I recently did a HUGE key inventory and posted photos on Facebook of all the keys I had collected from my employees. It took me almost a full day to inventory and put them all away.
I had several pet sitters from across the country comment on my post.
Many suggested that we should switch to key lock boxes rather than keep all those keys on file.
You know the kind I’m talking about. The kind realtors use when your house is on the market.
Personally, I don’t care for lock boxes and I wouldn’t want one used at my home. For one, exactly how secure are they? Couldn’t someone break into one? Another reason I don’t like them is I think they SCREAM “We’re not home” if it is hanging on your front door. Lastly, how do we know that the key the client leaves works? What if they forget to leave the key out for us? We always require TWO sets of keys when we do a pet sit and one set stays in the office in case of emergency.
I put my personal feelings aside and set up a poll on our Facebook page asking our fans their thoughts. I was rather shocked at the results:
80% said NO, they would NOT want a lock box used on their home!
That feedback has made me more confident in my decision to NOT use lock boxes.
What say you? Would you want your pet sitter or dog walker to use a key lock box while you were away?
The Master Lock key lockbox is one of the more durable options. Its metal body and vinyl-coated shackle will survive for a long period. When I tried it out, I was amazed by how sturdy and well-made it felt.
all lockboxes can be broken into, and what if one malfunctions and can’t be opened – oh well too bad for your pet. Any sitter that requires a lockbox is inviting criminals to break into your home. My pet sitter just made that requirement and I told her sayonara!