Did you recently purchase a house and were given the past owner’s keys? Did you take the time to change all the locks on the house? It is an extremely good idea to immediately change all the locks or rekey any home when you first move in. You don’t know how many people are out there with keys to the existing locks. One of those people could use their key to enter your house when you are gone and rob you. Be safe. Change all the locks in any house you move into immediately.
Locksmith Services in Dallas Can Rekey Homes or Commercial Buildings
When a person moves to a new home, they should hire a local locksmith to rekey all the locks. When a company moves to a new building, it should have all the doors rekeyed. A locksmith has the training and the equipment to rekey existing lock mechanisms and make new keys to fit them. They can also replace broken locks. Locksmiths can also upgrade old locks with new state of the art ones. New locks can be more secure and convenient. They can also help with getting a new key when one is lost or broken.
What is Rekeying?
Rekeying a home or building simply means having a locksmith alter the lock mechanism in existing locks or replace the old locks with new locks so that any existing keys no longer work. all the people who may have keys to the property can no longer use them to enter the building. Some people call this changing the locks. The locksmith removes the springs and pins in the lock cylinder and replaces them with new ones that will only work with a new set of keys.
When Should You Rekey a Home or Business?
Moving into a new home or business building is not the only time to change the locks or keys. There are 10 reasons for rekeying homes.
1. When you first move into a home just purchased. There is no way to know how many keys to the home are floating around. Start new with new keys unique to you.
2. You have lived in the home for a long time and have lost track of how many copies of your keys are out in the world.
3. You have been the victim of a robbery and had personal items, including keys stolen.
4. You or a family member has lost keys, purse, wallet, or backpack with keys in it.
5. The marriage or relationship with another person has ended and you don’t want them to have a key that works in your locks.
6. A member of the family or a friend has lost their house key. A home service provider has lost their key or has been terminated. An employee has been terminated.
7. The homeowner has changed roommates or terminated a friendship with a person who had a house key. Perhaps the home has had a renter who moved out.
8. You want to have one key fit all the locks in a home. This can be one key opening both the front and back doors and the garage door.
9. You want to make sure the locks in your home can not be opened with a master key some stranger may have. When a builder is in charge o new construction, they may have a master key or contractor’s key that works on multiple homes they are working on. When the locks are changed for new homeowners, some master pins might still be in the lock. Up to 16 different keys may work in a lock with master pins left in. Be safe, get the locks rekeyed as you move in.
10. You need a locksmith to inspect the lock cylinder of all home locks for damage and replace the worn or damaged ones.
In addition to rekeying existing locks, some people want entirely new locks for their exterior doors. The existing locks might be old and worn or flimsy. A home or building owner might want stronger, more secure locks to make the home or building harder to break into. More and more people are becoming more security conscious. New locks can be found that have a keypad rather than keys. Each person enters their passcode to open the door. New locks can even be voice-activated.
Smart locks are a consideration for many homeowners. they can be synced to a smartphone, PC, or tablet. They can be unlocked remotely, hands-free, or they can notify the homeowner if someone is trying to unlock them.
Other Services Locksmiths Offer
We call locksmiths when we are locked out of our cars or if we lose our keys and can’t get in our homes or cars. We call a locksmith if the key breaks in the door lock. A locksmith will be needed if the locks on home doors are worn out and become difficult to make work with existing keys. No one likes to stand at the door wiggling a key back and forth to make it work. Sometimes entirely new door locks are needed.
Locksmiths have other valuable services to offer including installing a home or business safes, replacing whole doors, installing security and video cameras, and more. They can help home or building owners get into safes that came with the property but have no keys or available combinations.
Security and Peace of Mind
Every homeowner wants to feel safe and secure in their own home. every business owner wants his property and goods to be secure. The best way to assure this safety and security is to have strong locks with keys that the owner has control of. Do not give out multiple keys. The number of keys should be limited and the owner should have a list of where every key is. Lost keys should mean an immediate rekey.
Along with strong locks and limited keys, the security-conscious property owner should take other security steps such as securing all windows, trimming all trees and shrubbery around the building to remove hiding places, and getting some sort of security system in place. The security company sign should be displayed where would-be thieves can see it. Security cameras covering the outside of the building should be easily visible. Outdoor lights should be installed to cover the front and back of the property that have motion sensors to turn them on if an intruder enters the property at night.
Taking these simple security steps will make the whole family feel safer and more secure in the home. Business owners will know their building is more secure from theft.
