New Year – New Locks!

Christmas is over and the New Year is here. The sales are already in full swing and many credit cards are taking a full on battering! Somehow, we are even starting to think about holidays! This time of year seems to bring out the spend monster in many of us.

So if we can go all out to buy that new telly, or furniture, or computer, or washing machine, and save hundreds of pounds, why not seriously consider putting the savings to good use and making sure your home is secure? This morning I have transformed a property from one I could get into within seconds, to one that a burglar will look at from a distance and instantly look to the next property as a potential target  – and all for well under £200.

Many people live in homes that very often have old and out dated locks. But most information is online. Without stereotyping, many older people do not have/want access to the internet, so please if you know someone elderly or infirm, check their locks for them. Especially look for kite marked locks and if they don’t have them, help them look up the number of a local locksmith. So many homes that should have 5 lever mortice locks – the generally accepted insurance standard, only have three lever locks or even just two lever. These can be replaced for little over £100. And remember we are not talking about double glazed doors here which have multi-point locking systems.

On the subject of double glazed doors, those hooks, bolts rollers, etc, count for nothing if you have a standard locking barrel. These can be snapped and access gained in under a minute, so please make sure your barrel is kite marked and preferably given a three star rating as well; I had to gain access to one of these over Christmas, and the wear on my extra-tough drill bits was incredible. I can say it is possible to gain access through these locks, but the time and effort involved goes way beyond what a burglar would want to use, and as these locks are visibly different, they deter burglars from a distance. The upgrade for these high security locks is well under £100 per lock.

So, if you have waited until now to spend £200 on a pair of jeans because they used to be £300 ask yourself if you really need them? A new kite marked lock might not be as exciting, but it might just save you a future nightmare, not just on a material level. Unless something of particular family value has been stolen, most people get over the loss of replaceable belongings quite quickly. But most victims find it extremely hard to get over the invasion of their private space and almost all agree they would not have been victims if they had had the correct levels of security in place to begin with.

There is a certain feeling that goes with knowing your property is secure. I challenge you to try it. The excitement of wearing that new pair of jeans might diminish when you get your credit card statement or you desperately need cash for something else, but you will never regret upgrading your security.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!