Safeguarding your family and your possessions against burglars requires that you secure your house. If you live alone, it is even more important to take basic precautions to secure your house. Changing the locks of your home is a crucial step towards achieving that. Here is a thorough explanation of when to replace a house’s locks and why, but, before you even think about doing so.
When Should A Home’s Lock Be Change?
There are several situations where it becomes urgently required to alter your home’s locks. You should think about replacing the locks right away in the following situations:
- Shifting to a different location
- If your keys are missing
- Robbery or break-in
- Divorce
- Faulty locks
- Removing a challenging tenant
While the terms of these circumstances should be sufficient to explain why changing your home’s locks is necessary, let’s go through each one in more depth to help you understand the potential repercussions.
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In Case You Are Moving to a New Home
It is generally advised that you replace the locks of your residence after you have shifted in, regardless of the fact that you just purchased a new house or have recently leased a new residence. There are numerous reasons to do this. The main justification for locks changing is to increase home security while keeping costs down. You shouldn’t take your protection for granted, even though your landlord may have convinced you that they replaced the locks after the prior renter went out.
It is important to set new locks and ensure that your tenant and family individuals are the sole ones with access to the new locks because the former owner or a tenant may have a spare set of keys to the current locks. Be careful you replace the locks on all of the home’s entrances. The main entrance to your home that provides access to the yard or garden is also included in this, as are the backdoor and your garage door.
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If You Have Lost Your Keys
Among the most frequent justifications for changing the locks is misplacing your keys. As soon as you notice you have misplaced your keys, it’s crucial to put in new locks. Although if you do expect to discover them someday, it is advisable to prevent a wait and put the safety of your house and family by simply making a new set of keys for your personal usage using the spare.
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In the Event of Intrusion or Burglary
Even if it weren’t the norm for criminals to target houses with lax security, you must put in new locks right away following a crime. When your pocketbook is stolen or taken with your house keys and CNIC (which contains your address) inside, it is imperative to change the locks. Or if you are robbed inside, outdoors, or close to your house by a burglar who also steals your possessions, especially your house keys. Or when somebody tries to get into the house but actually breaks the lock. Whether the effort was accomplished or not, the lock may have been broken, thus it is necessary to replace it to improve house security.
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After You Had A Divorce
It’s difficult for a couple to decide to seek a divorce since they could no more be happily married, but it’s even harder if the divorce is unpleasant, with conflicts over property ownership and acrimonious disagreements. Change the locks around the main gates as soon as you become the legal owner of the residence when you wish your ex to keep out of your house and avoid surprise visits.
This guideline also holds true for strained relationships with housemates from rentals. The best course of action is to speak with your owner and get the locks changed so that your roommate cannot transgress, even if you may have worked carefully to select the ideal rental roommate.
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When Your Locks Have Been Damaged
With time, locking mechanisms experience wear and strain and finally fail. Some locks will have obvious damage, which is simple to identify. Others, though, will surprise you. The result is that the lock becomes damaged on the interior and won’t open or close with no external indications. This implies that if you haven’t replaced your locks in a while, you may find yourself locked in your home one day and in need of a locksmith to help you escape.
Getting Rid of a Crazy Tenant
This one is for all landlords. Avoid the error of retaining the same locks on your rental properties if you have had trouble evicting a renter. Change them right away to prevent another unauthorized possession of the apartment or home from using a key that the cunning tenant has duplicated.
Now you are aware of the proper time and reason for changing a home’s locks. Additionally, it’s crucial to only give your home key to people you can trust and will always get it back from anyone you’ve lent it to, especially if they are somebody you can trust. Be careful!
If you need to change your locks for the aforementioned reasons, look no beyond than Citywest Locksmiths! We can help you to change your locks in no time! Contact us now!
