When Should Your Locks Be Replaced

Here are the occasions for which you should have the locks of your doors changed:

LOCKS THAT ARE WORN:

When you move into another home there is the chance that the locks were never changed and that the original locks remain. They have likely been through a lot of wear and tear. You might notice this when you open your door or are attempting to open your door. Unfortunately, older locks can pose a problem from time to time. This is why it is best to have them replaced whenever possible. If you move into a new home, rather than waiting for something to occur just go ahead and have the locks replaced.

NEW TENANTS MOVING IN:

If you own a rental property, it is usually customary that the owner has the locks replaced or rekeyed. If you don’t want to be responsible for someone having their items stolen or worse yet, someone breaking in and causing them harm, have the locks replaced as quickly as possible. While changing the locks on a rental property seems like common sense, you may be surprised to find out how many landlords do not do this.

KEYS THAT ARE LOST:

Whenever your keys are lost you don’t know whose hands, they are in. Your home should be a place of refuge, which means that if someone has stolen your keys, you’ll have to have your locks replaced. Even if your keys are not lost rather, they are stolen, this can pose the same threat. As long as they are not in your hands then you have to use caution and have the locks replaced.

MOVE OUTS:

If you live one or more people and one of the people are moving out, this would also be a good time to have the locks replaced. Regardless of whether or not the party leaves on good terms or not, it’s still a precaution that should be taken. We have seen problems arise simply because of a misunderstanding by one of more of the parties involved. Even if they have given you their key back it doesn’t mean that they haven’t made another key at some point. They may have given a spare key to someone else and unless you know whether they have or not, it is advisable to the lock replaced.

BREAK-INS

Again, this is common sense to most people but there are some people who simply will not have the locks of their locks changed when a break-in occurs. You shouldn’t take unnecessary chances when it can be prevented. Instead, have the locks changed when you can. You may feel that since this has never happened before that you have nothing to worry about but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Just because it has never happened to you doesn’t mean that it won’t happen at some point. This is why you should take the precaution of having the lock replaced as soon as you have discovered that the lock has been broken. A break-in is a realistic reason for having a lock replaced. If you do not wish for anyone else to break-in, have the locks replaced as soon as possible. Our locksmiths can make a thorough evaluation of your locks to determine if there are any that require replacing.

May we suggest that you consider a keyless lock, as they are rarely, if ever, compromised. This is because of the materials that they are made of and the high-end technology used to design them. It would be very difficult for someone to break into a home with a keyless lock. A keyless lock doesn’t require a key to gain access, which makes it such an attractive alternative to most people. All that is needed is a keypad installed where a code is then created and given to everyone whom you wish to have access. The code can be changed as you see fit.

If you ever use contractors to do work in your home, it is easy for you to provide them with the code so that they are able to let themselves in and out while they are working in your home. However, once their job has been completed, it is just as easy to deactivate access to your home and create a new code. Still, when you have a keyless lock and you have given it out to contractors, there is still the threat of someone breaking in so you must be extremely careful about who you provide the code to. There is a decreased possibility of someone breaking in when you have a keyless lock, which is why we often recommend this to our customers.

Also, when you create a code, keep in mind that it should be a code that you will remember. You wouldn’t want to create a code that would be too difficult to remember. You don’t want to create a dangerous situation. Make sure you change the code every time you give it out to someone else. So that you don’t forget, perhaps it would be easy to keep it close by, like in your cell phone or written down somewhere where you’ll see the reminder. Changing your code serves as a protection for you and your loved ones. We want you to remain safe and this is why we caution you to make sure that you use every necessary precaution, such as replacing your locks.