Do you know where you left your keys?
According to recent statistics, it has been revealed that Brits have shared nearly 20 million spare keys with neighbours, friends, family and trade professionals, and subsequently lost track of them.
With these worrying statistics coming to light, we have to ask ourselves the question; do we really know who has the keys to our home?
In 2016, keys were named as the number one most commonly lost item for UK adults and we continue to be quite haphazard about who we give them to and where we keep them.
Leaving keys in accessible areas makes it easier for intruders to break in with statistics showing 30 per cent of burglaries occur through a front door, either through forcing the door open or through using keys left in ‘safe’ areas, including under plant pots, mats and even in flower beds.
We are also more at risk of being targeted by criminals when we move into a new home. Sold signs, removal vehicles and other tell-tale signs can alert local burglars in the area, and they cunningly know that your security measures may not be at their most effective at this time.
According to the Home Office, figures have highlighted that you are almost twice as likely to be burgled in the first 12 months of being in a new home and this is partly due to the fact that homeowners have no way of knowing exactly who has the keys to their new home.
To try and combat this issue, the security experts at Yale have shared their top tips to keep your home secure against thieves.
Installing a superior strength cylinder
With the number of burglaries occurring with stolen keys on the rise, replacing your locks’ cylinder is one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods of protecting your home from intruders. With each household in the UK said to have lost at least two spare keys on average simply upgrading the rim cylinder in your nightlatch will mean all of those spare keys will be null and void.
Keep spare keys within the family
If it’s necessary for you to offer out spare keys, make sure to give them to more trustworthy members of your family, it may seem simple, but this will mean there is less chance of them going missing.
By making sure you have noted exactly where your spare sets of keys are, you reduce the risk of misplacing them and ultimately reduce the risk of a burglary.
Hide and (no) seek
One common mistake is that we often underestimate the intelligence of thieves. The truth is, intruders have had plenty of practice and they know exactly where to look. Keep keys out of reach of burglars, particularly keeping them away from letterboxes and windows as this makes easy pickings for opportunists to enter your home without the need to break in.
Out-smart the criminals
There’s also the option of trying an even smarter solution by investing in a Smart Door Lock. Often connected to your smartphone via an App.