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Original poster

Are key safes, safe?

57 replies

Mardge · 14/04/2024 12:13

I'm looking at keysafes . But wounder can they just be smashed up with a hammer or simlar then taken?

OP posts:

CormorantStrikesBack · 14/04/2024 19:35

I used to have an ultion smart lock which you could open with an app on your phone or even just set it so it opened when you were like ten meters away. It was initially a god send for teen Dd who was prone to losing keys.

However over time (a few months) the mechanism would get out of synch and yo would hear the lock whirring to the unlocked position but the door was still locked. But was convinced it was unlocked.

Thankfully it had a keyhole as well so if you had your key you were ok but it defeated the purpose. Dh could take it apart, line it all back up again and we’d start again but a few months later same thing. We lost confidence and removed it, was expensive and not good.

Bbq1 · 14/04/2024 20:08

WASZPy · 14/04/2024 12:16

We've just got one and I'm not convinced it's super secure. We live in a very safe area, the key safe is just so teenage DS (who is a latchkey kid) doesn't have to worry about where his key is.

I'm currently wondering whether it will freeze up in the winter. 🤔

Ours is around the side but can be seen from the road. It was first got when mum in law was still alive for us and carers to use as poor mil couldn't get to door. When we moved in, we kept it. Perfect for teenage ds, our cleaner, pet carers when we're away and if we forget our key. It's been there for about 8 years and has never frozen up. It's pretty secure. We also live in a low crime, safe area and it has never occurred to me to think somebody would go to the trouble of smashing it to break in! It's not a concern. We wouldn't be without it.

Bbq1 · 14/04/2024 20:14

We also have alert neighbours and we look out each other a fair bit. Also one busybody, next door but one was twitching her curtains last week and staring out just because my ds was being dropped off by his mate and they were chatting in the car for 5 minutes! She wouldn't miss anything!

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Home improvement

ThatWriterInTheCorner · 14/04/2024 20:24

We fitted one to my late DMIL's house because she was elderly, terminally ill and lived alone. Pretty sure anyone who really wanted to could have broken into it in about a minute. However, we all agreed that the risk of her being locked in her house and needing help from someone outside (ambulance crews, doctors, nurses etc) as greater than the chances of her being robbed. It was regularly used by various professionals who needed to visit her, and it was very useful. But they're definitely not hard to break into.

startingagain202 · 14/04/2024 21:21

flippingflips · 14/04/2024 16:42

We have one. Put a key to the garage in it and inside the garage we hide the house key. I've never heard of one being opened by force irl.

That's what I do too.
I usually use mine just for times I'm going to be out for a short time. but a tradesman needs to let themselves in plus I have an alarm and give the tradesman a unique code each time.
I assume key-safes are fairly easy to break into, but everyone I know has them very well hidden or in very plain sight (therefore neighbours would see anyone tampering with them)

Does it invalidate your home insurance if you leave house keys in there and someone uses them to break into your house?
I know burglary is a very upsetting thing to happen (happened to me before I had my own home) but I don't think my house would be of interest, I have zero items of value and I've got a dog.

startingagain202 · 14/04/2024 21:24

fridaynightdinner12346 · 14/04/2024 18:42

I have one,it's very visible.esp to my neighbours.the dog walker let herself in with it first time took our dog out and 3 sets of neighbours were over asking who she was and what doing: so I'm not oncerned 😂

sounds like my street!

tedgran · 14/04/2024 22:15

We are getting on, 76 and 86, got a police reccomended one. Nowhere to put it so its next to front door and quite visible. It was put up by professional locksmith as strange fitments defeated us! A couple of times after we put it up, we found the front open but they couldn't access the key. I think people assume that it's wireless and could hack into it! Glad we have it.

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