Can a key safe invalidate my house insurance?
Are you thinking about getting a key safe but feeling unsure of how it may affect your house insurance? As the company who brought key safes to Europe, let us help you make an informed choice.
At Key Safe, we are dedicated to developing the most robust key safes to improve home security. A wall mounted key safe is a great idea for offering secure access to your house but it’s always good to check if having a key safe will impact your home insurance.
The impact of a key safe on house insurance
Knowing if your insurance policy covers the way you share keys with family, friends and third parties can be a complex matter. This is because house insurance policies differ in how they assess risk in support of a claim. Whilst it’s obvious that sharing a key by putting it under an outdoor mat or plant pot is not deemed to be secure, the underwriters’ position is a little less clear when it comes to using a key safe for your home. Whilst the word ‘safe’ in ‘key safe’ suggests security, this can be misleading as not all key safes are equally safe. The truly safe key safes will be backed by independent security experts and will sport official third-party certifications like the police preferred specification from Secured by Design. Beware of the cheap products that have no security standard – these are more of a key box than a secure storage vault and are easy to break into. Read our 2023 Guide to Key Safes to find out about the different security levels of our key safes.
If you’re worried that your key safe can invalidate house insurance, it is always best to check what your policy states about key safe or lock box specifications. Some home insurance policies cover locks and keys in some detail but may not expressly mention key safes in which case you should call your insurance provider for clarification. The well-known insurance comparison site Go Compare have pulled together some helpful advice on the impact of key safes on house insurance.
Check your key safe is police preferred for house security
For optimum house security, it is important to choose a key safe that has been approved by the police with their ‘Secured by Design’ Police Preferred Specification. We have several key safes that have been police preferred (formerly referred to as 'police approved') and our supply of key safes is always safety-first. Here are a few things to look out for if you’re looking for additional assurances and peace of mind.
Look out for 'Secured by Design' Police Preferred Specification if you want a police preferred key safe for your home
Secure key safes certified to LPCB standard
LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) works with the security industry and insurers to set security standards. Key safes with an LPCB certification have been vigorously tested to make sure they are secure and perform effectively. All LPCB tested key safe products and compliant manufacturers are listed in their Red Book which is available online.
The standard which deals with key safe security is called LPS1175 (Issue 8 being the latest). There are different levels of security offered by the standard. We recommend that you opt for products with a minimum of LPS1175 A1 standard or above (e.g. LPS1175 A5 or A10). All of our key safes in our police preferred range have attained the LPS1175 Issue 8 A5 certification, or higher. Specifically, ark Tamo is the first and only push-button key box to be certified to the A10 level, making it the most secure device of this type.
A higher number of code combinations means higher house security
Typically, push-button key safes will feature a number of buttons that can be pressed once to form a multi-digit code. The higher the number of single-press buttons on a mechanical key safe for your home, the more possible code combinations you will have. This makes it extremely difficult to compromise a key safe by guessing a code. At Key Safe, we have taken security to a while new level with ark Tamo: it features patented multi-push technology where each button can be pressed up to 4 times, resulting in over 9 million combinations. If you're looking for the ultimate in code security, opt for a key safe with a multi-push button feature or one that has at least 10 push buttons, as well as a physical attack standard such as LPCB certification or Police Preferred Specification (and ideally both).
UK’s most secure key safes come from The Key Safe Company
To reduce the risks of home access using a key safe, the best advice is to choose the most secure key safe on the market. Currently, ark Tamo holds the highest security rating for a mechanical key safe, closely followed by Supra P500 Pro and Supra C500 Pro key safes.
If you require further advice on how to select the best key safe for home security, please call us on 0330 060 0303.