Why hiding spare keys under doormats is outdated – and the safer trick locksmiths use at home

The key lay exactly where everyone expected it to be. Under the doormat, edge poking through cracked rubber, the hiding place inherited from a parent who swore “nobody will think to look there”. The locksmith who’d been called to change the locks after a break‑in didn’t even bend down. He just nudged the mat with his boot, sighed, and held the metal up like evidence.

We still want the comfort of a backup key, a silent promise that we will not be locked out, that the day will not unravel because of a forgotten bundle on the kitchen table. What has changed is how obvious our hiding places now look to anyone who has ever watched a crime documentary, scrolled TikTok, or spent a bored afternoon as a delivery driver.

The trick thieves use is simple: they assume you follow the script your parents did. The trick good locksmiths use is even simpler: they assume that script is public, and then quietly write a new one.

Why burglars know your hiding place before you do

Think of the classic spots: under the doormat, in the flowerpot, on top of the door frame, inside the fake rock from the garden centre that looks suspiciously newer than the rest. Thirty years ago, these hideaways felt clever. Today, they are chapter one of every “how I got in” story ex‑offenders tell security researchers.

We underestimate how fast knowledge spreads. A video of a tradesperson lifting a mat and finding three spare keys can clock up millions of views before lunch. Forums swap tips on likely hiding spots by house type. A semi‑detached with a small front garden? Check plant pots by the step, magnetic boxes on the gas meter, that hollow in the brickwork by the gate.

From a burglar’s perspective, this is low-effort, low-risk scanning. A quick feel under ledges, a tap along the frame, a glance at obvious spots. If nothing turns up in thirty seconds, they move on or change tactic. If something does, there is no smashed glass, no noise, no sign of forced entry. Your insurer reads the report and quietly wonders why the lock failed without a mark.

The core problem is not the key itself; it is its predictability. A spare that lives in an obvious radius around the front door is less a safety net and more a standing invitation.

The nervous system of your home: how risk really moves

Homes have patterns just like people do. You step out, close the door, pat the pocket, and feel your stomach drop. Heart rate spikes, palms heat, the day suddenly narrows to this one problem. In that moment, the old script-“there’s a key under the pot”-feels like salvation.

Locksmiths see the other side: the quiet background risk that runs all day while you forget that key exists. A house with an outdoor spare sits a little more “on”. Not for you-you stopped thinking about it months ago-but in the risk math of your street. When someone goes testing handles, your doormat is part of their decision tree.

Modern security thinking treats your property more like a nervous system than a static object. There are high‑sensitivity areas (doors, windows, side alleys), background signals (lights on timers, visible cameras, a car in the drive), and yes, the equivalent of exposed nerves: easy keys. Combine an obvious hiding place with a basic cylinder lock and flimsy door, and the whole system buzzes at a lower threshold.

Locksmiths talk about “layers” rather than gadgets. If one layer fails-say you slam the door with your keys inside-another takes over without exposing the whole system. A spare key can absolutely be one of those layers. The question is where it lives, and who it quietly invites.

The safer trick locksmiths actually use

Ask a veteran locksmith where they keep their own spare, and you will rarely hear “under the mat”. What you get instead are variations on the same theme: distance plus control.

One keeps a spare in a lockable key safe bolted to a side wall, code shared only with a sibling and updated every few months. Another has a key with a trusted neighbour and a digital lock on the back door that can be opened with a short, one‑off code if the neighbour is away. A third uses a small safe box tucked out of sight in the rear garden, behind a locked gate, not the front step.

The pattern is clear. The modern “spare key trick” is to assume that sooner or later, today-you will forget something, and to design for that, not against it. Instead of hiding the key in the most convenient place for a future you in a panic, you place it where:

• A casual opportunist cannot reasonably stumble across it in under a minute.
• A trusted human or controlled system stands between the key and whoever wants in.
• Access leaves a footprint-a conversation, a code use, a neighbour who noticed.

Think of it as moving from “secret” to “managed”. A doormat key relies on nobody guessing your secret. A small, code‑protected key safe relies on a combination you can change, and the fact it tells a would‑be intruder: this house has thought about security.

Practical options that beat the doormat

Here are three locksmith‑approved ways to keep a spare without advertising it:

1. Wall‑mounted key safe (with a proper rating)
   A metal box fixed to brickwork, opened by a changeable code. Choose one that meets recognised security standards, bolt it somewhere not visible from the pavement, and avoid birthdays or house numbers as codes. Share the code sparingly and change it after builders, cleaners, or guests no longer need it.

