Hiding a Spare Key Under Your Doormat? It’s the First Place Burglars Will Look!

Updated: Feb 8

According to police reports, thousands of burglaries don’t involve a forced entry. Instead, the burglars simply let themselves in using a poorly hidden spare key. So if you have a habit to keep a spare key on your property, you better come up with a better solution than hiding it under the doormat. It’s the first place where burglars will look.

Other worst places to keep a spare key include:

Under a plant pot

Especially if it’s near the front door. So you know that the doormat is a bad hiding place. However, a plant pot is an equally bad idea – especially if it’s located near the front door. According to the Telegraph, however, it is the most popular hiding place for nearly one third of Britons who are leaving a spare key on their property. Almost one in five homeowners mistakenly think no one will look under an unimpressive plant pot.

Under the bin

Ending up second at 13 per cent, bin is another obvious hiding place. The burglars may not head to it first but you can be sure that they will look under the bin if they don’t find a spare key under the doormat, plant pot and other most popular hiding places such as the next one on the list.

Under a rock, fake stone or garden ornament

Sharing the second place with the bin (13 per cent), under a rock or fake stone is another place the burglars will for surely look before deciding to use force to enter your home. They will also look under garden ornaments such as a garden gnome which is at 8 per cent the fifth most popular key hiding place.

Inside the mailbox, in the garden shed and even in plain sight on a table or hook at the door

Britons who don’t even bother to hide the key say they think it’s OK because it’s only for a short period of time. Furthermore, as many as 20 per cent of people say they simply leave their door unlocked.

There is No Such Thing as a Good Hiding Place

Leaving a spare key on the property is a bad idea, no matter how well you think you’ve hidden it. First, someone can see you hiding it and second, it can accidentally be found by the “wrong” people anyway. Needless to say, it is also a bad idea to leave your door open, even if you live in a safe neighbourhood.

But why keep a spare key on the property or leave the door unlocked? The most commonly cited reason is so that family members and friends can get inside, followed by “in case of emergency” and “in case they lose their keys”. The mentioned reasons might sound justified to some degree, however, there is a better and above all – safer – solution for all cases. If you want to make sure that your family or friends can enter your home while away, simply give them a spare key. For emergency cases and in the event you lose your keys, call the Locksmith Services and ask for emergency locksmith.

Feature image credit: MultifacetedGirl/Shutterstock