When Keys Are Lost

By Allan B. Colombo

Almost everyone at some time will loose a set of house keys; and when it happens, you shouldn't arbitrarily think that your home is safe. Above all, don't rationalize that your lost key is probably laying along some distant roadway or in a far-away parking lot. Instead, it very well may be in someone criminal's hands.

Criminals with foresight will either try to steal your keys from you, or they'll just be at the right time and the right place to see you drop them. Then, after picking them up, they may follow you home or write your license number down so they can later find out where you live. With your license number a criminal can often obtain your name, address, social security number, your profession and other personal facts. All they have to do in some states is pay a fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in your state.

Although you would think that situations like the one just described would rarely occur, it actually happens all too often. For example, a women in a crowded place can easily loose their key ring while they dig through their coat pockets or purse. A woman can also loose her key ring to a good pickpocket who quietly and effortlessly removes them from her coat pocket or purse when she's not watching. Keys also can be mislaid, like at a cash register when while rummaging through a purse.

Men and women both also can loose a set of keys at a health club or public swimming pool. In both cases, their cloths and other personal belongings usually are kept in an unprotected locker. Even lockers equipped with locks are vulnerable to thieves who know how to pick or slip a lock. It's then a simple matter to take the keys and write down the person's name and address, also usually found in a purse or wallet.

Even if a thief who has stolen your keys only knows your name, club members may be listed in a organization-wide directory or the local telephone book. People with unlisted phone numbers are not even safe. There are special phone books that list property owners' names, phone numbers (if available), addresses, and their occupation. This often includes people with the foresight to not publish their phone numbers in the local, public telephone book.

When is a Break In Not a Break In?

When a theft occurs, law enforcement officers usually look for visible signs of entry. When thieves jimmy a door, for example, they leave identifying marks on the door and/or door jamb. When they remove the hinge pins from a door, the door is usually found off to the side dismantled from the door frame. But, when the thief uses a homeowner's own lost house keys to gain entry to a house, no longer is it considered a "breaking and entering" (B&E).

When there is no sign of forced entry, police officers and insurance companies have to ask

• did the burglar have a key?
• did the homeowner negligently forget to lock one of his doors?
• did the homeowner stage the theft?

Without a satisfactory answer to these questions, insurance companies may suspect foul play, possibly causing hem to be less than willing to pay an insurance claim without further investigating the circumstances.

How To Deal With Lost Keys

It's important to act immediately when a house key is lost, just in case it falls into the wrong hands. Never assume that it won't; rather assume that it has fallen into the wrong hands. Also assume that the person who found it knows your name and where you live. To assume anything other is unwise.

Of course, the most expedient thing to do when a house key is lost is to either replace all the door locks into which the lost key fits, or you can have a locksmith rekey them so the lost key doesn't work anymore. Because most homeowners have all their perimeter door locks keyed alike, meaning that one key fits all of them, it is usually more expensive to replace all the locks involved than to have them rekeyed. And rekeying renders the lost key useless to anyone who may now have it. Although either method will cost you money (replacing locks costs considerably more), they also may prevent a criminal from victimizing a family member.

As you can see, having your locks keyed alike presents a problem when a family member looses a key and that one key fits all the locks on a house. Instead of keying all the door locks on a house alike, it might be more expedient to have separate keys. If you do not want to carry a zillion keys on your key ring, then only carry the one or two keys that fit the one or two doors you're most likely to use while entering the house. Then store all the others in a safe, security closet, or a locked file cabinet.

Keyless locks are another alternative to keys that can be misplaced or lost. These locks, no matter whether they're mechanical or electronic, eliminate lost keys by eliminating the use of keys altogether.

Mechanical keyless locks, for example, do not require electricity for their operation. A series of latching gears, a positive locking bolt and a number of combination buttons provide ample security while allowing the homeowner him or herself to institute a new numeric combination at any time without calling in a professional locksmith to rekey or replace their locks. This ultimately can save a homeowner a lot of money, time and aggravation.

Electronic models use complicated, sophisticated electronic circuits and a numeric keypad to determine if a pass code is authorized. These locks require AC/DC power, usually using a plug-in transformer or merely batteries. The lock's electronic circuits then control an electric lock, either mounted in place of the strike place in the door jamb or at the top of the door, unlocking the door.

Both models enable a homeowner, or his representative, to establish a new access code when an existing code has been compromised. Mechanical locks commonly are require a three or four digit code while electronic models use 4 to 6 digit codes.

This feature is both fast and economical when it becomes necessary to change an access code. This type of lock can be configured the very same day that a domestic employee is let go, for example, or after one of the kid's neighborhood friends indicates that he knows your code number. In a business application, this method is useful when employees are left go or fired. These locks are also economical because a locksmith does not have to return to your home to replace or rekey a lock or to institute a new combination number.

Multiple User Locks

High-tech electronics locks often allow homeowners to program more than one code number into them. This is useful because each family member can be given a different number. This is also a handy feature when a neighbor, relative or friend takes care of the house while you're on vacation. This person can be given their own code number, which can be eliminated or changed after you return.

Each combination code in a multiple-user lock is typically referred to as a Personal Identification Number (PIN). PINs might be comprised of four, five or six-digits. Some models allow you to decide how many digits you want to use code by code. Lower-cost models either come with a preset code length or the code length of all the PINs are globally selected at the time of installation.

Electronic models also can be configured so that certain PIN numbers can access select doors, while it's rejected at other doors. The gardener's PIN, for example, might only unlock the barn, garage, or storage shed because these are the only areas where he has any business being. A friend's or neighbor's PIN might provide them access to only one door.

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