From soccer balls to PVC pipes, upgrade your outdoor hiding places with these ideas from security experts.
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Magnetic Hide-a-Keys
Magnetic hide-a-key boxes can be safe places to hide a spare key, if they’re well hidden and away from the door. Think about placing them deep inside utility housing, concealed in an outdoor shed or along the side of the house, says Bent. “Better yet, if you have a fence, hide the hide-a-key in the fenced area, and put a combination padlock on the fence gate instead of a keyed padlock.”
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Fake Junction Box
Install an empty weather-resistant junction or conduit box to the outside of your home, next to the other utility boxes. “Burglars will not inspect utility boxes,” says vacation rental expert Marta Pawlik. Don’t forget to run a bit of 1/2″ conduit to the ground so it looks official.
- Pro tip: cut the head off the bottom screw and glue it in place so you can swing the cover aside more easily.
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Landscaping Elements
Hiding a key inside a fake rock or under a flower pot is painfully obvious, but it can work under certain circumstances. The trick is to keep those items away from entry doors and make sure they don’t look out of place. “I’ve heard of people with paver walkways storing a key under a loose paver,” says Bent. “This might be fine as long as it isn’t accessed so often that it becomes noticeably disturbed around the joints.”
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Fake Sprinkler Head
Fake sprinkler heads are available at most hardware stores. Just pop the key inside, then stick the ground spike into the grass, or a bed of gravel or flowers. “No one wants to rip up what they believe to be working irrigation,” says Pawlik. The downside is that these are obvious if not placed correctly, so install them where there are other sprinkler heads, and avoid spiking them into existing underground irrigation lines.
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Decoy Faucet
Decoy faucets, where the faucet head unscrews to reveal a hidden compartment, are also available at hardware stores. Again, whether they make safe places to hide a spare key depends on your imagination and foresight for making them not look obvious. “Place the faucet in a location where it would be realistic for there to be a real one,” says real estate agent Ben Mizes. “If it is too hidden, it will look less realistic.”
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On the AC Unit
If you have an AC unit outside, that can be a safe place to hide a spare key. Buy a magnetic box the same color as your AC housing, then stick it to the back side. “This will make it look like part of the unit,” says real estate expert Marty Zankich. “Unless the person snooping around is an AC expert, they will never suspect it.” Alternatively, home security consultant Ali Zane suggests hiding the box on the AC intake vent.
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Removable Fence Post Cap
If you have fence posts with caps, you can pop a key or other valuables under those. “Vertical hiding spots often go unnoticed,” says security consultant Bob Gourley. Make sure everything inside is sealed tightly against moisture, avoid locations visible from the street and use caps that fit snugly, so they won’t easily fall off or shift enough to look obvious.
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Sporting Goods
Pick up a used soccer ball at a garage sale. Cut a small hole in a seam, put your goods inside, then seal it back up with waterproof epoxy. “This technique is particularly clever because most thieves overlook sporting equipment, and the tools needed to create a hidden compartment are basic,” says Zane. Pro-tips: make sure the ball looks well-used, store valuables in a waterproof pouch, and don’t leave the ball somewhere where neighborhood kids might pick it up.
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PVC Pipe
A PVC pipe with threaded end caps makes a fine hiding place for keys and larger valuables. Seal the ends with epoxy and bury it 12 to 18 inches down. “This method is effective for weatherproofing and is difficult to locate without precise instructions,” says Zane. “An obvious drawback is that it will be difficult to access keys in real emergencies, and digging will leave a clear sign for your neighbors that could raise unwanted questions.”
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House Numbers and Signs
Most metal house numbers and signs leave a thin gap between them and the house. “We install a super-slim magnetic slap-key holder to the rear of the sign,” says Pawlik. “This provides a fixed point of reference that even the most zealous gardening or leaf blowing will not disturb.” Pro-tip: Put the house numbers on the back of your house, or in another place where no one will see you access the hidden key.
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Smart Locks
Ditch the key altogether and install a programmable smart lock on your door, says Veronica Moturi of Brinks Home security systems. Most smart locks allow you to create unique access codes for family, friends and service providers, so you can keep track of who has entered your home, plus change permissions for who can enter. Smart locks are also helpful in emergencies, allowing you to unlock and re-lock your door using your smartphone.
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Combination Lock Box
Yep, leave your key in plain sight, just like the realtors do. “In fact, prioritizing security over concealment is paradoxically more effective,” says Zane. “Locked boxes are overlooked by burglars when they have other, quicker entry points.” Of course you can also put the box in a more discreet location, too. Pro-tip: Buy a high-quality weatherproof box and install it securely, so it can’t be removed.
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Bushes and Trees
If you have a bushy shrub or tree in your yard, you can hang a key from one of its branches. Security expert Matt Goodwin recommends using a bread twist tie as a hanger. “Just be sure to remember which branch you put it on,” he says. Pro-tip: if you live somewhere where the trees lose their leaves, choose an evergreen shrub so the hiding place doesn’t become obvious in the winter.
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The Neighbors
Leave a spare key with someone you trust. It’s doubly convenient if they are also tasked with watering the plants and feeding the fish while you’re on vacation. “A reliable neighbor or nearby family member is a great backup,” says Moturi. Pro-tip: Don’t pick neighbors who travel a lot, or keep a schedule that’s dramatically dissimilar to yours, or they may not be around when you need them.
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Where Not to Hide A Key
Traditional hiding spots are painfully obvious to burglars. Absolutely avoid putting spare keys on top of the doorframe or under a doormat or flower pot that’s placed near a door. “You might as well leave a key in the door if these are your go-to hiding places,” says Zankich. “The biggest mistake that most homeowners make is to hide it in a spot that is convenient and has easy access.”
Also, Gourley recommends rotating your hiding locations annually. And remember, “if a spot feels clever, it is likely obvious,” he says.
On the flip side, you also need to make the key accessible enough that you don’t feel bad telling someone where it is, says Bent. “You don’t want them to have to dump out a flower pot and sift through all of the soil to find the key, or pull off pieces of vinyl siding.”
About the Experts
- Matthew Bent is manager at Lappen Security, which provides security systems in Wisconsin.
- Veronica Moturi is senior vice president and chief customer officer at Brinks Home security systems.
- Ali Zane is CEO of IMAX Credit & Identity Theft Repair Services Firm, and has extensive experience consulting on home security systems.
- Marta Pawlik is co-founder of Laik, a luxury vacation rental management company.
- Ben Mizes is a licensed real estate agent and co-founder of Clever Offers, a nationwide marketplace.
- Marty Zankich is a real estate expert and owner of Chamberlin Real Estate School.
- Bob Gourley is a cybersecurity consultant and author, as well as CTO and co-founder of OODA LLC, a cybersecurity and intelligence platform. OODA LLC
- Matt Goodwin is president of Viper Security, Inc.https://securenh.com, which offers nationwide commercial security solutions.
