Advice on when you've lost your Keys

LOST OR STOLEN KEYS

If your Keys are Lost or Stolen what should you do?

Lets focus on where the best available advice is:

• The Police
• Your Insurance Company

This is general advice given without knowledge to your specific situation, the Police and Insurance Companies are always willing to advise you.

The Police give Common Sense Guidance to you about Securing your Home, Take Heed.

The Insurance Companies have a Contract with you, they only Insure you if you comply with their requirements, read the Policy carefully to check that you are complying before you have to claim.

KEY(s) STOLEN

All Insurance companies require Policyholders to Indemnify them (Insurance Company) against Loss, so if your Key for your Home has been Stolen and you do nothing about it  and your Home is  Robbed by someone using the Key, then you are not Indemnifying your Insurance Company and it is likely they will not Pay your Claim.

KEY(s) LOST

If your Key has been Lost and there is some Identification with it: 

You should Change the Lock.

If your Key has been Lost without any Identification and you don't know where you Lost it: you might have Lost it near your Home, Someone who knows you may have seen you drop it or you may have left it in the Door after you Locked it and someone has kept it.  If you don't change your lock you are taking a chance, if you do nothing it may be OK but the best advice is:

Replace your Lock(s).

MOVING HOME

You will be expected to replace external Door Locks if moving to a new Home if it has the same keys as the previous owner.

It is a fair assumption that the previous owner may have had duplicate Keys made or have left a Key with a neighbour, whether they are Honest or not the best advice is to the Replace Locks if there is a possibility that a Stranger has a Key for your Home.

INSURANCE CLAIMS

The Police & Insurance Companies have an open channel of Communication between them, which means that anything concerning an Insurance Claim that is reported to the Police, the Insurance Company will have access to that information if they require it, and vice versa for the Police.

If your Home is insecure due to an Incident, Do what is necessary to secure your Home, or at the least have a responsible Adult stay in the property until repairs are made and Always report any attempted Break-in to the Police & Insurance Company otherwise it may affect future Claims.

CRIME PREVENTION

The Police have Crime Prevention Officers in all area’s of the UK and their services are free of charge, contact any Police Station for Details or to Speak to a Crime Prevention Officer.

The Crime Prevention Officer will come to your Home by appointment and advise you in all aspects of Crime Prevention and Security.

(The Crime Prevention service is available for Businesses also)

Always be looking to improve your Security, if a Thief came down your Street looking for an opportunity would he walk past because there are easier targets? Or would he Stop.

AREAS OF SECURITY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• Locks
• Alarms
• Security Lighting (external)
• Security Lighting (internal with time switch)
• Gates & Fencing