Five reasons why you would change your locks

Why you should consider changing your locks

Hello there. I’m speaking to you today, asking for your vote in the contest to be UK’s next prime minister. So I’ll be promising you the world, whilst then doing a series of U-turns after securing your vote..oh hang on, wrong script. Oh god, does this mean Liz Truss is about to give a speech extolling the virtues of changing locks? Well, I don’t expect anyone will really notice after all.

But yes, whilst the country (or 200k of them at least) are busy choosing the next PM, I’m still in the running to be your next locksmith, and thought today I’d go back to basics (apologies to John Major) and look at reasons why you may want to change or update your locks, as well as elaborating on the benefits of doing so.

There will be very little here about reducing the civil service wage bill, many apologies. And these tips will be of very little use to the new occupants of Number 10, given the front door there does not even have a lock – it can only be opened from the inside, fact fans. (To be fair, there are other entrances and these likely have locks or keypads, but unsurprisingly they tend to keep these security arrangements private)

When did you last change your locks?

But back to the subject at hand, and a rhetorical question – when did you last change your locks? I’m guessing that, unless you’ve had a break-in or house renovation, it’s been quite a while. Understandably, a lot of people don’t give it a thought and even if they do, it’s a job that is put off for another day, not taking priority. However, there are times when changing your locks should be high up on your to-do list. Maybe your key has jammed in the lock, you’ve had an attempted burglary or the lock is wholly outdated – below I will try and illustrate the advantages of contacting a locksmith and getting new locks fitted in these and other instances.

Firstly, let’s look at the instance where you’ve lost your keys. We’ve all done it, and know the sinking feeling of reaching into your pocket for your keys, only to find nothing other than a few empty sweet wrappers.  Hopefully you will then quickly find the missing keys, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case, and after a fruitless few hours searching, you realise that they have been dropped or left somewhere unknown.  In this instance I would always recommend that you change your locks as soon as you can. Whilst the best-case scenario is that the keys are lost somewhere they can’t be found or identified by anyone else, there is also the worst-case scenario where they have found their way into the possession of someone with nefarious motives and who knows your address. Here, it’s far better not to take chances; and remember that the cost of getting your locks changed by a professional locksmith will be far below that of the cost of a burglary, not to mention the emotional trauma of the latter.

The benefits of changing your locks

Secondly, let’s look at what happens when you move into a new house or flat. Has the property been occupied before? If so, you just don’t know how many copies of keys are floating around out there – again, although most people are honest, you can’t be sure that a previous occupant doesn’t have more sinister intentions and will use their old key to help themselves to the contents of your new house. Previous occupants may also have given copies of their keys to friends, families, cleaners etc, and although these should all be handed over when they move out, I know from experience this often isn’t the case. Changing the locks will give you much better peace of mind.

Next up, what if you’ve already has an attempted burglary or break-in? As well as being traumatic, this should also serve as a wake-up call to change your locks. We’re not always thinking straight after a burglary, such is the emotional impact, but I would always advise getting your locks changed in order to reduce the risk of you having to go through that again. Houses are often targeted for return attempts as the burglar has a better idea of what they will face and can be better prepared the second time. In some cases the burglar may have even taken away a set of house keys to make the second attempt so much easier.  There may also be a reason why your house was targeted, even if the burglary wasn’t successful, so for all sorts of reasons, a change and improvement in locks is to be recommended.

Why changing your locks should be a priority

The fourth reason for changing locks is quite an obvious one – if the existing one is becoming faulty. Whilst some locks will fail totally, often it’s a case of them deteriorating over time, so if you’ve been finding more resistance when trying to turn the key, it may be that the lock is coming to the end of its life. In this instance it’s better to replace the lock before there is a complete failure which would turn it into an emergency leaving you either unable to get in/out your house, or being unable to lock it. Dealing with the issue at your own convenience before it becomes urgent causes a lot less stress than calling out an emergency locksmith at goodness knows what time of day.

The importance of replacing old locks

The final reason I’ll list to replace your locks is simply to do with the advancement of lock technology. Even if your locks are working okay, it’s never a bad idea to have a search around to see what else is available. Perhaps your lock is functioning but is an old-style model that wouldn’t stand up to an attempt at lock snapping, where burglars can break the lock in a few seconds.  New locks on the market can be more secure, more robust, and even make use of new digital technology if required. Perhaps your locks are so old that they no longer meet the minimum requirements of house insurance policies? If so, that should definitely provide the impetus to get new ones fitted.

I’ve listed just 5 of the many reasons you may want to get your locks changed, but there are many more, whether you may be out of a bad relationship and your ex still has keys to the house, or whether you’ve got a new pet you want to properly protect when you’re leaving it alone. Of course as a locksmith I have a vested interest in people replacing locks as it’s my line of work, but I also hope this has been useful to get you thinking more about whether you do need to upgrade. And if you decide to do, well just give me a call!