The key of the door

The majority of British residents have had to break into their own homes after locking themselves out, causing an estimated £175 worth of damage each time. What’s more, the majority of British homeowners don’t trust anybody enough to give them a spare key; with only 43% of Britons now leaving a spare key with their neighbours.

The team at windows styling company www.thomas-sanderson.co.uk conducted the study. Participants were spread evenly across each of the UK regions. Respondents were initially asked if they had ever locked themselves out of their home, to which 90% responded that they had.

Of the 68% who found themselves locked out, 54% said that they rang someone they lived with and 30% called their landlord. Those who’d had to break into their own home were asked the estimated damage to the property during the incident, and the average came out at £175 per break in.

Respondents were also asked if they left a key with anyone, to which 57% stated that they didn’t. Of those who did give a spare key to others, the majority were parents (63%), siblings (22%) and friends (18%). Neighbours were far less likely to be given keys, with just 7%, beaten by work colleagues (11%) and even ex-partners (8%).

Of the people who broke into their own homes, the majority were from the North East (28%), Scotland (19%) and Northern Ireland (14%).