Preparing for an emergency: Who Gets a Spare Key?

Many people hide a spare key outside their homes for emergencies, leaving them vulnerable to intruders. All it takes is one wrong bystander finding out where you hide your key to cause a world of loss. So, it's usually best for someone else to hold onto your spare key. Who should it be?  

Family Members

Family members often seem like good candidates for spare key holders, because they can be trusted. But, how often does your brother go out of town for work? If someone is gone all the time, it isn't going to make sense to leave your emergence set of keys with them. Also, how close does aunt Elsea actually live to you? If she's more than a half mile away, it might be too far. This kinda scratches the family idea, huh?  

Trusted Neighbors

You may have made it this far and decided your family member is the right person to hold your keys. If so, stop reading. If not, consider your neighbors (plural). If you make sure that you have multiple spare keys nearby, you will never be locked out of your home. Of course, make sure you spend some time getting to know one another first and make sure that you can trust each other. In this case, the buddy system is key (pun intended). Trading keys and emergency plans with your two nearest neighbors will provide some much-needed safety in the event that you lose your key or a more serious emergency such as a suspected break-in or a house fire. Creating an emergency plan together will make a safer neighborhood. 

Have A Back-Up Plan

Now that you’ve picked the person responsible for your spare key, what would you do if, in the worst-case scenario, they could not be reached? Or they lost the spare? Or, anything other variables interrupted your emergency plan, what would you do? Most likely you would call a locksmith. Find a good one in your area before a situation like this may arise. Ask about pricing and servicing, ask if they keep copies of their customer’s keys in the event of a future emergency, find out how much it would be to re-key your lock or change them completely.    

Conclusion

We are all human and mistakes happen, especially as a homeowner. Taking these precautions to prevent further disaster in an emergency will bring peace of mind and added safety.