DNA Security July 27, 2021 News

Whether they’ve been misplaced, stolen or lost, no longer being in possession of your house keys can strike fear into you. When worried, we tend not to think straight and struggle to make well-judged decisions. To prevent you from leaving the door potentially open to anyone for an elongated period of time, we have created a guide on the actions to take if you ever find that you’re without your house keys.

Call for help

Depending on how you lost your keys, there will be different starting points to take, in all of which you should remain calm and focused on the end goal of protecting your home.

If your keys were stolen from you, you should make a call to the police and other emergency service if any harm was caused. Try to remember the identity of the thief, allowing them to be tracked and your keys (hopefully) returned to your hands.

If you have misplaced your keys, you should firstly call for a locksmith. It may be that you left them indoors, but what if you left them in the trolley at your local supermarket? You will want to have your locks changed as soon as possible, preventing any attempted break ins from occurring whilst you’re running around tracing your steps.

Changing the locks

Once you have arranged for your locks to be changed, you should make your way back to your property and wait outside for your locksmith to arrive, keeping an eye out for any suspicious passing activity. It may be that someone has possession of your keys and is now locating your property. If you feel unsafe or notice anything alarming, call for help from either a neighbour, family member or emergency services.

You should inform any other residents within your property that the locks are changing and that their keys will no longer grant them access into your home. Once the change-over is completed, you should take the key to be cut and copied yourself, allowing you to know exactly how many keys will allow access into your property. You shouldn’t rely on anybody else to carry out this action.

Think about what was on your keys

Once the changing of your home locks has been sorted, you should think about what else can be found on your missing keyring. If collected by someone outside of your circle, they could be granted access to whatever your keyring possesses. A fob into your workplace? A key into your neighbours property? Maybe even a car key? You should inform anyone that may be affected by this to contact a locksmith and have their locks changed also. It is likely that you have a spare car key within your property so, when you are able to, you should locate this and install a wheel lock or other security measure to your car until you have spoken to the police and discussed the actions to take.

Check your insurance policies

It is always worth checking your insurance policies. Some can cover the cost of a lock change or key-cutting in the event of lost or stolen house keys, so you may not need to be out of pocket. This may even stand for the keys to your vehicle. It’s always worth a check!

Implement safety measures to your home

If the missing keys have brought fear to you, causing you to flinch at any outside noise or lose sleep in the night, it could be beneficial for you to install some safety measures. From external motion-activated lighting to CCTV cameras and intruder alarm systems, you will be able to relax within your home. You should also inform your neighbours, allowing them to act accordingly if they notice anything suspicious.

Here at DNA Security, we specialise in protecting homes and homeowners through the use of our extensive home security measures. To speak to a member of our team for advice on what to do if your keys have been misplaced or stolen, or to find out which home security measure would benefit your property, get in touch today. Give us a call on 01424 718 844  and we will be happy to help you feel secure in your home.