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When to Replace Locks
Having effective locks is a security matter of such great importance that it can’t be ignored or overlooked. Replacing your locks can be one of the most important investments you may in your home’s security. This article aims to assist you in determining whether or not it’s time to replace or upgrade your locks.
When to Consider Lock Replacement
There are numerous situations that indicate a need for lock replacement. What follows is merely a selection of the appropriate times to consider having your locks changed. Contact a professional locksmith for advice or assistance if you’re debating whether to have your locks changed.
When Your Keys Go Missing
We all have moments when we can’t find our keys. We might panic, retracing our steps all over our home or business, checking every pair of pants in the dirty laundry. Usually we find our keys eventually and the crisis is resolved. Sometimes, however, you may find yourself in a situation where your keys truly are missing. Whether you set them down somewhere while out in public and someone took them, or they fell out of your pocket, or they just disappeared somewhere in your house, you’ll either need to have the keys or the locks replaced. Our locksmiths always recommend having a spare set of keys made as a backup in cases like these. Sometimes you just don’t get a chance to have copies made or it slips your mind. Whatever the case may be, you should have your locks changed when you lose your keys because you never know who might pick them up or what their intentions may be.
It’s even more important to have your locks replaced quickly if you suspect there could be a possibility that your keys were stolen. Even if your keys are returned to you by an apparent do-gooder, it only takes a few minutes and a little money to duplicate a key, and leaving your locks unchanged may be leaving your home or business at risk. The relatively minor investment in having your lock or locks changed is usually more than worth it for the peace of mind alone.
When Your Locks are Worn Out
Locks, like any other frequently-used piece of hardware, wear down naturally over time. No lock is meant to last forever, and some degrade faster than others. A sign of a worn-out or damaged lock is if your key sticks. While this can be a problem with the key itself, if you inspect the key and don’t see anything wrong, you should suspect that there is a problem with the internal workings of the lock. If your have to wiggle your key a lot to get your lock to operate, or wrench your key out just to get it free after you’ve locked your door, it’s best to contact a locksmith to see about a replacement. Otherwise, these problems can continue to get worse until you find yourself locked out of your home, car, or business.
When You Get a New House
When you receive the keys to your home, especially if it’s your first home, you probably feel ecstatic. A home is one of the most significant purchases a person will ever make, if not the most significant. You may feel like you’ll treasure those keys forever. However, if the home is pre-owned, and there’s any possibility that someone else might have a copy of your keys, it’s best to have the locks changed ASAP to prevent any issues.
After A Burglary or Break-In
Whether or not your locks were damaged or destroyed during the commission of the crime, it’s still important to have your locks inspected and then replaced or upgraded. That’s because your locks have proven unable to withstand an attack against them. When you contact a locksmith to discuss having your locks changed, also ask about additional security measures you can take to prevent a crime from occurring again on your property.
After a Difficult Roommate or Tenant Leaves
Whether it was a roommate who liked to “borrow” your things a little too often and never give them back, or a tenant who turned out to be hiding a criminal past, you may breathe a sigh of relief once the offending party is gone. However, don’t rest just yet. Even if they turned in all the copies of the house or apartment key that they had, it’s best to have the locks changed. As mentioned above, it doesn’t take much to have a key copied, and having a copy of a key allows the person to walk right into your home.
After a Relationship Has Ended
During divorces, difficult breakups, and other relationships that have ended less-than-ideally, people can act in unpredictable ways. If there were any issues with anger, jealousy, or domestic abuse, the situation can be even more serious. For your own person protection, as well as that of the family and belongings in your home, it’s a good idea to have your locks changed quickly after a breakup or divorce.
What About Lock Rekeying?
Lock rekeying involves taking apart an existing lock mechanism and manipulating the pin and tumbler system inside to only fit a new key instead of the old model. You may have heard of this valuable, cost-effective service before without knowing the specifics. Nearly all professional locksmiths are capable of performing this service for a lower cost than a lock change. For a lock to be a candidate for rekeying, it needs to be the right type and in very good or better condition. Talk to your local locksmith to determine if rekeying is appropriate for the locks you want to change. If you have multiple newer locks that are in need of a change for whatever reason, rekeying might be a smart option.