Why You Absolutely Need Spare Keys (And Where to Actually Keep Them)
Picture this: it’s pouring with rain, you’ve just got home from work absolutely knackered, you reach into your pocket for your keys and… nothing. They’re not there. You check your bag. Not there either. You pat down all your pockets like some sort of deranged mime artist. Still nothing.
And now you’re standing outside your own house in the rain, getting progressively more soaked, realising you’ve got no spare key and no way to get in without calling an expensive emergency locksmith.
Sound familiar? If you’ve never experienced this particular brand of misery, congratulations—you’re one of the lucky ones. But it’s only a matter of time, mate.
The solution is blindingly obvious: have spare keys. Not just one tucked away somewhere you’ll forget about, but multiple spares in sensible places. It’s such a simple thing, yet loads of people still don’t bother until they’re already locked out.
Let’s talk about why spare keys are genuinely one of the most sensible things you can sort for your home, and how to do it properly without compromising your security.
The Bleeding Obvious Benefits (That People Still Ignore)
You Won’t Get Locked Out (Revolutionary, I Know)
This is the big one. The main event. The whole point.
When you’ve got spare keys properly sorted, getting locked out becomes basically impossible. Lost your main key? No worries, grab the spare. Left your keys at work? Not a problem, use the one at home.
Without a spare key:
- You’re calling an emergency locksmith (£100-£300)
- You’re waiting around outside for ages
- You’re stressed, frustrated, and probably cold/wet
- You might end up breaking a window or damaging your door
- Your entire evening is ruined
With a spare key:
- You let yourself in
- Problem solved in about 30 seconds
- Get on with your life
Honestly, the cost of getting a few spare keys cut (£10-£20 each) versus the cost and hassle of being locked out? It’s not even close.
Save Yourself a Fortune on Emergency Locksmith Calls
Speaking of emergency locksmiths—they’re not cheap.
Out-of-hours call-outs can cost anywhere from £100 to £300+, depending on the time and complexity. That’s a lot of money to spend because you didn’t get a £15 spare key cut.
And that’s assuming you can even get someone out quickly. On a Friday night or a bank holiday? You might be waiting hours.
A spare key pays for itself the very first time it saves you from needing an emergency locksmith. Everything after that is pure profit (or rather, pure savings).
Bad Weather Won’t Leave You Stranded
Getting locked out is annoying at the best of times. Getting locked out in absolutely vile weather is genuinely miserable—and potentially dangerous.
Stuck outside in freezing rain? Not ideal. Locked out during a heatwave with no water? Also not great. Standing in the snow at midnight? Absolutely awful.
If you’ve got young kids who need to get inside, or elderly family members who can’t cope with extreme temperatures, being locked out in bad weather goes from “annoying” to “actually dangerous” pretty quickly.
A spare key means you’re never stuck outside in terrible conditions waiting for help. You just let yourself in and get warm/cool/dry/whatever you need.
Stop the Panic When You’re Already Running Late
You know that moment when you’re already running late, you grab your coat and bag, you head for the door, and then you realise—where are your keys?
Cue frantic searching. Checking every pocket. Tipping out your bag. Retracing your steps. Getting increasingly stressed as the minutes tick by.
Without a spare: you’re now properly late, stressed out of your mind, and possibly missing whatever important thing you needed to get to.
With a spare: minor inconvenience. Grab the spare, make a mental note to find your main keys later, and get on with your day.
Life’s busy enough without adding unnecessary panic about lost keys into the mix.
Making Life Easier for Everyone in Your House
Family and Housemates Need Access Too
If you live with other people—family, partner, housemates—having spare keys makes everyone’s life easier.
Think about it:
- Teenagers coming home late don’t have to wake everyone up
- Housemates who forget their keys aren’t locked out
- Kids can let themselves in after school
- Your partner doesn’t need to arrange their entire schedule around when you’re home
Everyone having their own key (or knowing where the spare is) means everyone has independence. No more “what time will you be home so you can let me in?” texts.
Just make sure you all agree on where any communal spare is kept, and that everyone knows who has keys. You want to maintain security whilst also giving everyone the access they need.
Help Friends or Neighbours Look After Your Place
Life happens. Sometimes you need someone to check on your house whilst you’re away.
Maybe you’re on holiday and someone needs to water the plants. Maybe you’ve got a pet that needs feeding. Maybe you’re just expecting a delivery and want someone to bring it inside.
Without a spare key:
- Hide your only key somewhere (probably somewhere obvious, like under a plant pot)
- Risk to your security
- Stress about whether it’s safe
With a spare key:
- Give a trusted friend or neighbour a key
- They can pop in as needed
- No dodgy hiding places required
- Retrieve the key when you’re back
The same goes for tradespeople. If you’ve got a plumber coming but you’ll be at work, you can arrange for them to collect a key from a neighbour or use your spare. Job gets done, you don’t have to take time off work.
Pet Owners: This Is a Lifesaver
Got a dog or a cat? Spare keys are genuinely brilliant.
Stuck at work late? Someone can use the spare to let your dog out or feed your cat.
Going away for the weekend? Pet-sitter can use the spare to look after your furry mate.
Unexpected emergency? You’re not panicking about your pet being alone for ages whilst you sort everything out.
Pets can’t understand why you’re not home. Having a backup plan that involves a trusted person with a spare key means your animals are never left without care, even when life throws you a curveball.
Avoid Damaging Your Own Property
When people get locked out and desperate, they do silly things.
Breaking a window. Forcing a door. Trying to pick the lock themselves with a credit card (spoiler: this doesn’t work like it does in films).
All of these options:
- It costs money to fix
- Compromise your security
- Might cause injury
- They are completely unnecessary if you’ve got a spare key
A broken window needs replacing. A forced door often needs a new frame. A damaged lock needs a locksmith anyway.
