Key Safe ( non boaty)

[VicS]

Should I buy one of these

4 Digit Key Safe

Or should I pay much more for one with police accreditation

eg C500 Police Accredited KeySafe™

 

[Iliade]

It depends on your insurer, ask them.

 

[RichardS]

We installed one of the accredited ones outside my Mum's front door for Carer access. It was cast metal rather than folded plate and I don't think that any casual thief with a crow bar would ever have got into it. I guess that it all depends upon what you are trying to protect.

Richard

 

[PilotWolf]

We installed one of the accredited ones outside my Mum's front door for Carer access. It was cast metal rather than folded plate and I don't think that any casual thief with a crow bar would ever have got into it. I guess that it all depends upon what you are trying to protect.

Richard

We did the same after I locked my keys in the house whilst she was at work,the neighbour with our spare key was also at work.

Decided after around $50 of Uber and about 3 hrs of my time we decided the $30 it cost was worth it.

It's hidden away out of sight and only us know where it is and even if so one found its location the pobably would even notice it.

The good thing about ours is its letters rather than numbers so makes it easier to remember combo as a word.

W.

 

[Adrian62]

We have used the accredited one and the cheaper ones on various locations .The cheaper ones are ok but can be fiddly to open and can seize up
if not kept lubricated ,especially in coastal areas. The accredited ones feel more robust and are simple to operate and no problems with corrosion .Both types have done their job .

 

[Seashoreman]

I have to use the Aldi style one with my work visits. They can be a bit fiddly sometimes, whether that is because they are old and worn or perhaps they need oiling at times? I doubt an opportunist thief could get into one screwed to the wall without a stick of dynamite.
However that's a good price and will probably get one myself.

 

[pvb]

If you're going to fit one, probably best in the long run to fit a sturdy one. Maybe pay a few quid more and get the P500 version? Incidentally, you can find the P500 for £45 on eBay.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I've got a simple one from Screwfix; we fitted it when we locked ourselves out once! And I have the comforting knowledge that should I manage to fall over or become ill, I can tell the emergency services how to get in.

The one I've got (which currently costs about £15 from Screwfix) seems to be fine; I can't imagine how a "police approved" one would be better - in fact, I'd be a bit suspicious that a "police approved" one might have a backdoor mechanism to allow the police to open it without knowing the combination, like the locks you're supposed to use on luggage in aircraft. And if there is such a mechanism, you can bet your bottom dollar that the backdoor mechanism is well known to the criminal fraternity!

 

[JumbleDuck]

Should I buy one of these

I fitted something like that to my parents' house to allow carers to get access to my mother. I'm pretty sure that a determined burglar could make mincemeat of it in seconds with a good big 'ammer, or simply by prising it off the wall, since it's only held on by four Rawlplugs. On the other hand, a determined burglar can probably get into just about anywhere in seconds with a good big 'ammer.

In similar circumstances now I would probably look at replacing the front door lock with a digital/smart lock with a guest PIN. I investigated them a couple of years ago and reliability was an issue, but they seem to be getting better now.

 

[Dipper]

I've got the police approved Supra C500.

You really need one that is more secure than your door and is difficult to remove and open by a potential thief. The one I have has sufficient combinations do deter anyone from trying their luck with it. It came with long masonry screws for fitting into brick or concrete. I use it occassionally to check it hasn't siezed up but I don't think it will. It has a protective cover to keep out the weather.

 

[DJE]

We installed one of the accredited ones outside my Mum's front door for Carer access. It was cast metal rather than folded plate and I don't think that any casual thief with a crow bar would ever have got into it. I guess that it all depends upon what you are trying to protect.

Richard

+1. Just done exactly the same for my in-laws.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

+1. Just done exactly the same for my in-laws.

They're very much standard equipment for elderly people requiring regular visits by carers. Avoids someone with limited mobility having to let people in.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I had to remove one left by a p.o. at my Mum's, partly because I wanted to use the holes it left in order to fit another. With the right tools it was easy enough to lever off the wall I'm afraid, so any ne'er do well with time on his hands can take it away and get an angle grinder on it.

I used longer, thicker screws, and accept that it's a weakness.

 

[pvb]

I had to remove one left by a p.o. at my Mum's, partly because I wanted to use the holes it left in order to fit another. With the right tools it was easy enough to lever off the wall I'm afraid, so any ne'er do well with time on his hands can take it away and get an angle grinder on it.

I used longer, thicker screws, and accept that it's a weakness.

I suppose it all depends on your perception of risk. Certainly, a key safe can be attacked with an angle grinder, but it would be much easier just to chuck the angle grinder through a window and walk inside the house. Few security measures will dissuade determined burglars.

 

[bikedaft]

Should I buy one of these

4 Digit Key Safe

Or should I pay much more for one with police accreditation

eg C500 Police Accredited KeySafe™

The dearer one looks similar to all the ones fitted to frail folks houses, for home helps etc to gain entry. (Clydebank.) The cheaper one i have only come across on one house, and is now rusting internally.and basically knackered, after about 1year.

They would all be easy to get off the wall.

The more expensive one looks like diecast? I.e. would be easy to smash with a hammer/brittle. But i have not yet had to do this.

 

[[70521]]

Should I buy one of these

4 Digit Key Safe

Or should I pay much more for one with police accreditation

eg C500 Police Accredited KeySafe™

Do you not hide a spare key down the drain like the rest of us?

 

[DownWest]

Do you not hide a spare key down the drain like the rest of us?

On a nail in the woodshed. Doubt that any scrote would find that in a week of looking. Also our neighbours hold one,as do we for theirs.

 

[LadyInBed]

How about one of these?

 

[Graham376]

Do you not hide a spare key down the drain like the rest of us?

Our spare key is in a jam jar, shallow buried in a flower bed and covered with membrane and slate chips.

 

[duncan99210]

A determined thief will get into an unoccupied house easily via a window or door using a jemmy or brick. He won’t bother trying to open or cut the key safe it might only take a few moments but it’s still longer than simply tackling the door or window. Leastways, that how I think of it.
We let our house as a holiday let through the summer and use a B&Q key safe to enable self checkin. As do just about all the other houses round here. OK, we’re not exactly in a high crime area, nor are the properties attractive to miscreants but with 100 plus properties in the estate we’ve only ever had one break in on the estate over the past few years and the thieves broke the lock on the door, ignoring the key safe.....
I’d go with the cheaper version.