How To Tell Whether a Lock Needs Repaired or Replaced

You normally rely on locks to keep your home safe, to secure it and to prevent those who want to cause you problems. However, above everything else, the lock keeps the people and the things you love most safe. But what should you do when your lock breaks? Are you going to leave them like that and allow your family and the things you love to remain unprotected? Or do you call a repair or replacement company? Well, depending on where you are, there are some sure signs that your lock needs to be repaired or replaced. Here is how to tell whether lock needs to be repaired or replaced.

When your keys are stolen

Losing your house keys is nowadays very common. If this happens to you, instead of worrying you need to think of the best way to rescue the situation. Since you do not know where you lost your keys or who stole them, it’s always advisable to replace your locks as soon as possible. Even if you have a duplicate, this is the safest move to take. More so, if the keys are for the outer doors such as the front door or gate, you need to have the lock replaced immediately.

If your home is broken into

Although it’s quite unfortunate, at times thugs can break into your home and chances are they might damage the locks in the process. During incidents of forced entry and crime, most likely the thugs will interfere with your locks. The possible damage can become an issue especially when it starts to malfunction. Any kind of breakage may have permanently destroyed your lock, making it not to work well in future. If at all there are signs that the lock was interfered with, the best thing to do is to replace them. It’s also a good idea to install more locks on the main entrances so as to prevent this from happening in future.

Moving to a new home

If you have moved into a new home or house, it’s advisable that you replace all your locks to enhance the level of security in your home. If your new house had some previous owners, you cannot tell whether they went with duplicate keys. To make matters worse, you might not know whose hands the keys are in now. To prevent any incidences of break-ins and stealing, you need to replace all the locks for your new house including the ones for the inner rooms. This will ensure that the people you love and your property are safe.

If the lock has become old

Since wear and tear is inevitable, old, rusty locks is a common thing. One of the best signs that your locks are old and needs replacement is when they start to show some signs of rust. Alternatively, if your doors are more difficult to open then maybe its time to repair or replace your locks. Replacing your locks earlier enough is one of the best ways to prevent incidences of being locked out your home. Doing this will also minimize the chances of break-ins. Once you have decided to replace them, you need to choose high-quality rustproof locks. This will not only prevent them from rusting but will also slow down the process of wear and tear. It’s also a good idea to select the best brand and ensure that it’s installed by an expert so that you can be sure that it has been done well.

If you have new tenants or roommates

In instances where you share your house or room, you need to be careful especially if you change tenants or roommates or if those you do not fully trust relocates. Although replacing your locks might take a lot of your time, effort, and even expenses, you must do it if you want to ensure that your home space is secure enough. This precaution will also ensure that you avoid instances of break-ins. Remember, your previous tenants or roommates may have also made duplicates or even given duplicates to other people. Also, make sure that you ask for a complete set of keys once someone moves out of the house. Thankfully, whether you want to repair or replace your locks, there are always emergency repair services readily available.

Why You Should Always Rekey Your Locks When Moving

When moving into a new townhouse, apartment, condo or a house, you can be certain that several other individuals may have copies of your keys for some number of legitimate reasons. But where are all the copies now? Rekeying the locks is going to protect you in that event some keys to the home end up in some wrong hands. No matter whether you own, rent, or are part of some association, you require ensuring that you and your family are the only individuals having the keys to your home.

We spoke with two companies when putting this article together. First we spoke with the Columbus Locksmith Pros to get a locksmith's perspective. Then we spoke with the guys at Find Good Movers to the perspective from a moving stand point.

When you’re renting an apartment or a house, the manager or the owner is responsible for changing the locks between tenants. You should consult your landlord to find out who’ll have access to the apartment or house. When you are renting a house, it’s common for the owner only to possess spare keys in case an emergency arises. Apartment complexes generally use lock system allowing employees like maintenance men use a master key to have entry to any apartment. Through this, the maintenance crew does not have to carry a bunch of keys. Don’t rekey your locks in an apartment without speaking to the landlord first, or investigating your lease terms.

