Are you always losing your keys so have to put them in a place which is convenient and easy to find?
Do you leave a spare key under the mat, plant pot, garden ornament, inside a wellie, wheelie bin, under the back tire of your car?
Do you leave your key tied to a piece of string which is accessible by putting your hand through the letter box for convenience?
Do you leave your house/car keys on the hall table just inside the front door?
Are your keys clearly labelled and hanging on a key rack in a “convenient” and visible location?
Police figures show the number of break-ins throughout the UK where a key was used is increasing – more than 6,000 in 2014 – thousands of families are burgled by thieves using poorly hidden house keys.
Let’s face it if your house keys are left in a convenient and easy place for the cleaner, gardener, a carer, plumber, husband, wife, child to find, they won’t take long for a burglar to find.
Who may have a key to your property? Who have you given a key to? Someone requiring entry to your home while you are out/at work? A previous tenant/owner? Is the key in their possession long enough for them to take a copy? Do you know how many spare keys there are to your property?
Keys that have been stolen or copied are often used at a later date when the home owner is more likely to have forgotten about the incident and become complacent and less likely to make the association with the potential source of the duplicate/stolen key.
So if you think it’s ok to leave that key hidden as its only for a short period of time, or think you have a “really good hiding place”, or because you live in a safe neighbourhood, DON’T!
Never leave spare keys in view of the front door or window. You would be amazed at the techniques thieves can use to access keys through letter boxes/open windows etc.
If you do need to allow someone access to your property while you are not there, ask a friend neighbour or family member to help out.
If you have recently moved into a property we strongly advise you have the locks changed to avoid there being a stray spare key with previous owners/tenants. We can help with this, with our lock replacement service.
If you must leave a key outside, use a police approved key safe and only give the code to people you trust.
On a positive note, while the number of burglaries where a key was used increased last year there was a general decline in burglaries, but please take more care of your keys.
