Without a doubt, the stress and anxiety caused by losing the keys to your home is one of the most challenging ordeals to be dealing with. Unfortunately, we are all prone to go through it at some moment in time. What is important is the attitude you will choose to have when the dreaded thing happens. Keeping your cool and thinking about the best solutions will make all the difference. It should all start with knowing exactly what your options are: re-keying the locks, installing new locks, or getting a house key made without the original.
Since the keys to your home are also the main gateway to entering your household, losing them means looking at restricted access to your dwelling. There is also the risk of a stranger entering your home without your consent, in case they come across your keys and an ID to certify your address for them. These are the two main reasons why most people prefer to have their locks changed as a result of losing the keys to their house. Others would argue that getting new key copies should suffice. Let us take a look at the main arguments for each of these solutions so you can be sure you will be making the right choice once you will be confronted with the lost home key scenario.
Given the fact that door locks are paired with corresponding keys, losing the keys means having to change parts of the lock mechanisms as a means of compensating the loss. While there are no actual laws that force house-owners to change the locks on their home provided the keys are lost, failing to do it under certain circumstances will seriously jeopardize the security of your home. There is no point in taking any chances and leaving the security of your castle up to the hands of change. Having the locks replaced is the simplest way of making sure that you will immediately get rid of any vulnerabilities associated with the missing keys that could easily reach the wrong hands.
However, deciding which of the two options is the most suitable for you is a much more detailed thought process that will need to assess the following:
When trying to decide if you should re-key your locks or have them completely replaced, you should spend some time thinking about the way you’ve actually lost the keys. Decide if you ave simply misplaced, left them behind somewhere, or if someone has stolen them from you. The location where the keys might have been left behind will help you decide what is the best locks should be replaced or re-keyed.
Re-keying a lock enables you to keep the old locks while having them fitted in such a way that they no longer work with the old keys that you have lost. Instead, they will only work together with a new set of keys, rendering the old set useless. Lock re-keying is oftentimes more affordable compared to lock change or new lock installation since it does not incur the replacement of the entire lock body with a new one.
However, deciding which of the two options is the most suitable for you is a much more detailed thought process that will need to assess the following:
When trying to decide if you should re-key your locks or have them completely replaced, you should spend some time thinking about the way you’ve actually lost the keys. Decide if you ave simply misplaced, left them behind somewhere, or if someone has stolen them from you. The location where the keys might have been left behind will help you decide what is the best locks should be replaced or re-keyed.
If you have any budget restrictions, you will need to also add this to the equation when deciding if you should re-key the locks or have them replaced when losing the keys to your home. However, try to always make the security of your home a top priority. Even though your decision today might influence your monthly budget, in the long run, you are still going to thank yourself for restoring your peace of mind as well as an enhanced level of home protection. Usually, it is more affordable to re-key a lock instead of getting a new lock installed, but you should always talk to a locksmith as the final bill will depend on a series of factors such as the type and model of the lock, the complexity of the mechanism, and so on.
Finally, there is no straight answer to the question “What do I do if I have lost my keys?”, but getting in touch with an expert locksmith that knows how to make a key for an old lock and how to get a house key made without the original will help clear a lot of uncertainties and ultimately make the right call.
