9 Reasons Why You Should Regularly Change Locks In Your Home

A man opening a door.

Locks enhance the safety of our homes by keeping out people who may pose risks. However, due to various reasons, a lock’s security features may be compromised, which could pose threats to protecting your treasured assets. It’s therefore essential to conduct a periodic audit of the stability of your home security.

Depending on the potential risk to the house, homeowners can take measures to improve their home security, such as replacing doors, installation of electric fences, use of motion sensors, or changing locks.

Choosing to change locks is not a costly measure. Thus, it could be recommended as an urgent measure to mitigate security lapses.

Here are some reasons you should change locks regularly in your home:

1. Moving To A New Apartment

If you have recently bought or leased a new apartment, it’s wise to invest in a new lock. Keep in mind that many people viewed the home before you moved in. Therefore, there is an increased likelihood of having spare keys or copies floating out there.

The people who handle the property could also have a key left unattended. This neglect could potentially lead the keys to fall into the wrong hands.

The risk of this aspect might be small. However, it’s always good to eliminate all possibilities that can result in a burglary.

2. A Home Burglary

If thieves managed to breach into your home, it’s crucial to consider replacing the locks. The nature of burglary involves forceful entry into buildings and homes; the locks are damaged as a result. Some break-ins are orchestrated using copies made before the day of the robbery.

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Use this occurrence to replace the locks with a stronger variant. Use reputable locksmith companies that can give you a comprehensive security solution. You could also find ways to repair the lock if the damages are not significant.

3. Lost Keys

The movements of homeowners increase the risk of losing valuable items like keys. If you lose a key, having a spare may give you some comfort. The downside of this action is that someone might gain access to the lost copy.

It’s therefore advisable to change the locks instead. The small cost involved outweighs the risk of theft or constant worrying. You can also change the locks if you suspect that the keys may have been stolen.

4. As A Periodic Precautionary Measure

The need to secure homes is constant because security threats continuously evolve. Permanent homes or residences also have unique challenges that require extra security measures.

Below are instances why you need to change locks regularly:

  • Aging Of Technology – Manufacturers change the combinations and lock systems from time to time. This is in response to burglars and thieves who keep discovering new ways of opening locks. Regularly changing the locks ensures that your lock has the best technology and latest security features.
  • A Surge In Crimes Or Burglary Cases – From time to time, society suffers from social ills or crimes like thefts. Factors such as unemployment or poor leadership can cause such cases of insecurity. If your neighborhood has a recent spike in cases of break-ins, your home could be due for lock changing.
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A periodic precaution increases the preparedness for such unexpected events.

An informative guide highlighting the importance of regularly changing locks in your home.
Close-up look at home door high security lock

5. After A Divorce Or A Separation

Undergoing a divorce or separation includes experiencing emotive procedures, the reason why you can’t guarantee having a smooth process that’s devoid of drama. For instance, your ex-partner could sneak back into the house to cause a commotion or harm you. A vulnerable lock is partly to blame for such unauthorized access.

As a result, your ex-partner could access your house to damage documents, steal prized assets, or do other malicious acts. The prudent move is to change the lock, which acts as a deterrent to such malicious measures.

6. Damaged Locks

Damaged locks create a security loophole because they can easily be breached. They could also open voluntarily during the day, attracting wild animals or strangers into your home. Locks, just like any equipment, also suffer from wear and tear.

Some damages that could affect a lock’s integrity include:

  • Weather Changes – Humidity and high temperatures can affect how long a lock would last. If you travel a lot, you might find your locks affected by rust due to neglected housekeeping. Though such problems can be eliminated by oiling or greasing, some damages produce long-term effects that may require having the lock changed.
  • Ill-fitting Doors – Doors or windows can become ill-fitting over time because of foundation challenges. The door can, for instance, fail to fit if the floor curves or expands; this could result in having the locks strained by the door movement. This kind of issue causes damage.
  • Dirt – The opening in the lock attracts dust, fine particles, moisture, and oils from hands. The accumulation affects the functionality of the lock system and causes the eventual failure of the lock.
  • Opening Process – The process of opening locks is not always smooth; you could be in a hurry, use the wrong key, or your child was playing with the locks. The locks system gets damaged as a result of these activities, thus the need to change them.
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7. Shared Rooms

People share rooms as a result of various issues such as the global housing shortage, lack of affordable housing, or failure to land a stable job. The nature of these arrangements is temporary, which results in the constant changing of roommates.

If you are the host, you could be in potential danger of losing your home items, cash, or other prized assets. It’s best to change the locks periodically as a precaution or after roommates move out.

8. At The End Of A Renovation Project

Various experts like plumbers, electricians, painters, and interior designers are responsible for conducting repairs. The work sometimes involves giving out the keys for convenience and easy access by the contractors.

It’s therefore prudent to change the locks as an extra precaution after the completion of the repairs.

9. After A Tenant Leaves

As a landlord, you can enhance the safety of a new tenant by taking extra steps to eliminate negligence on your part. Changing the locks after tenants have left can reduce any unauthorized access to homes.

Conclusion

We could say that locks control access to our homes. Our security and privacy are at risk if this access is compromised. Thus, it is highly recommended for us to have frequent and regular lock changes to improve our peace of mind and reduce any chance of unauthorized access.

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