2. Human network: neighbours and nearby family
   The oldest technology we still underuse. Swap spares with someone who lives close enough to help in a pinch. Put the agreement in words-who else may use it, when they should call you first-so it is not just a vague “pop round if you’re stuck”.

3. Smart access as a controlled backup
   A keyless smart lock on one entrance, set so you can create temporary PINs or app access when needed. This does not mean throwing away physical keys; it means adding a route that does not depend on the doormat. Used well, it can log who came and when, and can be revoked without changing barrels.

None of these is perfect. That is the point. Perfection would be never losing your keys. Reality is designing a “good enough” safety net that does not quietly lower your front door’s guard.

How to retire your doormat key without panicking

Stopping a habit that has felt helpful can make you oddly twitchy. People worry that without that easy backup, they will be trapped outside in the rain, that the locksmith’s call-out fee will become a monthly event. The nervous system does not like giving up certainty, even when that certainty has strings.

Rather than yanking the spare away and hoping for the best, locksmiths suggest a phased shift:

1. Audit your current set‑up
   Walk around your property the way a bored opportunist would. Check under mats, in planters, along window ledges. If you find anything-a spare key you forgot about, a latch that does not quite click-assume someone else might too.

2. Choose one alternative and make it boringly easy
   Install a key safe or agree a neighbour swap. Put the number or house name where you will see it in your phone contacts. The aim is to make the new method feel as automatic as the old, so stress has less room to argue.

3. Add one small behaviour change
   A hook by the door where keys always land. A habit of patting pocket or bag before you close the lock. A simple lanyard for the chronic forgetter in the household. You are not becoming a different person overnight; you are reducing how often you need the spare at all.

Let’s be honest: nobody sticks to every new habit flawlessly. There will be the odd dash back from the bus stop, the mild panic rummage through coat linings. The difference is that your emergency plan no longer lives where anyone with five spare seconds can find it.

When convenience stops quietly undermining safety

The small shift from “hide it” to “manage it” often ripples wider than just the spare key. Once you have moved that metal sliver out of the flowerpot, other questions follow. Should the back gate latch be upgraded? Do the ground‑floor windows need real locks, not just catches? Does the cleaner still have last year’s code?

Locksmiths see a pattern: when people stop assuming “it will be fine, it always has been”, they tend to make two or three simple, affordable changes that offer outsized protection. A stronger deadlock. A motion light by the side path. A key policy that means old tenants’ copies are not floating around for years.

You do not have to turn your home into a fortress or live in suspicion of every passer‑by. You only have to accept that the world knows about the mat and the pot and the fake rock, and act accordingly. The safer trick is not secret hardware or an expensive system. It is a quiet decision to keep your backup where it helps you-and not the person trying your handle after dark.

Key idea	What it means	Why it matters
Obvious hiding spots are public knowledge	Mats, pots and doorframes are the first places checked	Reduces the “security” of your spare to almost zero
Managed access beats “secret” access	Key safes, neighbours, smart locks add human or digital control	You keep convenience without gifting easy entry
Small changes shift overall risk	One better lock and one new habit can raise your home’s baseline security	Protects not just from lockouts, but from quiet, opportunistic crime

FAQ:

• Is a key safe really safer than a hidden key? Yes, if you buy a reputable, standards‑rated model and mount it properly. A hidden key is accessible to anyone who finds it; a safe adds a barrier you control with a code.
• What if I do not trust neighbours with a key? You do not have to. Use a wall‑mounted safe, or give a spare to someone you trust who lives within a short drive, combined with a locksmith’s number saved in your phone.
• Are smart locks easy to hack? Reputable brands use encryption comparable to online banking. While nothing is zero‑risk, a well‑installed smart lock is usually far less vulnerable than a cheap mechanical lock plus a key under the mat.
• Will my home insurance refuse a claim if a hidden key is used? Policies vary, but many insurers look closely at signs of forced entry. If there is none and a spare key was accessible outside, it can complicate claims-check your small print.
• What is one change I can make this week? Remove any outdoor hidden keys, install a basic key safe in a discreet spot, and agree who knows the code. Then add a simple “keys on the hook” habit at the front door.