There must always be keys near doors?

[Namechange202323]

im sick of arguing with DH and my parents about this. With UPVC doors that are locked with a key from inside, rather than putting keys on a hook near door, they will take them into the house / upstairs, pockets whatever. Meaning you have to find a key to open the door and/or leave the house! I feel really strongly (from a fire risk etc), that we should always be able to get out and there should ALWAYS be a key at the door. They just don’t care as much and don’t think it matters. Even if it means a visitor is waiting for a few mins while they go get a key. Please tell me they are being ridiculous, and if there are any ideas to make sure key is always there. We have loads of spares and every so often I’ll put all 4 spares on the hooks but within a week they are in pockets / bags etc and need to be found! grrrr!

Every second counts if there's a fire.

I told my brother that the children and I would no longer stay at my mother's house, if he didn't leave the key in the door. I had to explain to him that if there was a fire in the night we would probably burn to death.
After that discussion he left the key in the door.

Do a mock fire drill in the middle of the night, then see how long it takes them to find the keys

YANBU. Fire is a more serious risk than burglary.

Our landlord (a major social housing provider) insisted our front door be a thumb turn on the inside, and our upstairs windows be non-locking. (Back door is key both sides though, but we leave the key inside.)

For the last 30 odd years, we have always kept our keys upstairs - just feels safer. Neither of us have ever lost our keys, coz they're always in the same But it can be a bit of a scramble to find a key if there's a parcel delivery early in the morning 😂

It has to be easily accessible but only from the inside. You don't want people to be able to smash ad get the key

Now imagine there's a fire. Would there be a scramble or would you be able to get out quickly.

Yes that's where we used to keep keys. Everyone knew where they were. Unfortunately the fire started in the kitchen and we were trapped. DH had to go into the smoke filled kitchen to get keys when if the keys had been by the doors we would never have had to go near the fire.

Keys need to be kept next to doors. Or fit locks that can be operated without a key when inside the house.

As someone who was once caught in a house fire, I know that having a key near a door where you know to find it may save your life.

All our windows and doors have keys in the locks. Even to try to insert them in the darkness of a smoke filled room would be difficult..... your family are fools.

Our door and car keys are all kept in a particular top drawer in the kitchen.

it baffles me how many people keep their keys in the kitchen - the room most likely to have a fire.

Exactly! Also if the fire is at night and electricity gone, it’ll be pitch black and you’ll be see risky blind. So the drawer won’t be easy to find.

Totally blind not risky!

You all must live in naice areas, our neighbour was woken up by balaclava wearing gang with a gun demanding keys for their fancy car which terrified their kids for months (and ours) with the noise - this was after putting their patio doors through.

Glow in the dark keyrings are a good shout, will look for some now.

As an eternal scatterbrain I can sympathise with peoples who wander off with keys in pockets. My front doors have a twist lock now and will forever more because I know I know I can’t be trusted with keys!

Keys should be near to the door and easily to hand in an emergency but not so close someone could reach through and grab them.

Not at all. I lived in an area that’d had stabbings and drug gangs... I’d still rather that than be burnt alive.

I always leave my keys in the door I’d rather risk being burgled than burning to death

A lot of home insurance’s stipulations are not to leave the keys in the door or you will invalidate your home insurance

I leave the key in the door. I want to be able to get out if there’s a fire. Double glazing is really difficult to smash
If burglars want the car I rather they got the keys easily without coming for me or the kids. If I didn’t get the insurance money then that’s better than an aggravated burglary

Ever since I lived near a family who died in a fire I left my key in the door. I now know that if you're broken into through a window and the intruder can reach the key on the inside then it's an insurance breach. Not sure of the right solution.

You are right.

The rest of your family are 100% wrong.

The keys need to be left in the doors or in a specific spot right beside them.

I have a back door like this - it's definitely a fire hazard to be locked in and unable to get out again. You do not have time to rummage for a key if a fire breaks out.

We replaced all our windows and the doors a couple of years ago. Composite doors with triple mortice locks and triple glazed windows - difficult (or almost impossible) to break into. I keep the keys in the locks on the inside. I also have small battery operated torches in practically every room. I can't thing of anything worse than not being able find a way out in the event of fire/smoke.

Ours are all on a hook at shoulder height tucked tight on the door frame so you can't see them from the outside.

We used to keep them in the lock of the inside door, but then our fearless, young lady with autism came along...

I worry about burglars, would be terrified of a fire, but know for a fact our little girl would be dead in the road within a week if she could access the keys and escape.

Mine hangs on the deadbolt, which is under the door handle. It can't be accessed by burglars as my letter box is on the outside porch door, and my car keys are on a little coffee table that sits between my hallway and kitchen. That way they're in east reach should I need them in an emergency. My patio keys just stay in the lock at all times, as does the inner French doors leading from my bedroom to the conservatory. unless I'm away and then they come out and are hidden and the French door is locked too and those keys hidden too. Mind you I'd be absolutely knackered if I was in the living room and a fire started in the kitchen. In order to get out I'd need to walk back through the kitchen first. There's no way I'm gonna squeeze my fat arse out of a tiny window