Protect your caravan or motorhome keys – protect your prized possession

Published in Caravan Guard News on   - 55 Comments

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  1. Alexis Macleod says:

    Once, my house was broken into. They managed to get the keys to my car and motorhome. Kept in different places within the house. ( they are now kept in a safe). They were able to steal the car. But because we had a flat battery in the motorhome, they were unable to take it.

  2. Richard Munday says:

    We keep the habitation key out so we can get in and empty the dehumidifier, the other keys in the safe – our problem like most people when on site, what to do with electronic keys when swimming – we have used a Moonlock a small portable safe that locks onto the outside of the motorhome with a four number code, this works well – it’s insurance approved for my car for I go sailing, now on my “to do list” to also check with the motorhome insurance

  3. Jeanette says:

    Great advice

  4. Mr R Boldock says:

    At home they are kept in a zipped bag that has no external indication keys are present, and onsite my wife keeps a set and I hold the other set.

  5. Andy says:

    Hey! My comment has “been disappeared”. I put a lot of effort into crafting a query about stowing spare keys in an on board safe, to which I would dearly like to have an answer – relevant to other travellers too – and it has been removed. I expect that on the Guardian forums, but not here!

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      HI Andy – your comment and not disappeared – it had not been approved as we were looking into your query before responding. Hope this helps?

  6. Steve lovell says:

    I keep my spare set of keys in the wet locker which has a separate key.I then tape the spare wet locker key behind a light fitting that can be removed with a screwdriver.Also a crook lock on the steering wheel with a seperate key hidden lnside the motorhome and not connected to the main keys.Hope these comments are useful.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Thanks for your comments Steve but we wouldn’t advise keeping your spare set of keys in your motorhome. In the event that somebody broke into your motorhome and stole your keys and then the motorhome it could invalidate a claim for theft or attempted theft.
      Insurers will often ask for two sets of keys, primarily to prevent fraud, following a theft claim.

  7. Andy says:

    We keep our van keys in a safe at home, but my problem is when we are travelling. And this is something I had intended to query before – but never did.

    We travel in “interesting places” (actually safer than the UK) – Turkey, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and all stations in between. (Safeguard was the only insurer we cold get to cover Albania). Our fear is losing the van keys over there. For a while we kept spare van keys in a safe we have hidden in the van. (You’d be hard put to find it). The safe key is on the keyring with the main keys, so losing the van keys would mean losing the safe key. To cover that eventuality, we have a spare safe key hidden very deeply in the van – even I’m hard pushed to find it. Our thinking is, if push came to shove, we could break into the van and retrieve the spare keys.

    However, after hearing stories about claims for stolen vans being dismissed because the owner couldn’t produce 2 sets of keys we abandoned that practice, and keep the spare keys in the safe at home.

    I would welcome Safeguard’s advice on this subject, please. Do we risk being stranded in the middle of Albania, or do we risk not having a claim for theft honoured.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      We wouldn’t advise leaving your keys in your motorhome and to always keep a spare somewhere safe away from the vehicle. In the event that somebody broke into your motorhome and stole your keys and then the motorhome it could invalidate a claim for theft or attempted theft.
      Insurers will often ask for two sets of keys, primarily to prevent fraud, following a theft claim.
      In the event that you lost your keys abroad, your European breakdown provider might provide some assistance in getting you mobile again. You would need to check which countries they cover. Caravan Guard’s European breakdown does not cover Albania, for instance.

  8. phil braines says:

    keep steering wheel lock key separate from ignition key and let your family know your hiding places-you might not be able to get back to the van for a while-illness/injury etc

  9. Hugh Edwards says:

    We always keep vehicle keys out of sight when at home (not in view when front door is opened). All spare sets of keys are kept with relevant vehicle docs (log book) elsewhere in the property.

  10. Tdwillis says:

    Mislaid your motorhome keys use whistle key ring, whistle and key ring whistles back, obviously only works if keys lost in house etc, are misplaced somewhere at Campsite etc. Whistle key finders can be bought at most gadget shops or online

  11. Mike Helm says:

    I always keep the locker keys separate from the door / ignition keys but the main worry is that I have had an alarm fitted and that is with the ignition key. Must remember to separate them but that means 3 lots of keys!

  12. Erwin Williams says:

    We had our caravan stolen from our driveway, a number of years ago now, but one thing I do remember was that as part of the insurance claim we had to submit both sets of keys to the insurer. We always keep our keys in a safe place.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Thanks Erwin. Insurers will often ask for two sets of keys, primarily to prevent fraud. But if there was only one set it wouldn’t necessarily stop the claim. Each claim is looked at on its own merit.

  13. Barry Barker says:

    Already have Caravan guard Insurance, well worth it and peace of mind.

  14. Dave says:

    Oops! Spare caravan keys including the wheel , hitchlock AND alarm fob kept in the glovebox.
    To make this even more stupid is that the caravan is on the drive….
    A rethink is urgently required I reckon!
    Will also look again at other household security habits to see if they need changing too.
    Thanks very much for raising this topic.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Hope you find a safe place for your keys Dave! And thanks for the feedback.

