3 in 4 Homeowners Have Granted Security Access to Their Homes That They Never Revoked

Once a smart security system is installed, most homeowners feel pretty settled. The doors lock, and the app works. In a new Brinks Home™ survey of 1,431 US homeowners with a smart security system, 97% said they feel secure at home.

They also feel sure about who can get in, as 87% say they could immediately name every person with a way into their home.

Access is easy to give out and forget about, though. Just over 3 in 4 homeowners (76%) have given someone access, such as through a spare key or a password, and then never taken it back or changed it. 

Plenty of that continued access is on purpose, like a sibling with a spare key or a parent who keeps an eye on the house when they travel. But it helps to know who still has access through something older, like a code from a contractor job that wrapped up years ago or a key that came with the house. 

This report looks at how homeowners track who can get in and what makes that tracking easier.

Key Takeaways

• 76% of homeowners with a smart security system have given someone a key, code, or password to their home that they never took back or changed.

• 87% say they could name everyone with a way into their home right away. 

• 66% changed the locks when they moved into a previously occupied home. Only 18% removed the previous owner’s access from the home’s smart security system or app.

• 19% have suspected someone had access to their home without their knowledge. Among that group, 92% have given someone access that they never took back or changed.

87% Immediately Know Who Has Access to Their Home

Almost nobody doubts that they know who has access to their home. On top of the 87% who could name everyone on the spot, another 9% said they’d be able to recall with a minute to think. This leaves just 4% who aren’t sure. 

Almost 2 in 3 homeowners (63%) share access with someone outside their household. Family members who live elsewhere are the most common, at 47% of all homeowners surveyed, followed by a friend or neighbor (23%). Among homeowners who share access, 59% keep it to one or two people outside the household, and 40% have three or more. 

Across all homeowners surveyed, a physical house key tops the list of access they’ve given someone and never taken back or changed (43%), with their home Wi-Fi password running close behind (40%).

It’s worth noting that Wi-Fi passwords are commonly shared, and network access alone doesn’t open the front door. But a password or code—whether it’s to your Wi-Fi or your front door—keeps working until someone changes it, and plenty of smart home devices run on that network, so changing it regularly is a simple part of securing your home Wi-Fi network.

A physical key has to change hands. A password or code can be shared with multiple people much more easily, so you can’t accurately track the actual list of people who have it.

Despite these uncertainties, homeowners’ level of confidence remains steady. In fact, 75% of those who say they could confidently name everyone immediately gave out some form of access that they never took back, which is about the same rate as the whole surveyed group.

This trend even shows up among homeowners who say that no one outside their household has a way in. Approximately 17% of them gave out a house key they never got back, and 30% gave out their home Wi-Fi password. Although some of those keys may be with someone who lives in the home, this shows how easy it is to lose track of who you give access to.

Windows and Garage Doors Top Homeowner Worries

Many homeowners think about the edges of the house when they picture security risks. Asked to pick up to three top risks, 41% chose an unlocked window or sliding door. A garage or side door left unlocked came next (35%), and 26% named a spare key hidden outside.

Risks tied to access ranked lower: 23% have thought about who can view their camera footage, and 18% about service providers who still have access. Only 15% flagged old entry codes that were never changed, while 25% said none of these risks had crossed their minds.

It’s smart to watch the windows and garage door, but the access people have handed out over the years and forgotten to take back is worth considering as well.

Homeowners Rekey the Locks When They Move In but Often Skip the Login

Move-in day is when access tends to be on people’s minds, and most of what they do involves the physical parts of the house. Two-thirds of homeowners rekeyed the exterior locks when they moved into a pre-owned home, and 42% changed the garage door code or opener. But only 24% asked the previous owner to hand back all their keys.

New locks are a smart first move, one of several home security steps for new homeowners to take on early.

But the digital steps still trail behind. Only a third changed their alarm or keypad codes, and 31% changed the Wi-Fi password. Fewer than 1 in 5 reset accounts on smart devices left behind (19%) or removed the previous owner’s access from the smart security system or app (18%).

Some of those homes may not have had an account to remove, but for the rest, an old login could still be in place. Yet only 5% of those same homeowners believe the previous owner, tenant, or their guests still have a way in.

Removing the previous owner’s access is an easy security measure to miss. Smart home accounts don’t change hands on their own when a house sells. Until someone removes the previous owner or takes over the account with the provider, the old login can stay connected to the cameras and locks in the home.

There’s no way to know for sure whether an old account is still active unless you take the time to check.

The Longer Homeowners Stay Put, the Less Likely They’ve Checked Access

Plenty of shared access is meant to last, like a spare key left with a neighbor. Short-term access, like a code for a house sitter or a week-long remodel, is easier to forget, even when it’s no longer needed. Close to half of homeowners (46%) have never reviewed or removed anyone’s access to their home, including physical keys and app permissions. And only 34% have done so in the past year.

Time in the home also makes a difference. Only 30% of homeowners who’ve lived in their home for 1 to 3 years have never reviewed access. That climbs to 56% at 10 years or more. That’s a long time for a dog walker’s code or a relative’s spare key from the holidays to go unchecked.

Feeling secure and managing access don’t always go together, though. Almost all (95%) of those who do nothing to manage access still say they feel secure at home.

Something like a missing item or moved belongings has made 19% of homeowners suspect someone had access to their home without their knowledge. Among that group, 92% have given someone access that they never took back or changed. 

Homeowners with missing or moved items check access more often: 71% reviewed or removed someone’s access in the past year, more than double the rate for homeowners overall (34%). Even so, 97% of that group still feel secure, about the same as homeowners overall.

Checking in on Home Access Is a Habit, and the Right Tools Can Help

Sharing access is part of owning a home, and much of it is intentional. But as this survey shows, reviewing that access rarely becomes routine.

These kinds of habits stick better when something nudges you. App-connected security systems can help with that by making access easier to see and update.

Start with a quick inventory. List those who have a way into your home right now, and remove anyone who no longer needs it. If you’re moving into a new place, contact the security provider directly to take over the account and remove the previous owner’s access.

For someone like a sitter or contractor who only needs to get in once, an expiring code does the job. Entry alerts help too, because then checking doesn’t depend on your memory. Both belong on your home security checklist.

The smart locks from Brinks Home let you make unique codes for family and guests and limit them by time. You can also see who unlocks your door and when, with the option to get real-time alerts. Paired with professional monitoring and installation, they can make it easier to stay on top of who has access to your home.

Methodology

The survey was conducted by Centiment for Brinks Home. The survey was fielded between September 10, 2026, and September 13, 2026. The results are based on 1,431 completed surveys. To qualify, respondents had to be US residents 18 or older who own their home and have a smart home security or monitoring system installed, such as cameras, motion sensors, video doorbells, smart keypads, or alarm systems. Data is unweighted, and the margin of error is approximately +/-3% for the overall sample with a 95% confidence level. Subgroup results will have wide margins of error.