How can I leave a car for someone if we can't meet in person? [closed]
I'm doing a house swap with another family, and as part of the logistics, at a certain point I have to leave my car for them, and they will pick it up a few days later. This happens to be in Newark, NJ, but the problem is pretty general.
We can't meet in advance to exchange keys, and I don't have a third party who could hold the key.
Can anyone suggest a way to accomplish this?
Best Answer
Fedex have a service called "Hold At Location", where you can ship a package to a Fedex Location (which generally includes most Fedex Kinkos location which are frequently opened 24x7), and they will hold it for the recipient for up to 7 days.
You could simply ship the keys to the recipient, with THEIR name as the recipient, but with the Fedex Hold-at-Location address. Once the package "arrives" at the location (which might take a day or so, even if you drop it off at that same location), then they will be able to pick it up anytime within the next 7 days simply by showing ID matching the name it is being sent to.
In the event that they don't pickup the package within 7 days, it will be returned to you as the sender.
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Answer 2
Make a copy of the key without the chip or without the chip being coded to the original key, this means the car can be opened but not started, secure this key within a magnetic lock box somewhere on the car out of site or in a hitch safe, then store the original key that can start the car in a small combination secured safe within the car.
Response based on this link https://doityourselflocksmithing.blogspot.com/2013/02/where-to-hide-hide-key-on-your-car.html
Answer 3
You are probably overthinking the risks here.
Do what the professionals do. Just leave the car unlocked with the keys hidden somewhere inside, or tucked behind one of the sun visors. Or if you there are valuables inside the car and you want to lock it (unlikely, since you are leaving it for somebody else to use) then lock the car and hide the key in a front wheel arch, on the suspension.
The point is, if your car is parked in its usual place at your house, nobody who knows the area is going to assume it can be stolen. If an opportunistic thief can't see anything that is obviously of value inside, they aren't going to waste any time on it. If a professional car thief wants to steal it, the fact that it is locked is no deterrent at all. If they want it badly enough, they will turn up looking like vehicle recovery service employees and take it away in broad daylight, with all your neighbours watching and nobody suspecting a thing!
IMO you are taking a far bigger risk granting the use of your car to strangers for a long period of time, than the risk that somebody will steal it during the short transfer period.
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