  15. Lawrie Woodley says:

    Thought provoking.. We, too have a hook inside the caravan door for all of the keys and then only take the van key with us when going out from the site. Still thinking about what to do with both the spare car and van keys when we’re away!

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Thanks Lawrie – some of our readers have made some good suggestions that you might like to follow.

  16. William Mitcheĺl says:

    It’s always a terrible experience when you mislay your keys so it’s a good thing to be as careful with them as you possibly can.

  17. Bobbie Taylor says:

    An excellent article. I’m very interested in the ‘Tile’ key tracking device. I have a habit of putting my keys in a ‘safe’ place and then not remembering where they are. Do you know if there is a retailer in the UK? The american website charges a lot for postage to UK making it a rather expensive item.

  18. Alan Howarth says:

    Great article, food for thought.

  19. Sara Hope says:

    Great information on tracking devices which I was unaware of, will research further. Motorhome keys are hidden inside the house in case of burglary, you can never be too careful.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Thanks Sara – you’re right. The Police also advise to keep motor keys out of sight of windows and doors.

  20. Gordon Pomfret says:

    I found this article to be both interesting and thought provoking, and I will be contacting my dealer for an extra set of keys as a precaution, and looking into purchasing the small electronic key tags you described for everday use. Thanks for a useful article!

  21. Richard Munday says:

    I contacted my insurance company and they approved the use of a Moonlock to put keys in. It’s a locking box that can be locked on the outside of the motor home with four digit code to open – It’s great if you want to do things like go swimming where you can’t take electronic keys with you.

  22. Iain Adam says:

    Always useful to keep your caravan key on an identifiable key fob making it easy to find

  23. Andy Nunns says:

    I always kept my keys in the glovebox but not any more, modern cars are harder to effect entry but not impossible. It can be scary how quick if you have the correct equipment

  24. Ruth Grimshaw says:

    Good advice, thanks.

  25. Robert Stuart says:

    Very good article,common sense with practicalities, even a couple of
    Ideas that I will put into practice. Keeping keys safe keeps the m/home,possessions and people safe.

  26. John Knox says:

    You are usual provided with two sets of keys, we always keep each set separate. I use one set,which is attached file my car keys and kept on a retractable fob. The other set is kept separate by my partner. So far we have never used her set.

  27. James Rowe says:

    The tips you have provided are excellent .It is amazing how many motorhomes are only provided with one key, it should be a part of the contract to include two keys especially as the vehicles are expensive.

  28. Derek Simpson says:

    My way of hopefully getting by is to keep a set of spare caravan keys in the car under the spare wheel and one set of spare car keys in the caravan in the kitchen cabinet

  29. Andy Culley says:

    It’s all very well advising people to keep a record of their car or motorhome keys numbers but it’s many years since numbers were engraved onto keys!! Plus that doesn’t solve the issue of the immobiliser, they have to copied, without a correctly coded key to copy you are REALLY going to struggle.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Thanks Andy. We were led to believe that the key number is on the lock and there should be a record of your key number in your paperwork. You’re right abut the immobiliser, so it’s worth keeping it safe. You would need to speak to your dealership and they would communicate with the manufacturer.

  30. Perer says:

    I use a strop sewn into a bag with a quick release carabiner to keep my keys on. Keys for locks and lockers can be easily detached whilst manoeuvring or setting up but always have a safe and secure stowage out of sight when not in use.

  31. Adrian Gaskin says:

    Do not keep your caravan keys with your all your other keys. Hide them some where else, like in an empty DVD box, cornflake box, or sugar tin.

  32. Paul McCormick says:

    Excellent tips and ideas I will certainly be using them thank you

  33. Pauline Gacal says:

    I have used the lanyard idea as it helps keep keys safe but at hand when setting up but I am always fishing in my handbag for the bunch during holidays!

  34. Don Igoe says:

    Use a bright coloured key fob (yellow is best) so that if your keys do drop in the field where your are siting your caravan or motorhome, they are quickly visible. It is surprising how a key can disappear even in the most closely cut grass!

  35. Walt says:

    We keep the two sets of caravan keys in two totally separate and safe locations. One set is in a home safe and the other is held securely on the seasonal touring site by the manager – just in case either we, or they, need access in an emergency. Simples!

  36. Gerald Lee says:

    I found the article first class, I was unaware that tracking devises were available so thank you I will now do some reserch

  37. Sue Wiltshire says:

    I only take the caravan door key with me when I go out, I put on the same clip as my van keys and when I’m not driving the van they clip on to my belt loop if I’m wearing jeans or to my bag if I’m not. This way I always know where those keys are. The other keys are locked in a strong box and that key is in my bag separately. When I am in the caravan with the dogs all keys hang on hooks inside the door and no one is coming in to our caravan with my dogs there!


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