Should I Rekey or Replace My Locks?
Although it’s exciting to receive the keys to your new home, it’s important to know that you are the only person who has access to your property.
When you’re relocating to new premises, it’s impossible to know who else may have a set of keys. Did the previous owner make copies for relatives? Has the real estate company loaned out a set to cleaning contractors? Have the keys been lost in the past, and duplicates made?
Home insurance companies do not look kindly on people who neglect to check the security of their home or business once they move in. Should they discover that the new resident hasn’t taken the proper measures to protect their home, they can be reluctant to pay up if a claim is made. This could end up costing you a great deal of money.
Most people fail to deal with the issue of security because they assume that changing the locks will cost them a fortune. This doesn’t have to be the case. It isn’t necessary to go to the expense of replacing all the hardware in your new home in order to lock out the previous keys. Rekeying, rather than changing the locks, could provide the solution.
Rekeying:
If the previous owner installed locks that can be rekeyed, you may not even have to call out a locksmith. (Click here to find out more information about rekeying your locks.)
Rekeying is a way of changing the configuration of your existing locks, so that they can be opened with a new key. This means that you can be secure in the knowledge that only the new key will work, and the old one will be rendered useless. There are several advantages to doing this.
It saves you money as you don’t have to replace the entire lock hardware.
You can rekey all the locks to work with the same key. This way you don’t have to carry multiple keys around with you.
You can be certain in the knowledge that no unauthorised person can gain access to your property.
When to change the locks:
In some instances however, you may still want to consider changing your locks.
For example:
If the locks are in poor working order, or have so much wear and tear that you experience key jams, or difficulty gaining entry.
To upgrade the level of security at your property, (particularly for vulnerable entry points such as the front and back entrances, or a garage that may house valuable goods.)
In both these circumstances, it’s worth considering consulting a locksmith about upgrading your security. In many cases however, changing the locks for the entire property is unnecessary. Professional locksmith and security systems are able to provide locks to suit all budgets, and offer a full rekeying service to customers who want peace of mind when relocating to new premises.