When Do You Need To Replace Your Home Locks?
Your home locks should be the one thing you don’t stress about. High-quality locks afford you privacy, security, and peace of mind. There are various reasons to update your home locks, such as excessive wear, damaged locks, break-ins, outdated locks, or even broken door knobs. If your locks are compromised, you must act quickly to get them replaced.
There are solutions available for you to reestablish trust in your lock system. Wondering when’s the right time to get them changed? We’ve listed the warning indicators to look out for to help you decide when to replace your door locks. Read on:
- When You Feel Unsafe
Changing your home’s locks might often be motivated by nothing more than a gut feeling. You should select a new lock system to replace your outdated one to keep your home and family secure. With help from a Locksmith Plus Inc. Portland OR, you can rest assured that you and your possessions are safe.
- When You Have Used For At Least 7 Years
Like any other component of the house, door locks deteriorate over time. They will eventually require replacement to operate properly without any issues. It is advised that you replace your locks at least once every seven years, while you can do so more frequently for added security, but seven years is the maximum time frame advised.
- When You Lose Your Keys
If you happen to misplace your keys while you are on the move, the security of your residence or place of business should be your top priority. Regardless of how long you have been searching for your keys, if you are thinking about the risk of leaving the locks alone, presume someone has found them. Meaning that if you do lose your keys, you need to replace the affected locks right away.
- When Keys Are Stolen
You should presume that another person has access to your home if you lose your keys. Your missing keys may be in the hands of criminals, and a possible theft might happen in time. The best course of action is to change your keys right away. Do not let days pass in vain attempts to recover your keys. Take the safe approach and change your locks even if you locate your locks again or someone gives them to you.
- When Locks Are Worn Out
In a few cases, the issue may be with the locks. As stated above, after seven years, locksmiths advise changing old or worn-out locks. You should change your locks right away if they are of substandard quality. Your locks can be weaker and more vulnerable to tampering, so maintain frequent replacements and buy high-quality security locks that are professionally installed.
- When You Change Houses
Do not assume that when you change houses or purchase a new home, you will have strong lock security. You may relax in peace only after replacing your door locks, which is an inexpensive and worthwhile precaution. You have no means of determining if others have duplicate keys, even if your house is brand new and the builder gives you keys for your front and back door locks. Security issues apply when buying a house from an existing owner as well. To err on the side of caution, get a new lock system for your new house.
- When Children Are Involved
Some families decide it is better to convert the entire house security and select door locks for infants to prevent their children from locking themselves or keeping them out of certain areas of the house.
- When You Change Your Staff
When you change or let go of household staff members like nannies, housekeepers, and cooks, you should also consider installing new locks. Consider this a non-negotiable if they departed on poor terms or if you did not get your house key back from them, among other reasons.
We also suggest switching your locks when staff members leave your company, whether it was their decision or not, to protect your other staff and assets. You cannot afford to take the chance of fired personnel or somebody they know reentering your company. Be it home or business staff, it’s important to consider changing the locks to avoid unforeseen events.
- When A Break-in Occurs
If you experience a break-in, identify the intruder’s entry point and reinforce it by replacing the locks and using any other available methods. Do not take the chance, even if you have accounted for all the keys. Your keys may have been duplicated or in the hands of an unauthorized person. Compromised doorknobs and locks may later develop security holes, leaving you open to further incidents. Changing your keys is a tiny sum to spend compared to the chance that the assailants will return and cart away the remainder of your possessions.
- When You Carry Out Renovations
You might want to replace all the previous locks with new ones if you are moving into a home that has just undergone renovations. You’ve probably given your contractors a key if you had been away while their technicians and other workers finished the work. For the security of your recently refurbished home, think about upgrading your locks.
- When Locks Are Damaged
Broken or damaged locks cannot give you the security your home needs. It is time to replace the lock if you have ever needed to carefully angle a key to get it to open, raise the door knob slightly, or if you have trouble inserting or removing the key from the deadbolt. In all these cases, intruders may have the possibility to enter if locks are broken or malfunctioning.
- When Tenants Move Out
Even if you have moved in as a new resident, it is a wise idea to replace the keys and locks to ensure secure access controls once an ex-inhabitant vacates. It is impossible to determine whether they have a spare. To rule out any chance that such a thing could happen, your best option is to purchase a new lock.
- When People Move Out
It is safer to be protected than sorry. In the same way, if a former resident of your home moves out, whether the person is a friend, roommate, or someone you know, you must replace the locks so that their old key, as well as any duplicates that might have been shared, will no longer allow them entry to your house.
- When Locks Are Outdated
You might wish to replace your outdated locks if they do not complement the design of your house. Your previous locks maybe by a company you no longer support or from a time with an outmoded fashion. Ask a locksmith to update your locks because even contemporary doorknobs and locks might not go with your new decor plans.
- When You Need To Accommodate A Person With A Disability
Most old locks cannot accommodate certain persons with disability. If you want to make your home more accessible to them, you can install a smart home lock system. These feature remote keyless entry and the versatility to grant restricted access. These advanced locks make use of biometrics like voice recognition, fingerprints, eye scans, and other forms of authentication to grant access to a person.
Also, if you have bone or muscle disease or another comparable condition where movement can be painful, you might wish to replace your locks for physical health reasons. You might want to convert to levers if your doors have knob locks. With this, you do not need to grab the lock to open the door—your thumb would do the trick.
- When A Separation Has Occurred
One of the dicey scenarios in which you might be required to get new locks is one such as this. Changing your locks may mean protection and privacy for you in this tough time. Make sure you change your locks and be extremely careful about who receives keys if your relationship with an ex-partner ended and they have been forced to leave the home.
- When You Want To Upgrade Your Security System
To prevent lock picking, many home and business owners are switching to keyless entry systems and digital locks. With such systems, your premises will be more secure. Even personalized access codes are possible with a keyless entry system. As the homeowner, you’ll get a thorough report on who enters and at what time, giving you peace of mind about the comings and goings of your loved ones.
Conclusion
In the wake of big life changes, you should not forget to update your home’s security system if the circumstances call for it. The best course of action is to replace your door locks. A new, upgraded lock will last a long time, and its quality will hold up. Therefore, if you are considering changing the locks on the doors, be sure to do it the right way, and don’t hesitate to engage the services of a locksmith as needed.