Why go through all that when you could just… have a spare key? It’s so much simpler and cheaper.
Actually Useful Scenarios You Might Not Have Thought About
Moving Heavy Furniture or Doing DIY
Ever tried moving a sofa through a door whilst also holding keys? It’s a nightmare.
A spare key means you can prop the door open without worrying about locking yourself out. Makes moving furniture, bringing in deliveries, or doing DIY projects so much easier.
When You Upgrade Your Locks
If you get new locks fitted, get multiple keys cut straight away whilst you’re at it. Don’t assume you’ll remember to do it later—you won’t, and you’ll regret it when you need them.
Sharing Access Without Giving Up Control
Sometimes you need to give someone temporary access—a cleaner, a house-sitter, a visiting relative who’s arriving before you get home from work.
With a spare key, you can provide access without handing over your only copy. Just remember to get the key back when they’re done, so you maintain control over who can enter your home.
Preventing Identity Theft
If your keys are attached to anything with your address on (please tell me they’re not), and you lose them, whoever finds them knows exactly where you live and has the key to get in.
Spare keys mean you can cut new ones and change the locks if needed, rather than panicking about someone having both your keys and your address.
The Security Side: Doing This Properly
Right, having spare keys is brilliant, but you need to do it properly. Otherwise, you’re just making your home less secure.
Where NOT to Keep Spare Keys
Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way. These are all terrible hiding places that burglars check first:
- ❌ Under the doormat
- ❌ In a plant pot
- ❌ Above the door frame
- ❌ Under a decorative rock
- ❌ In the meter box
- ❌ Under a wheelie bin
These are not clever. Everyone knows about them. You’re basically leaving a key out with a sign saying “burglars welcome.”
Where TO Keep Spare Keys
Option 1: With trusted people, give spares to family members, close friends, or reliable neighbours whom you genuinely trust. Make sure they keep them somewhere safe and know not to label them with your address.
Option 2: Proper key safes. Get a decent lockable key safe and mount it somewhere discreet (not right by your front door, where it’s obvious). Choose a good quality one with a proper code, not a cheap one that can be easily broken.
Option 3: At work (if practical), keep one in your locker or desk drawer. If you get locked out, you can go fetch it.
Never, Ever Label Keys with Your Address
This should be obvious, but apparently it needs saying: never write your address on your keys.
If you lose them, you’ve just given someone your key and directions to your house. That’s about as helpful to burglars as you can possibly be.
Use colour coding or symbols if you need to identify keys, but never include identifying information about where you live.
How Many Spare Keys Should You Actually Have?
This depends on your situation, but here’s a rough guide:
Minimum: One spare kept somewhere secure.
Better: Two or three spares in different locations.
Ideal: Enough for everyone who lives there to have one, plus at least two spares stored elsewhere
Think about:
- How many people live with you
- Whether you have regular visitors who need access (cleaners, pet-sitters, etc.)
- How often do you travel or are away from home
- Whether you have elderly relatives or young children who might need emergency access
The cost of getting a few extra keys cut now is nothing compared to the convenience and peace of mind they provide.
Get High-Security Keys if You’ve Got Good Locks
If you’ve invested in high-security locks (and you should—they’re brilliant), make sure you get spare keys cut properly.
High-security keys usually:
- Need authorisation to duplicate
- Require proof of ownership
- Costs more to cut (£30-£100+)
- Can only be made by authorised locksmiths
Yes, it’s more expensive and a bit more hassle. But that’s the entire point—restricted keys mean random people can’t just get copies made. It’s a security feature, not a bug.
When you get these keys cut, get at least two or three spares at the same time. You don’t want to have to go through the authorisation process multiple times.
Common Questions People Actually Ask
“How many spare keys should I get cut?”
At a minimum, two. Ideally, enough for everyone who lives there, plus two spares stored securely elsewhere.
“Should I tell my insurance company I have spare keys?”
Check your policy. Some insurers want to know where spare keys are kept, especially if you have a home insurance “spare key policy.” Being honest keeps your coverage valid.
“What if I lose all my keys, including the spares?”
You’ll need a locksmith to either pick your lock or replace it entirely. This is expensive (£100-£300+), which is why having spares in multiple secure locations is so important.
“Can I get spare keys cut without the original?”
If you know the key code, yes. If not, a locksmith will need to pick the lock first to get the information to cut new keys.
“Should I change locks when someone loses a key?”
If someone loses a key that’s labelled with your address, or if an ex-partner or former housemate has a key, then yes—change the locks or get them rekeyed. Better safe than sorry.
Spare Keys: The Security Advantages You Need to Know
Having spare keys is one of the simplest, cheapest, and most practical things you can do for your home security and your own peace of mind.
For the cost of a few takeaway coffees, you can:
- Never get locked out
- Save yourself from expensive emergency locksmith calls
- Avoid standing in the rain/cold/heat waiting for help
- Give family and friends access when needed
- Protect your pets
- Prevent damage to your property
- Reduce daily stress and hassle
Do this today:
- Get at least two spare keys cut (more if you need them)
- Give one to a trusted neighbour, family member, or friend
- Keep another in a secure key safe or at work
- Make sure everyone in your household knows the plan
- Never hide keys in obvious places
- Never label keys with your address
It takes about 20 minutes and costs maybe £40-£60 for a few decent quality keys. That’s it. Problem sorted.
Don’t wait until you’re locked out in the rain at midnight to wish you’d done this. Sort it now, whilst you’re thinking about it.
Future, you will be incredibly grateful.
Ready to get spare keys sorted? Find a reputable local locksmith, get a few cuts, and store them securely. It’s one of the easiest and smartest things you can do for your home.