When you move into a townhouse or condo, several aspects of your property might be governed by community association. This normally includes several cosmetic factors. What your front door lock appears like from outside might be one of them. You should speak with the representative of your association before you change your locks. You always can have them rekeyed in order to preserve uniformity of appearance in your community.

When you purchase your own house, the responsibility and decision are all yours. Deadbolt locks like tubular locks, and mortise locks will require different kinds of holes to be drilled in your door. Rekeying or changing locks is crucial, and the choice is yours. Trying to re-drill holes in the door for different type of lock might not good and may compromise the door’s integrity. When various exterior doors are to be rekeyed so as to take similar key, it’s normally more convenient having a professional locksmith rekey the locks.

Rekeying or changing locks is crucial to your home’s security, no matter where you move in to. You don’t require the extra stress of wondering if the previous owner’s neighbor or cousin may be having a key to your home, or whether the different sub-contractors, relatives, friends and realtors may admit themselves into your home. Rekeying or changing the locks by a local locksmith is going to ensure your privacy, security and safety.

The most crucial areas to secure are doors connecting the garage to house, the exterior doors and the “garage man” door that leads from outside into the garage. Several reasons are going to prompt you to consider such a thing important when you’re moving into a new place:

The conditions of the old locks: They might be rusty, old or of poor quality. They might have been picked, jimmied or broken into. You cannot be certain about their integrity. Therefore, you should guarantee your own security by selecting, and installing the locks that you fancy.

Who has your keys? Certainly, you may rekey a lock when you suspect the keys are just floating around out there. However, for a little more, you may have a brand new lock, one having superior security features similar to those on the doors currently.

Will old lock installation hold over time? Your door jamb may be warped or weak. The strike plate screws might be too short. The house alignment mechanism and the strike plate may be off. And when the old lock set is not good or is so poorly installed that a new one may not properly fit into holes which are there, you might have to as well go for a brand new door. This may be an extra expense, yes, but once again-you do not want to be frugal as far as your security is concerned, do you?

What if your old locks are key-controlled? Basically this is a good thing. But because you cannot make easily copies of the original keys, you would probably have to rekey the entire thing. But you may also have to install new lock system. You should consult with qualified and experienced locksmith for recommendation when moving into your new place.

Times When You Should Replace Your Locks

A properly locked door is a homeowner’s first line of defense against unwelcome intruders. Changing locks in a home should be as essential and routine as any other maintenance job carried out. Locks assist in keeping homeowners’ hard earned possessions and even their lives safe. When planning for reliable home security, being proactive in changing locks is advisable. Below is a look at the times when you should replace your locks.


In case a homeowner loses his/her house keys, having the locks changed is the first thing to do. After all, they have no idea in whose hands they may have ended up. Even if the keys are handed back by a Good Samaritan, one cannot be sure they were not copied first. Outdoor locks that that would give intruders access to the house should be replaced immediately. Once the outdoor area is secured, the home owner can then replace the inner locks in order of his/her personal security priorities.

When moving into a new house, changing the locks is a good idea. Brand new houses or those that have just been vacated have locks that worked perfectly before the new homeowner moved in. However, one cannot be too careful with locks that have set of keys he/she does not own. It’s hard to know if the previous occupants gave out copies of the keys to others or the kind of friends they had. It’s better to change the locks than regret afterwards.

 We worked with staff members over at highlandsranchlocksmith.com to get this article just right for you. Hope that it clears up some of your questions about when you should replace your locks.

Changing locks is also recommended for those who have roommates. This should be done as soon as they leave. As much as a home owner may trust his/her roommates, what happens to the keys once they are gone is impossible to know. The same case applies for those who rent out space in their home. They can protect themselves by replacing the locks each time they get new tenants. Such homeowners will have peace of mind knowing that their locks are secured and protected, and will not have to suspect tenants in case in case of an intrusion.



