General Chat

Do you leave keys in locked doors and windows to deter billy burglar from using a screw driver etc. or do you remove them?

Remove them otherwise the glass could be broken and then keys turned.

I hide all keys (but take my set with me).

Leaving them in the lock deters Billy Burglar? Didn't know that. It certainly stopped me from entering the house once when a spare key had been left in the lock. Had to call out the lock-smith - expensive trip to the shops that turned out to be!!! :-( :-(

Statistically it is reckoned that Billy Burglar's last resort is to break/smash glass, since the noise attracts attention especially at night.

When I am not away on holiday I leave the key in the back door...my reckoning is that if there was a fire I don't want to be fumbling around looking for a key to get out, especially at night in the dark.

Thanks for all responses. I also leave keys in a door at night for the same reasons as you Karen. It was just a thought as to what is the best thing to do - there are so many differing opinions. The same thing occurs when - to close curtains or to leave open. Even the Police had different ideas. I think the best thing is to not go on holiday, stay at home LOL

If the key is left inside our front door we couldn't get in ourselves. Our front door faces our neighbours', they have a spare key and check the house twice daily, lower blinds etc and raise them in the morning. We also leave lights on timers and a radio on a timer. We don't leave keys in windows and leave the keys out of reach if a small window was broken.

I went on holiday for three months.

Put deadlocks on the doors, locks on the windows. Valuables were either with me (some jewellery) other items like TV etc I stored at my Mother's house.

Thieves broke in....... by removing the kitchen window. The whole window, including the frame!



:-(

Years ago our insurance company said that we would not be covered for a break in if we had left the keys in the inside of the doors and windows.

I take mine out and leave them out of reach and out of sight.

If a key is left in the lock it is quite easy to break in.

We leave keys in the doors at this house, but not been anywhere for 5 years....old house only had one door yale lock so no keys inside.

The bedrooms and lounge only have fanlight windows, kitchen and bathroom have larger windows with locks, but have no keys, so not locked.

when I had a pub we were burgled after two days of being there....thieves got through a wooden fanlight window that had a screw lock on the window stay....local paper reported the incident more or less saying it was our fault :-S think we should of had bars at the windows :-)

NEVER leave keys in doors.

Lock up, place keys out of sight.

Have never heard of anyone leaving keys in a door, to me that seems to be asking for trouble. Just makes things easier for any burglars. :-S

And when at home, NEVER leave keys on a table in the hall, even when you are home. The burglars nowadays, use a fishing rod to hook the keys and use them to either steal your car, or break into your house while you are in bed.

If you go away a lot you can have special locks put in wooden doors that can only be opened with a certain type of key, my elderly neighbours had it done after they had a break in.


I used to do a lot of 'housesitting' when I lived elsewhere, would go and open and close curtains at appropriate times of day, lights on and off etc and make sure post was moved away from doors so no one could look through and see a build up, did as much as I could to make houses looked lived in when the owners went away.

DazedConfused, you don't need a fishing rod, a wire coat hanger does the job lol I know as I once locked myself out and had to get coat hanger from a neighbour to get myself in again.


Lizx

I think if someone wants to get in they will.

2nd time we were burgled they got in through a sash window that had big long screw locks through the middle of the frame and we were sleeping in the room above it at the time. This was a listed building so couldn't really do anything about the windows and the crow bar

I put all keys out of sight too.

We had an attempted break in a few years ago when our car keys had been left in the kitchen but I heard them moving garden furniture and disturbed them.
I came downstarir to find that a garden chair had been placed under the kitchen window

It was during a spell of break-ins in our area,
The thieves used a thin, extendable pole with a grabber and a magnet on the end.
They fed it through the letterboxes and slightly open widows to lift keys from tables, bowls and hooks.
They were after cars!

Errol,
you say "If a key is left in the lock it is quite easy to break in" ......wish I knew how, could have saved myself the locksmith's £60 call out fee :-0
Perhaps you could PM me and let me know :-)

I must have a similar door to you Karen, if key is left in and door shut behind you, there is no way of getting back in, even if you have a spare key....It has always worried me.

Agree with all above.

Yes, hide your spare keys when you are out or away.

But at night I think you should leave the keys in the lock in case you need to get out in a fire.

My parents are terrible for security, they have wooden doors with so many bolts and chains....which are also on during the day whilst in, that if an emergency happened it would take forever trying to get out.....they do not live in a dodgy area either

As I said earlier we were burgled three times (twice while I lived there) and each time they came in through a window and to be honest the doors were not that secure

Having read through all of the above. I am amazed at just how unsafe many of you are.

PLEASE

Contact your local Police Station and ask for a community officer to come round and advise about making your home more secure. They can tell you if the locks you have on your doors and windows are appropriate. And about locking garden sheds etc.

It is well worth doing, and you could then contact your insurance company and possibly get a slight reduction in your home insurance!

That is the only reasonable way you can feel that your security is up to scratch.

Do Not contact a security firm, they will try to sell you all sorts of stuff that you probably do not need.

Who is unsafe DC?

Maybe you have problems where you live, but I don't need to make my house like Fort Knox

Where do you suggest we hide our keys incase of fire?

Oh by the way we only have the one set, my parents have the other incase I need them