How long have you had your current locks?

I often go to properties where people have been locked out because the key just doesn’t work any more. In many of these cases, picking the lock is not a real option as the inner workings are so rusted or clogged up, if the key isn’t going to work, then lock picks are going to be pretty useless. So the result is the lock has to be drilled and replaced. Customers often say things like: ‘Well, it’s lasted several years. I suppose it was due to be replaced anyway.’ The trouble is the lock always seems to fail when it means you will be stuck waiting in the rain, or with a dog inside, desperate to be let out, or when you need to do a quick change for an interview etc. Only this week I attended a lock out that took me three hours to get to because I was already on another job. On this occasion, the customer could wait with a neighbour, but there have been times when the customer couldn’t wait and had to smash a window themselves to get in, creating a dangerous situation of possible lacerations and even more expense as they now needed a glazer to replace the window as well as me to open and replace the lock.

When you think about it, locks are one of the things we use most on a day to day basis. If a computer lasts more than five years, it gets so clogged and slow, we at least think very seriously about changing it. Phone contracts don’t go longer than 24 months because many want the next design even if we only use a fraction of the features. Those that can, change their car almost every three years, or as soon as the finance bill is paid.

So, would it surprise you to know that the locksmithing industry recommends that you change your locks every five years? In five years, your locks are exposed to rain that rusts, insects that nest, huge amounts of metal on metal wear and tear, and if you live near the coast; corroding sand and grit. Wooden doors swell and contract, squeezing locks if they have been fitted too tight. Moving parts on locking mechanisms easily jamb up with all sorts of daily grime (no one tells you to oil them). Double glazed doors drop and cause extra wear and tear when you lift the handle to lock them. Inferior locks have softer metals inside that wear quicker. Besides that, we often give our keys to friends when we go on holiday so they can feed the cat, or to workmen so they can build the extension while we work, or to carers for our elderly and infirm relatives. Then we forget about those keys.

I once had a customer who estimated that around forty keys were in the possession of various carers, etc, when her father died. If any one of those people had been of a mind to burgle the property, no one would have ever found out who it was.
Can you say you know the exact whereabouts of every key to your property?

Getting your locks changed every five years or so will increase your home security. It will also reduce the risk of you being locked out on that occasion when you really need to be inside. It costs less than a new computer system, or car, or mobile phone.


If you have any questions regarding the information above, please get in touch using any of the methods on my contacts page. Thanks for reading.