November 29, 2013

New home? Change your locks – today. Here’s how.

Oh the horror stories of people losing their belongings and valuables to thieves with a key.

You should change your locks immediately when taking possession of your new home.  It is easy – you can do it yourself or use these handy tips to hire a quality locksmith to do it for you.

Think of your last residence.  Did you make a copy of your house key for a neighbor, friend or relative to check on your home while you were vacationing? Perhaps you ‘hid’ a key in your yard or garage in case you were ever locked out of your home.  Were you diligent in tracking down all the copies of keys you handed out?  Do you think the former owner of your new home did something similar and created uncollected copies of your house key?  Perhaps your home had one of those handy little lockboxes that realtors and contractors like to use.  We don’t recommend taking any chances.

Home Office statistics estimate that you are almost twice as likely to have a visit from a thief  in the first  12 months after moving into a house compared with the average burglary rate (4.6% compared with 2.5%).

It’s best to start out with the assurance that you control access to your home.  Changing a lock can be a great DIY (do-it-yourself) project  Watch the video we found on YouTube for installation tips.  You can also get your current locks re-keyed.  This is best done by a locksmith.

A visit from a locksmith to your new home is a great idea.  They can assess the effectiveness of your doors and locks and make security recommendations.  It is a good idea to get to know  and trust a local locksmith in case you need one in a pinch.

Another reason to change your locks – your insurance claim may be voided if you don’t re-key or replace your locks.  Give yourself the peace of mind that new locks will bring and get new keys for your new castle.

Do you have a story to share with our readers regarding new keys for your new home?  We’d love to hear from you.