Nearly 20 per cent of Brits hide keys to their home within 10 feet of their front door and according to new research, ‘lost’ house keys may also result in secondary car thefts.
A recent study from home insurance provider Esure has found that that the most common hiding place for house keys is under a garden rock, followed by plant pots, underneath door mats and also under car tyres .
Thousands of Brits have their house or car keys stolen every year, however many neglect to change their locks afterwards. Others have also admitted to not changing their locks after losing a set of house keys, even when a number have revealed they kept an address tag on them.
AA Insurance claims that there has been an increase in car thieves stealing car keys from people’s homes, with more than 50 cars stolen every day in the UK following a burglary. In 2008/2009, there were 19,400 car keys stolen during burglaries and 2,700 car keys stolen during personal robberies. As burglars target homes with a view to stealing car keys, experts are urging home owners to avoid leaving house keys in a supposedly secret hiding place outside their front door.