5 Times You Should Change Your Locks

Changing the locks on the doors of your home is probably not something you think about doing very often, because it’s a bit of an arduous task. While this is not something you need to do all the time, there are certain instances where it makes sense to change your locks for safety purposes.

1. Upon Moving Into a New Home

When you move into a new home, it goes without saying that you’ll want to change the locks. Even if the previous owners handed over their sets of keys on closing day, you never know how many people have spare sets of keys. For that reason, it’s important to get the locks changed and start fresh.

2. After a Break In

If your home gets broken into, you need to replace your locks for the safety of yourself and your family. Having a lock that has been broken or compromised leaves your home more susceptible to another break in, so you’ll definitely want to make the switch.

3. After Losing Your Keys

If you misplaced your keys or they were stolen, you need to make changing your locks a priority. Especially if the keys have fallen into the wrong hands, you want new locks for the safety of your home and family.

4. For Regular Maintenance

Locks should be changed every few moments just for regular maintenance purposes. These mechanisms are used often and can wear out, can weaken, and can cause unwanted problems. A weakened lock is one that is more easily broken into, which is not something you want to put your home at risk of. Worn out locks also become a nuisance, making them hard to turn and unlock, causing keys to stick.

5. After Someone Moves Out

If you have a roommate that moves out of your home, you will want to change the locks, especially if they didn’t leave on good terms. Again, you don’t know who they may have lent spare keys to, so this is always a good measure to take.

Things to Know Before Changing Your Locks

There are some things you’ll want to know before you change your locks, regardless of the reason.

The Price

The price of changing your locks will cost between $40 to $300 per door, dependent on the design, complexity, and materials that make up the lock. Then, to install the locks, the cost of a professional locksmith can run you an average of $80 to $200.

If you choose to DIY your lock replacement, it’s a pretty easy project that can be done in around an hour or less per door. This will save you money as far as a locksmith goes. Replacing all of your locks can be a costly venture, so make sure to shop around and get prices before you begin the project.

Replacing vs. Rekeying

It’s important to know the difference between replacing and rekeying locks. Rekeying locks involves using the same doorknob, but having a professional locksmith come and replace the springs inside a lock to make it so that a new key will work to unlock it rather than the old one.

Replacing a lock differs in the fact that it requires a completely new knob with a brand new lock, which also requires a new key for opening the lock. Usually, a complete replacement is necessary when an old lock is worn down or has internal damage.

Consider Smart Locks

With today’s tech-savvy world, there are many smart locks on the market that take the need for a physical key out of the equation. Smart keys use your smartphone or other technology to be unlocked and can be unlocked remotely as well as in person.

They have an abundance of bells and whistles and are a great option to consider if you’re replacing your locks anyway and want to make your home more of a smart home.

Although replacing or rekeying your locks is definitely not something that is fun or exciting to do, it’s something that must be done in certain instances in order to keep your family safe.