In case of a robbery or break-in, a homeowner must replace the door locks. The force used during a break-in or robbery can compromise the integrity of a lock’s mechanisms. Locks that are damaged put a homeowner at a higher risk of another intrusion. In addition, any mechanical failures resulting from the damage can leave someone locked out in the cold. After an intrusion, a homeowner can safely assume that his/her keys have fallen into the wrong hands. This necessitates a replacement of all locks at which these keys might provide someone with access to the house.



Changing locks is also a good idea for those going through a divorce or a separation. At times, a spouse may feel that they own some of the shared pieces of property. A homeowner may feel that he/she trusts the other person and is looking forward to an amicable divorce. However, emotions can run high, with possessions becoming an area on contention. It would be an unpleasant surprise to come home one day only to find half of the shared possessions gone.

A Cool Ignition Switch Specialty Company From Phoenix, AZ

We were looking for locksmith services to interview in the Phoenix area, but ended up stumbling across the business AZ Ignition Repair. This is a great idea as most people are unaware that locksmiths perform this service in the 1st place.

We stopped to ask them a few questions.

Q: What Made You Start AZ Ignition Repair?

A: We wanted to make a service specified for ignition repairs as it is a very specific task and many people have problems with their car ignitions. Also we figured we could charge less since we are able to order parts in more bulk as well.

Q: Great Point! So Do You Guys Charge More Or Less Then A Locksmith?

A: Less! Definitely Less

Q: Are You A Former Locksmith?

 A: Actually a current locksmith. We also own a locksmith operation. We opened this company since many customers felt odd hiring locksmith company to handle ignition repairs. So we brought them the brand they wanted.

Does It Cost More For An Emergency Locksmith?

When people have a need for a locksmith in an emergency situation, they may not know what they are expected to pay. Because the prices of emergency locksmith services can vary from one locksmith to another, people may have to pay a large fee to obtain the services or it may be affordable. Whatever the situation, however, the basic relevant factors are always the same or very similar. The most common factors involve including the actual cost of the service repairman’s labor, time that is spent handling the call, materials used and what kind of service call is involved. Getting the best job done is not all about getting the job done quickly and cheaply. Instead the professionals who perform the best jobs will make sure that everything that is done is of the highest quality.

With this being said, the first thing that any individual should know is the cost of emergency locksmith repairs since it is important to know if an emergency repair job will cost more than the normal regular day to day services. Based on the service needed and the timing of the day or night, the emergency locksmith services can be done quickly but it may cost the individual more for the job that is done. For instance, if an individual locks their keys in the car, they will need the services of an emergency locksmith to provide mobile services to them during odd hours. Which means, the locksmith may be free to charge the driver more on their driving time, mileage used and the fact that it is after normal working hours for their employees. Consequently, the person who shows up for these types of emergency service jobs are often receiving overtime pay. So, before the individual calls the company's representative to the site, they may want to shop around a little prior to making a decision. Some of this great information was provided by seattlelocksmithpros.net

Smart Locks - The future of Home Security?

I found this video on TechHive.com and thought it was a great look into what type of home security measures will be found in the future.

The video is based upon two different types of locks that are pretty new on the marketplace, and both used electronics and RFID technology to open/close and secure exterior doors on peoples homes. With the advent of more and more home automation, it is interesting to see the advances that the home security market is working on.

Cool things that smart locks can do include:

Telling you if you forgot to lock your front door - Imaging getting a text after you left your home telling you that your door is unlocked! And even better, being able to lock your home by sending a text back!
Ditch your keys - with smart locks in the future you might never need another set of keys!
Let you know when your kids get home from school - each user can be assigned a different access code with an app or key fob!
Want to discuss getting smart locks installed in the Tempe AZ area? Contact EV Keys today, as they keep on point with all the latest technologies and can surely install your locks of choice and even teach you how to use them.

3 Keyless lock technologies that are Super Cool

Electronic locks are quickly becoming the norm for home business owners with a penchant for technology. Keyless entry systems have been around since the 80's, but as the years pass the cost of these systems have begun to dramatically decrease. Check out these cool keyless electronic locksets for homes and commercial applications.

Electronic Keyless Door Locks from Simplicikey!