Just where is the best place to store your home’s spare key? This post offers a few great tips on where to put it to keep it secure and accessible.
Why have a spare key?
A spare key is always handy for times when you forget or lose your keys. Getting locked out of your home can be a major inconvenience and you may end up having to spend money on a locksmith service to get access into your home if no-one else has a key.
Spare keys can also be useful if you need to ask a friend or neighbour to check on your home while you’re away. For example, if you need someone to feed the cat or water the plants while you’re on vacation, you can give them a spare key, while keeping onto your key.
Where should you keep your spare key?
A key needs to be kept somewhere that won’t be easily accessed by a burglar and that you can access easily. A few good places to keep a spare key include:
With a neighbour you trust
This is a good option, providing that you have a neighbour that you can trust. Try to choose a neighbour that is regularly at home – it’s no use keeping the key with a neighbour who is always out.
In a secure safe
You could place your key in a safe that is attached to the wall outside your front door. This needs to be a secure safe that cannot be easily prized open or broken into. Most safes will require you to enter a unique code to open them – make sure it’s a code you can remember.
In a magnetic box under your car
You could also store spare keys in a magnetic box under your car. This could be a great option, providing that your car is at home when you are at home. Like a safe, this could be opened using a special code.
In a dog kennel
Got a dog? Do they have a kennel outside? Burglars typically don’t target homes with dogs, and if they do they’re going to try their hardest not to alert your dog, which makes the dog kennel the ideal place to put a spare key.
Under an unassuming ornament in your back garden
If you can easily access your back garden without going through your house, consider placing the key under an ornament here. This is most effective if you already have lots of plant pots and garden ornaments – a burglar won’t know where to start when looking for your spare key. Try to choose an ornament that isn’t obvious.
Where should you NOT keep your spare key?
It’s worth noting that there are a few places you should never hide your spare key.
In your wallet
If you lose your wallet, you’ll also have lost your spare key. Many people have ID in their wallet containing their address – if the wrong type of person has your wallet, they’ll also know your address and have the key to enter it.
Under your doormat
This is the first place that every burglar looks. Choose to hide your spare key here and you could be asking for a burglary.
Under a pot on your porch
This is another obvious place and somewhere that burglars will look.
In your car
If your keys are all on one keyring and you’ve lost your keys, you likely won’t be able to get into your car either.
