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Should you leave key in back door?

When you are leaving the keys in the back of the door, you are providing intruders and burglars with an easy way in, consequently invalidating your insurance claim in the event of a burglary. Therefore, you need to remove your keys from door locks and keep them out of sight of potential intruders.

caldersecurity.co.uk - Is it Safe to Leave Your Keys in the Back of The Door? | Tips & Advice

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Keeping your house keys safe is a vital part of home security since they allow access into your property. Losing them doesn’t just cause you trouble and inconvenience but also has a direct effect on the security of your home. They have been used as the primary access control method for centuries and are still largely used by millions of individuals around the world. They are an integral part of our day-to-day lives with every person responsible for at least one set of keys. They are also one of the most commonly misplaced and stolen items, with house and car keys very popular among burglars. Most homeowners prefer keeping their keys in the same spot, usually near the entrance, so that they can quickly grab them as they head out and, although this can be convenient for them, it can also make it easier for criminals to access them.

Quite a few people also leave their keys in the back of the door since they believe it’s much more efficient and easier to remember. But is it safe?

IS IT SAFE TO LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN THE BACK OF THE DOOR?

The simple answer to that is, no. It is not safe to leave your keys in the back of the door, and if you are one of the people who do, you need to rethink your security habits. When walking in through the front door, it is natural to leave the keys somewhere near the door, maybe on a hook or special bowl that you always put them in. This is extremely risky since burglars expect you to do that and retrieve and steal the keys left near the entrance using a popular technique called “fishing”. Fishing is when burglars use everyday items such as the hooks of wire coat hangers to grab the keys through the letterbox on the front door. Leaving the keys in the back of the door is a bad idea for the same reasons and is particularly risky if the front door has a glass panel in or near it. The glass can easily be broken to steal the keys from the lock allowing intruders to gain access into your property. Burglars are also known to sneak around houses looking for easy targets. How do burglars choose a house to break into? One of the first things that they look for, after finding items worth of value to steal, is the ease of access. The easiest way that they use to determine this is by testing the door handle when no one is around. If it is unlocked, know that you messed up and gave an open invitation to petty thieves to target your property. However, it is not enough to just lock your door. What if they turn the handle and, although the door is locked, they hear the sound of keys rattling inside the lock? The sound of rattling keys indicates that the keys are left in the lock at the back of the door. If the keys are there, there is a chance that the burglars will try to steal them through fishing, break into the house, steal valuables along with the car keys, and drive away with your things IN YOUR CAR!

Scary thought, isn’t it?

To prevent that from happening, it is advised to remove the keys from the doors and windows and hide them somewhere out of sight. You can keep them in your room or anywhere that they are easily accessible to you while being inaccessible and out of sight of burglars casing your house as a potential target. It is important to note that leaving keys in the lock may have effects on your home insurance as well. Some insurance policies state specific steps to be followed when locking up to ensure there is no unauthorised access into your property. When you are leaving the keys in the back of the door, you are providing intruders and burglars with an easy way in, consequently invalidating your insurance claim in the event of a burglary. Therefore, you need to remove your keys from door locks and keep them out of sight of potential intruders. You also need to ensure that the door and window locks are being put to full use.

Other than convenience, are there any other benefits of leaving keys in locks? Why are so many people still following the practice even though it is a serious security hazard?

Many homeowners believe that leaving their keys inside locks will provide an easy exit strategy in emergencies such as fires. Instead of hunting around looking for keys, keys inside locks will provide a readily available solution to simply unlock the door and evacuate the premises.

While this may be a good strategy to be used in emergencies, it also encourages burglars to easily break-in. What can you do then?

It is recommended to keep your keys with you in your bedroom, if you do not have a spare, and toss it out the window to the fire brigade to come and rescue you if there is a fire on your property.

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This not only keeps you and your property safe but also covers all insurance points of not leaving your keys inside locks. For added protection against fires, you may also consider investing in a fire or smoke detector to alert you to the earliest possible signs of a fire and help you take the required action without wasting a single second.

BURGLAR-RESISTANT DOORS

While it is very important to not leave your keys in the back of the door or near the entrance, it is equally important to make your doors burglar-resistant since they are your first line of physical defence against burglaries and intrusions. High-security locks are one of the best ways to stop someone from breaking into your house, but you must know that your lock is only as strong as the door that it is installed on. If a burglar can’t pick your door lock, chances are that they won’t give up and instead look for other ways to get in, most likely by bypassing the door entirely. A majority of intruders break into a house through the door, which is why reinforcing them is so important to maximise security around your home. The strength of any door usually comes down to the quality of the locks installed on them and the material with which they are built. Timber, uPVC, and composite doors are three of the best materials for front doors that don’t just look great aesthetically but also provide great levels of security. While door materials and locks are highly important in burglar-proofing the door, there is another vulnerable element that is often overlooked: the letterbox. As mentioned above, burglars use a technique known as fishing where they put long pieces of wire through the letterbox to get a hold of the keys in the back of the door or ones lying around nearby. They may even attempt to unlock the door through the letterbox and make their way inside. This small aspect of the door compromises its entire security and allows burglars to steal and manipulate the locks and keys. To prevent this from happening, you need to install letter plate deflectors and locks to prevent intruders from looking through the letterbox and poking arms, wires, and rods through them.

KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEMS

What if we told you there is a way that you can eliminate the use of physical keys to access your doors and, with it, the security risks associated with them?

Keyless entry systems, also called electronic access control systems, control and manage access through a property using a variety of authentication methods such as access codes, access cards, key fobs, biometrics, and mobile apps. They are made up of several components that include authenticators, readers, digital locks, control panels, and control servers. They offer homeowners control over who enters their property without having to physically open the door, allowing more accessibility to those with limited mobility such as the disabled and the elderly. With these systems, you don’t have to worry about making spare keys and actively look for ways to keep them safe. If you wish to grant access to a family member, friend, or service provider, all you have to do is grant them access by saving their credentials and access permissions in the system and voila, you are good to go! The benefits of keyless access control systems don’t end there. If you wish to remove the access privileges of a user, aka prevent them from being able to access your home, you can simply remove their credentials from the system. That way, even if they use their previously issued credentials, the system won’t allow them to enter since their permissions have been revoked. With traditional keys, you are forced to rekey or replace your locks because simply asking for the key back is not enough since there is no way to know if they have been copied and distributed further. Digital locks are much more secure and far more difficult to bypass than mechanical ones, which makes them great burglary deterrents. Keyless entry systems also allow you to track who enters your home and when; something you could never do with traditional locks and keys. The tracking feature increases accountability and can be particularly useful in the event of a burglary to see which credentials were used and who they belong to. Access control systems also allow you to remotely control and monitor the system from anywhere in the world using a smart device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop with an internet connection. It gives you the comfort of adding and removing access permissions, monitoring and tracking the access activity in your home, and locking or unlocking the entire house with just a single tap/click!

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In addition to keeping your keys safe from easy access and reinforcing your doors and windows, there are several other security measures you can take to prevent your house from being targeted for burglaries:

SECURITY LIGHTS

Burglars hate attention which is why they look for houses that are dark and not well illuminated. This way, they won’t get caught even if they’re taking their sweet time to grab the keys through the letterbox or looking for ways to bypass the door and lock. They also look for dark places to hide out and attack just when the time is right. By placing security lights around your house – front, side, and back – you will be leaving no blind spots or hiding places for the burglars, automatically deterring them from targeting your property. Make sure to install lights near the front door of your house and, for added security, use ones with motion sensors that automatically turn on as soon as someone steps foot under them. With motion-activated security lights, if a burglar comes near your front door to check if it is open or the keys are in the back of the door, the lights will instantly switch on putting all attention on them and alerting the homeowners and neighbours.

BURGLAR ALARMS

Burglar alarms are another great deterrent that draws attention towards the scene of the crime by the use of sounds, lights, messages, phone calls, or push notifications when activated. They use different types of sensors such as glass-break detectors, motion sensors, vibration sensors, and door and window contact sensors that pick up on certain types of suspicious activities and alert the homeowners, nominated keyholders, or the relevant emergency responders. The sensors may be installed near the front door of your house where they can pick up on the movement or detect the door being opened if a burglar tries to gain unauthorised access into your property. There are two main ways that burglar alarms can be categorised: unmonitored and monitored systems. Unmonitored burglar alarms, also called bells-only alarms, use sounders that are sometimes accompanied by flashing lights to raise the alarm. They require to be deactivated manually and rely on either the intruders to be deterred by the loud sound itself or on passers-by to take action. Monitored burglar alarms, on the other hand, have all the features of the bells-only systems with the addition of the alarm being monitored by an external alarm receiving centre manned by security professionals. In the event of an alarm trigger, they are checked and verified and the relevant individuals and authorities are contacted right away.

CCTV CAMERAS

CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) cameras are one of the most popular and effective security measures you can take to secure your property from all kinds of threats such as burglaries, intrusions, vandalism, and other anti-social behaviour. What makes them so great is their ability to allow users to keep an eye on all areas of their property, which works against one of the biggest strengths of criminals; stealth. In addition to monitoring the areas under surveillance, CCTV cameras also record the footage which can be used to identify the criminals and help the police catch them easily and quickly. Placing them near the front door will ensure that any attempts at breaking your door, lock, or accessing your keys are recorded on camera to be used as legitimate evidence against the perpetrators. There are certain best features that you must look for when installing CCTV cameras for surveillance purposes that include a high resolution, a wide field of view, remote access, motion sensors, notification alerts, night vision, and integration with other security systems such as burglar alarms and security lights. Calder Security provides a comprehensive range of security solutions for all kinds of properties that include professional installation, maintenance, monitoring, and repair services for state-of-the-art: We have been working in the security industry for over 40 years and possess the required skill and expertise to not just provide you with the best security solutions but also guide you along the way. We are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA), approved members of the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB), and also conform to all the relevant British and EU Standards. Contact us here or call us on to talk to our security experts right away!

caldersecurity.co.uk - Is it Safe to Leave Your Keys in the Back of The Door? | Tips & Advice

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