How Often Should You Change Your Locks To Stay Secure?

Whether you are overseeing your personal property or that of your business, it is important to ensure that all of your locks remain secure. This not only means ensuring that only the proper people maintain access, but also making sure that the locks themselves are in good condition. Of course, there are different things to consider depending on whether you are securing a personal residence or a place of business. Take a look at the following tips and be sure to give us a call at Advanced Lock & Security for any help or questions

How Often Should You Change The Locks On A Personal Residence?

Changing the locks in your home may not be something that you think about very often but you should. It happens to the best of us, and when you lose your house keys, the first thing you should do is replace the locks. Replacing the locks in your home is pretty easy and inexpensive and it certainly beats the hassle and danger that comes with not knowing who may have access to your home. If you have recently moved into a new residence, the first thing you should do is change the locks. In fact, anytime there is any question as to who may have had access to a key, the lock should be changed. This even applies when you lend a neighbor a key while you are away. You may trust your neighbor but you can’t be sure who had access to that key while you were away. This is also the case if you are going through a divorce. You may preserve your trust but this is a situation where emotions can run high and the last thing you want is to come home to a half empty place. If you have young children who have a key, we recommend changing your locks frequently since keys may get lost or they may lend the key to someone. Even if you remain certain of who has access to each of your keys, it’s still a good idea to change your locks every couple years as locks can wear out and lock technology can become obsolete. You don’t want to find yourself locked out due to a lock that doesn’t work right nor do you want to risk relying on a lock that is not current.

When Should You Change The Locks On Your Business?

Clearly, a business environment is going to be a bit different than a residence and this means more frequent changing of locks. Since certain employees are trusted with keys, you can never be entirely sure how secure access to a key may be. Keys stamped with ‘Do Not Duplicate’ are a great start but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be duplicated. You likely won’t need to change the locks as often with such keys but it is still a good idea. Also, consider the turnover of people that have access to keys. The more turnover, the more you should replace or re-key the locks and if your business experiences a lot of people coming into access of keys, you may consider digital locks where you only need to change the code. When a disgruntled employee leaves your business, you should immediately change the locks to ensure the best possible security. Whether it be your home or business, the general rule of changing or re-keying the locks every time there is a question as to who has access to a key is a good place to start and we are always here to help you at Advanced Lock & Security.