Over half of homeowners don’t change or rekey their locks when they buy a home. About half do change locks or rekey in the city, where they feel there is more risk. But in rural areas, this rate drops to about 30 percent. The idea of potentially having spare keys out there can be an unsettling thought, and yet many people don’t take this seemingly simple precaution. So why should you change your locks after buying a house?
Old, Faulty Locks
If you have locks that are older and not completely secure, then you should definitely replace them. Faulty locks make it easier for burglars to access your home, which defeats the purpose of having a lock. Having a good lock is the first step every homeowner should take for the safety of that home, everything contained within it, and most importantly the people who dwell there. You can’t be sure your family is safe when you have locks that are old or nonfunctional.
If Your Locks Are Good, Why Not Rekey?
While changing all of the locks can be expensive, rekeying is much simpler. All you need is a good locksmith and it can be done relatively quickly with little cost to you. If the locks are already good, you’re saving yourself a lot of money. So cost is not an issue. This can be a simple solution to ensure all of the locks in your home are safe without spending a great deal of money to do so.
Home Insurance Claims May Not Be Accepted
There is a chance that if a spare set of keys left to someone by the previous owner is used to commit theft or a related crime, the home insurance claim may be denied. This is because not all policies will cover things like willingly-given keys as a break-in. You should check your insurance policy to see what is covered, of course. But the safest thing to do is replace or rekey all locks in your new home.
Peace of Mind
Simply knowing your locks have been changed can give you peace of mind when you’re residing in a newly purchased home. It’s possible you know the prior homeowners, but not often. Even if you do know them, you may not know everyone they possibly gave a copy of the key to while they lived there. New locks that you choose based on your personal security preferences (and that you know who has the keys to) will help you feel much more at ease in your new home.
