If a burglar wants to get into your house he is unlikely to piddle about trying to get at a key in the door lock, especially when he doesn't know it is there and can't see it from outside. If you have ever tried to get at a key in the lock via a letter box it's not easy! There have been instances of keys being hooked out from hallway tables when they have been clearly visible via the letter box.
If they are stolen from the top of a radiator they will be 'hot' The delay is probably because your daughter has to blow on them first!
Few burglars gain access through the front door. Most in my experience are via back doors and windows which are often less secure, but if keys are found once the burglar is inside the house then it makes it easier for him to open the doors and remove larger items or have an easier escape route if disturbed...that of course includes door locks that don't need keys on the inside so always double lock these when going out.
As mentioned, many front doors lock automatically when pulled to (mine included) hence I always carry a key in my pocket in case I get locked out. I also have a key safe outside. I don't like them but the Council insisted because I live in sheltered accommodation and they may need to gain access in an emergency.
In the past, when I have had doors that lock on the inside with a key I have always left a spare key in the lock when home for ease of access but removed it when going out and hidden it out of view. You can't lock a door with a key from outside if there is a key stuck in it on the inside.
At the end of the day I think it is personal choice but I would sooner a key was easily available than be trapped inside in a fire.
Like a previous poster, I had the misfortune to be in a fire. I escaped with some burns but with the most damage being done to my lungs from inhalation of smoke and burning debris. I am also very security conscious - we had a break-in at a previous address.
I want to feel secure in my home, I want to keep intruders out but in the event that I need to, I want to be able to get out in a hurry.
I live in a rural village but we have had cases of burglary, even when the residents were in. It's bad enough to think someone might come in when you are out, but the last thing I would want is someone getting in when my partner might be there on her own.
Regarding a means of escape, I could lock all the doors with keys and rely on escaping through the bedroom window in the event of a fire but I'd risk injury in a fall from the first floor. If my life absolutely depended on it fine, but I'd rather it wasn't my primary route of escape.
So here is our 'regime' for locking up:
Our front door has a regular Yale lock that needs a key from the outside and can be opened by turning a knob on the inside; we can also lock it from the inside with a 'latch'. We only ever set the latch in the locked position when we go to bed. This door also has a mortice dead-lock which has to be locked or opened with a key from either side; we only ever use this when we are going out and the house is empty. Our front door would be our primary escape route.
Our back (kitchen) door is PVC and has a five-point locking system. It can be opened with the handle from either side unless it is locked with the key. We tend to keep it locked, even when we are in, and leave the key in it on the inside. We take this key out when we go to bed or when we go out and put it in a place out of view from the door or kitchen window. Our back door would not be a viable escape route after we go to bed as we would have to pass the front door and go right through the house to get to it.
For us, that makes sense; we have a reasonably good level of security when we are home and we have our means of escape, should we need it, are relatively easy.
I've kept the best for last: deter burglars by having a visible (and working) burglar alarm; if possible don't hide your downstairs windows and doors by high planting or fencing as this gives a burglar cover while they break in; lock up sheds and garages and especially lock ladders and tools away (a burglar can use your spade to pry open a door or window); get good quality smoke alarms and make sure to test them regularly; change the batteries in them as per the manufacturers recommendations (you may rely on these working properly to save your life so ensure the batteries are good, the older ones will still be fine for a transistor radio etc); get at least one fire extinguisher & a fire blanket and put them on the wall and easily accessible near your 'escape' door from your kitchen (so you can fight a fire from the 'safe' side - only fight a very small fire obviously, otherwise get out and let the fire brigade - and the insurance - deal with it), make sure you have the correct type of fire extinguisher and learn how to use your fire extinguisher and fire blanket properly.
Sorry, that may sound like a rant, but I think when you've had an experience with fire, as I have, you look at things in a more preventative way.
We keep our keys in the door though it is solid.
If burglars want to be in they don't need your keys only a pair of mole grips and a screw driver.
Better off upgrading your locks to snap proof. Lock Snapping
More Lock snapping plus one done in 13 seconds More Lock Snapping
Our front door lock as mentioned in previous post is a 5 point security type but we got the lock barrel changed to a snap proof barrel. It has key entry outside and a knob on the inside which does the same as a key, with holding handle up to engage all parts of the locking mechanism.
