brand - but cheaper) and he makes it look easier than it is. I tried it when that video came out and I think I could probably master it - but I gave up after about 15 minutes. I don't have his special tool so had to fashion one, but I suspect (a) not having his experience (b) not having the same understanding of the internals means I (and therefore your average thief) will just give up and use brute force.
…I know alot of people who leave keys under rocks.
It's okay to do this if the rock is so heavy that no-one can move it. Then the key will be secure.
If you're tech-savvy then a smart (electronic) lock is a great option, you'll need to do your research though as they aren't all created equal!
Has a host of advantages, including the ability to operate it remotely if required, and grant temporary and even day/time-based "keys" for people like pet-sitters & cleaners etc without having to worry about the security aspect of issuing them a physical key.
It's quicker for a tea leaf to lob a stone from the rockery through the big panes of glass in our house than find our secreted somewhere you just wouldn't look, with coded lock as well, spare key.
@zilog6128 what smart lock do you use? (I can't find one which is compatible with our multipoint lock, where you have to push the handle up to engage first)
back on topic - @outofbreath how identifiable is the key, in the shed, as the front door key? There are loads of keys in my shed. I don't know what most of them are. If one was a house key, it would be hard to know which.
key soaked in GT85 and put in a small plastic bag. Left in garden away from door. Safe as.
(Awaits the “your house insurance will be invalid” nonsense)
We discussed this recently and yes, leaving a key with a neighbour will not invalidate your insurance. However, if your neighbour is lax with their security and a burglar gains access to your property with a stolen key then that might.
I have one of those wall mounted key safe things... seems to be a reasonably secure thing.
They're generally about as secure as hanging a key on a hook. I can pop them open in about the time it'd take you to dial in a code you already knew.
As for the OP,
Security through obscurity is probably your friend here. A prospective thief is unlikely to spend a lot of time digging in plant pots and rummaging around in your shed looking for a key when they can easily wang the same plant pot through your back window. I could spend 20 minutes looking for a key or about 5 seconds with a flatblade screwdriver, a cold chisel and a lump hammer to snap the Eurocylinder in half.
If you do want a spare key outside I'd take "well hidden" over a very obvious keysafe any day of the week. Your average scrote is more likely to jemmy it than pick it of course, but they can't do that if they don't know it's there in the first place.
Pro tip: think "where can I hide this?" and then under no circumstances hide it there because your first answer will be the first place a burglar will look.
We only use the Supra C500 or P500 safe, they are Secured by Design, insurance approved (in most cases) and pretty bombproof. Occasionally our techies have to break in to them and it takes a lot of effort with big power tools, certainly more effort than just lobbing those same tools through a window.
This ☝️☝️ that’s standard local authority keysafes , pretty much as frank says bombproof .
most often used for multi agency entry where the person has mobility issues .
we used to use them on void properties , ive noticed the modern housing associations use the cheap e bay stuff, worse than useless , personally we stash ours , but we do have a loud dog 🐶
Why not have a keysafe with nothing in it and the key placed somewhere else? Would a thief spend time opening a keysafe, to find it empty, then think... "hmm, now where's that key then?!".. or just preseume you don't leave one out? or... are not all thieves the same?
And this is why it’s wise to leave your car keys easily accessible by the front door so they don’t go rampaging through your house while you and your family are tucked up in bed. If they want it, they’re having it, might as well not get yourself done over in the process.
Exactly what the police told our neighbours who were broken into. They kept their keys in their bedside table drawers but as you say, that just invites a simple case of car theft to be escalated to something potentially more serious. That's what car insurance if for.
It’s okay to do this if the rock is so heavy that no-one can move it. Then the key will be secure.
The irony is they're more likely to pick up the rock that hides the key and use that to break in through a window not realising there is a key under there at all.
You can only take reasonable and sensible measures. If someone is determined to break in, they will.
Our emergency key is in the electricity meter cupboard.
Just here to make some notes of where people keep keys.
Genuine advice, unless you are confident you live in a very low risk are don’t leave a key or use those crappy key safes. If people have a spare key they’re easy to find within minutes for anyone with experience, I’ll not say how or where. That said unless you’ve got really good modern locks the locks are almost pointless anyway.
Someone once suggested putting it in a tin of paint. You know it's there in an emergency, but no thief is going to stick their hand into the bottom of a tin of magnolia on the off chance the keys in it.
☝️☝️ i live on a council estate where burglary is almost unheard of , that said , we do have the odd pilferage among people known to each other , but that’s self contained , the real asset is the community, no one gets away with much .......wealthy areas have way more problems , student areas are open ground virtually, real lack of awarensss among young kids , who’ve no doubt mostly led very sheltered / cosseted existences ..
If people have a spare key they’re easy to find within minutes for anyone with experience, I’ll not say how or where.
Damn,so my bark coloured key,cable tied half way up the back of the apple tree is high risk 🙁 😉
If people have a spare key they’re easy to find within minutes for anyone with experience, I’ll not say how or where.
Have you got an apple tag on your spare key or something.
I'd eat my hat if anyone found my spare key in minutes - hell I'd give them an hour and more so there would be fun seeing if they worked out what it opened . I'm sure they would have resorted to their A. Plan of a brick before they worked that out.
Obvious plant pot is obvious.
Put this by the front door and leave the real key under a flowerpot.
Will that jar be accompanied with pampas grass?
Aye the thief will just think the house is rather "busy" with that outside the door.