those key boxes are indestructible

Sounds like those people who claimed their very expensive bike locks were unpickable, until somebody showed us all how with a ballpoint pen. Or the git in IT who claimed my laptop cable combination was unbreakable, until I put the name of the cable into Google and found a way to crack the combination in under a minute. I suspect a ten-year old locksporter could crack a key box in no time.

Gungahlin Al said :

No way!
Landlords selling out rentals out from under us (which happened to damn often) had to make a time when I would be there or bugger off.

And don’t get me started on open days.

I’ve seen the woeful way agents (don’t) watch people who are going through homes. The crime opportunities are manifest. No way I would allow them in without me there.

There will be no open days at my house – appointment only, when it’s convenient for me. I was just bemused by the padlock’s appearance. I’ll not be leaving any keys in it for anyone.

You can hardly expect a real estate agent to act in the best interest of their clients! There is no creature on earth more selfish, disreputable, immoral, or sub-human than a real estate agent. I would spit on them, but I wouldn’t want to get that close.

Oh, and it may be indestructible, but it is a poor substitute for a key sign-in/sign-out system that will demonstrate who has the key and at what time.

cleverclogs said :

Speaking as someone who works with these little mysteriously appearing devils, I can assure you all that short of using some kind of large sledgehammer or explosives, those key boxes are indestructible and, if any desperate burglar did actually manage to get the thing off your tap/gas meter, they would destroy the key inside by the time they actually managed to get the thing open.

Also, agents are absolutely required to arrange permission before using said lockboxes to gain access to your home. It’s simply a safe and logical place to store the keys so that anyone from that company can access them provided you’ve given the ok.

I believe all of that – but not asking permission before putting a key to your (rented) property on a publicly accessible part of your property is ludicrous.

Landlords selling out rentals out from under us (which happened to damn often) had to make a time when I would be there or bugger off.

And don’t get me started on open days.

I’ve seen the woeful way agents (don’t) watch people who are going through homes. The crime opportunities are manifest. No way I would allow them in without me there.

Agree 100%.

Speaking as someone who works with these little mysteriously appearing devils, I can assure you all that short of using some kind of large sledgehammer or explosives, those key boxes are indestructible and, if any desperate burglar did actually manage to get the thing off your tap/gas meter, they would destroy the key inside by the time they actually managed to get the thing open.

Also, agents are absolutely required to arrange permission before using said lockboxes to gain access to your home. It’s simply a safe and logical place to store the keys so that anyone from that company can access them provided you’ve given the ok.

Those keysafes tend to be opened by a four digit code (it probably has a plastic sliding cover over the tumblers). I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that the code was “1234” or similar…

No way!
Landlords selling out rentals out from under us (which happened to damn often) had to make a time when I would be there or bugger off.

And don’t get me started on open days.

I’ve seen the woeful way agents (don’t) watch people who are going through homes. The crime opportunities are manifest. No way I would allow them in without me there.

What the eff are you supposed to do if the house/ car/ garden etc etc catches fire !?!

“I was renting a place once that the owner put on the market. The estate agent had to check with us any time they wanted to show it. I certainly wouldn’t have allowed them to throw a keybin on our tap”

I wasn’t asked to put a key in it nor would I have but I guess it’s SOP for the sign puter uperer to also put the key thing in place

jakez said :

Step 1, Become a real estate agent
Step 2, Burglary crime spree
Step 3, Profit.

At least you have step two. The underpants gnomes never did.

In all seriousness I would hate to have my house key stored in a container near my house. I bet all it would take is a pair of bolt cutters to cut the black padlock free. Take it back to my place and then crack the padlock open (in my own time, in the shed so no one knew what I was doing) and get the key.

I then have free entry into someone elses house.

Nambucco Deliria said :

Aha! Yes that would explain it. The house I’m living in went on the market last week.
Thanking you!

Incredible that they haven’t told you about it.

I was renting a place once that the owner put on the market. The estate agent had to check with us any time they wanted to show it. I certainly wouldn’t have allowed them to throw a keybin on our tap.

Step 1, Become a real estate agent
Step 2, Burglary crime spree
Step 3, Profit.

Aha! Yes that would explain it. The house I’m living in went on the market last week.
Thanking you!

I currently have my house on the market and soon after the reale estate signs went up a weird black padlock looking thing was attached to the gas meter. I assume it is a generically keyed container for agents to secure a house key in for other agents who might like to show the property.