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Key safe for carers

Updated: October 2026

A carer is due at 7am and the person inside cannot reach the bolt. A key safe for carers is a mechanical outdoor box, with the door able to open from outside and the code held by few people. It is not a £7 dial, and it is not an indoor cupboard of tagged keys. Our [key safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/key-safe) is the batch. Screw sizes and tenancy wording are on [how to fit a key safe](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/key-safe/sub/key-safe-how-to-fit). Compiled on 16 October 2026 from council notes. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A carer is due at 7am and the person inside cannot reach the bolt. A key safe for carers is a mechanical outdoor box, with the door able to open from outside and the code held by few people.

Our top picks

KeySafe KeySafe C500 Pro

Best overall

KeySafe KeySafe C500 Pro
9.4/10about £67.96
View offer
KeySafe KeySafe P500 Pro

Rank 2

KeySafe KeySafe P500 Pro
8.4/10about £93.95
View offer
Tamo ark Tamo

Rank 3

Tamo ark Tamo
7.2/10about £128.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Height, light, and not on the street line
  2. 2.The door has to open from outside
  3. 3.Who holds the code
  4. 4.A mechanical box with large buttons

Height, light, and not on the street line

Derbyshire’s wording is chest or wheelchair height for the person who will open it, not a millimetre copied from this page. Try the buttons in the coat of a real visit. Night visits need a porch lamp, not a phone torch. A return wall is better than the front pier if the carer can still find it. Lit buttons are not a substitute for that lamp. Do not drill until the fitting page and the lease agree.

The door has to open from outside

A box is useless if the door is still bolted from the inside. Take off the chain. Do not leave a key in the lock. Walk the route once: code, key, door, and a light you can find without stepping into the flower bed. Tell the insurer before you rely on the arrangement. MoneySuperMarket and Lichfield both say a claim can fail when a key from a box was used and there is no damage. Lichfield’s BS 3621 point is the door lock, not the wall box. A council leaflet that asks for the Secured by Design logo, fitted to brick with the approved screws, is a specification. It is not a promise that every insurer will pay.
KeySafe KeySafe C500 Pro

Testsieger

KeySafe KeySafe C500 Pro
9.4/10about £67.96
View offer

Who holds the code

Keep the list short: the person, one relative, and the carers who visit. A code in a family WhatsApp group is no longer a short list. Change it when a carer leaves. The C500 has no master code and no override key. If the box allows five or six digits, use them. Four is what people guess because it feels like a bank card. Halton’s note is practical: do not lever the mechanism with a screwdriver when a button feels stiff. Kirklees points people over 60, or with a disability, at Age UK’s handyperson service for fitting. That is a route to someone with a drill, not a product recommendation. North Northamptonshire’s £114 figure is their install service. Do not use it as the amazon.co.uk price of a C500, which is £67.96 in this batch. If the person cannot consent to who enters, that decision sits with the care professionals. This page does not invent a legal test.

A mechanical box with large buttons

The care-shaped pick is the KeySafe C500 Pro at £67.96. The lock is mechanical, so a flat battery cannot lock the carer out. The buttons are a set, pressed in any order, each one once. The listing shows Secured by Design, and the maker datasheet cites LPS 1175 Issue 8 A5 when the supplied screws go into brick or concrete. There is no override key. Choose the P500 Pro at £93.95 if you want the anti-tamper plate and the A5 line printed on the listing. The ark Tamo at £128.95 has lit buttons and a counted multi-push. Its CR2032 is for the lights. The lock is still mechanical, and the Amazon page prints neither A5 nor A10. Skip the £7 to £15 dials. The Master Lock 5401EURD at £14.99 has no accreditation on the listing. The checks that put accreditation before price are on the buying guide.

Common questions

How high should a carer’s key safe be?
Use Derbyshire’s phrase: chest or wheelchair height for the person who will open it. There is no single millimetre on this page. Try it in the coat and the light of a real visit.
Does the door still need to open from outside?
Yes. Remove inside bolts and chains, and do not leave a key in the lock. Otherwise the carer has the code and cannot enter.
Who should know the code?
A short list: the person, a relative, and the carers who visit. Change it when someone leaves. The C500 has no master code and no override key.
Why does mechanical matter?
A flat battery must not lock the carer out at 7am. The Tamo’s cell powers the lights, not the lock. A dial box can be mechanical too, and it can still be the wrong specification.
Is the C500 the care pick in this set?
It is the care-shaped pick when the wall is brick or concrete and you can use the supplied screws. The P500 adds the anti-tamper plate. The Tamo adds lights, without a grade printed on the Amazon listing.
Can I use a £15 dial if the council did not specify a model?
Only if nobody has asked for Secured by Design or an LPS line. If they have, the Master Lock and the other cheap dials in this batch do not show that line.
What if the person cannot consent to who enters?
That decision sits with the care professionals. Do not treat a product page as the capacity test.
Will the insurer automatically accept the box?
No. Tell them. A claim can fail when a key from the box was used and the door shows no damage.

Related pages

Best key safe

Key safe

Key safe buying guide: job, wall, hands, then price

How to fit a key safe: brick, screws, and when to stop

Push button or dial key safe: order, count, or dial

Sources

Public UK sources on Secured by Design, LPS 1175, fitting, and insurance. Listing prices, star lines, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk pages for these twelve ASINs. Prices move.

  1. Secured by Design, standards explained (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. LPCB guide to LPS 1175 Issues 5 to 8 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. C500 Pro datasheet (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Secured by Design news on the C500 and P500 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Key safe company, DIY installation (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Key safe product information (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Derbyshire key-safe information sheet (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. MoneySuperMarket, key safes and home insurance (retrieved 16 October 2026)