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
OH will keep keys in unlocked door until I spot them and take them out after locking door. I never leave keys in lock unless I know I am going in and out a few times as I lock it each time. (Throwback of living on a main road). We were once told not to leave keys in lock as so done could turn them from the outside! Don't know if that's true but it scared me enough not to do it.
At night we always take a set of keys upstairs with us so we can get out and also have a window breaker in case we can't get out of front door.
When I was the manager and also the fire officer for student housing. I was in charge of over 150 flats and witnessed the results of several fires over the years which thankfully never resulted in loss of life but were very frightening. I therefore worked a lot with both the Fire Brigade re fire safety and the Police re security to minimise risk. We had various different sorts of doors and locks on the various blocks of flats so had to come up with a number of strategies.
The advice was not to leave keys in door locks but to have them in a place near the door that all the residents were aware of. As students were notorious for losing keys we ended up putting a spare key 'for fire use only' in a break glass case (they are actually plastic and break very easily) near the front door. This might not be a good look in a normal home but if you really are worried they can be bought for as little as £7 from Amazon etc.
Despite this we also had concerns about keys being left near or in the door so that they could be taken through the letterbox. We also had some issues with thumbscrew locks being undone through the letterboxes so we installed letter cages behind all of the letterboxes. If you get the right design it stops thieves from being able to put their hands or a hook etc through the letter box to open the lock/thumbscrew or take the keys.
The other thing the Fire Brigade pointed out was that if there was a fire that prevented you from getting to the door keys for any window locks should be kept near the windows, especially those upstairs and at home we now have a key kept near each window and we all know where they are.
I used to leave my keys in the door when it was locked, I too have a front door capable of locking me out..
Which of course I did once, took me about 20seconds to get the keys out of the door and into my hand with a short piece of cane from my front garden.......
Never left them in the door again it's so easy and bam keys to the house and car sat on the drive, now they live on a hook by the stairs!
Don't think its already been mentioned, but lots of insurance companies won't pay out on a burglary if the keys are left in the door. I had terrible trouble getting a pay out when I'd left my keys in my back door...burglars had broken a window to get in, but then used the back door to get everything out easily.
My two lads are firefighters and i asked them about not keeping keys in door and they said,keep the key in the door or on a chain if worried about theft.During a fire in a home its not the fire which kills you but the smoke.
People get confused and disorientated.To test this blind fold yourself upstairs and see if you can make it down stairs and open the front door with a key.
In a smoke filled house feel your way with the walls.
A chain on a key can waste valuble seconds as you have to find the key hole although it might prevent theft.
I am completely paranoid about being trapped in a fire, to the point where I have trouble sleeping in a house if I know the doors are locked.
I go for an unlocked door every time, although we have a Yale-type lock on our front door. I got burgled when I lived in a ground floor flat that had a deadlock on the front door, but the burglars broke in through a (locked) sash window, even though they could have walked in the front door!
Quote: Originally posted by mikegalagher on 09/12/2016
Given the incidence of burglary compared to fire, I find that surprising, and totally at variance with official guidance.
Maybe in many places, Mike, but I've been in a fire. I don't know if Fran has, but it is not a pleasant memory. When I had carers coming to help Mum during the night, our house was always unlocked. Our insurers were aware of this but took a relaxed view, no doubt because of the reason and our location.
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
We live on the edge of moors. Despite this, local official advice targeted at our village is still to lock doors. Because the likely incidence of theft far exceeds that of fire.
There'll always be exceptions in really remote areas where there's a medical need and the risk of burglary is lower than the norm.
The solution is simple. A deadlock, thumbwheel operated on the inside, key operated outside. If the door is the exit, the handle has still got to be operated. And the thumbwheel adds about 0.5 of a second to the process.
The original question was not whether doors should be left unlocked; it was whether keys should be left in the locked door.
For the vast majority of situations in most mainland areas in 2016, no-one could recommend leaving doors unlocked. I understand that personal experience of a fire might change the point of view. I can only say that I've had experience of two burglaries. I've never had a fire nor know of anyone who has. It's why the trend with what we used to call Fire Brigades is now as much about rescue in non-fire situations. You rarely hear of fires these days. I know when those rare occasions happen, the outcomes can be very serious, and thus stay in the mind.
But hey, each to their own. I know I could never sleep with my wife and daughters in the house, and unlocked doors. No way.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Keys in door or not?
The delay is probably because your daughter has to blow on them first!
