Getting locked out of your home, vehicle, or business is certainly frustrating and often occurs during very inconvenient times. In this article we are going to go over our Top 10 Ways To Avoid Getting Locked Out.
1. Lock From Outside — Probably the best piece of advice that one could give when it comes to avoiding getting locked out would be to always ensure that one is locking a door from the outside. This goes for vehicles as well as homes. Instead of locking a doorknob and closing it behind you, or locking your car door before shutting it, consider using keys to lock the door behind you. This will ensure that you don’t become locked out as you will be unable to lock the door without keys, which is a great reminder that the keys are still inside. Choosing to lock doors manually after exiting is a great tactic when it comes to not getting locked out in the first place. We also recommend that homeowners check that their doorknob locks are unlocked before closing a door behind them, this ensures that in the event that keys aren’t where they’re supposed to be, one can simply go back inside and retrieve them.
2. Hide A Spare Key — Many homeowners and vehicle owners who wish to not become locked out are finding that hiding a spare key is a great backup plan. The only downside to hiding a spare key is that someone else could also potentially find it. If a home intruder or vehicle thief finds a working key, it will eliminate the security measures that the locks provide, as the intruder or thief will simply be able to use the key they find. This is definitely a “double-edged” tip if you will, on one hand leaving a spare key will be ideal for property owners who require it when they’re locked out, but on the other, it can mitigate any security that locks may provide as intruders could find the key and use it themselves to gain entry. When hiding spare keys we recommend to not hide them in close proximity to the front door, especially not under rugs or doormats unless for short periods of time only. It isn’t unheard of for home intruders to check under mats, in potted plants, and around hanging lights in the vicinity of the front door when they’re looking for spare keys to use to gain entry. To achieve the highest level of security possible, hide a spare key in a lock box, and bury the lock box somewhere it can be remembered easily but not found.
We recommend against leaving a spare house key inside a personal vehicle. A thief or criminal could randomly break into your vehicle in a crowded parking lot in a smash-and-grab burglary, only to search the glove box and see a home key and a home address on insurance papers. This could lead them to your home, where they could walk right in using the key and take whatever they wanted. Additionally, if your car is parked in a driveway or a street, the criminal could take the key for another day as they already know the home that it works on. Our customers often require rekeying services after a vehicle break-in when they notice that their spare house key has gone missing, forcing them to spend additional money to rekey their home locks to different keys in order to lock-out the criminals.
A good rule of thumb is to always layer security. For example, one could bury a key outside that only unlocks a garage door leading into the garage, and hidden in the garage is a separate key that operates the garage door leading into the house.
For vehicles with programmed ignitions requiring chipped, or transponder keys to run, a good location for a spare key is duct taped behind the back license plate. Many individuals are using a bare metal key that will only unlock the doors, but a key that isn’t programmed, so it will not start the car. This is ideal for individuals who get locked out with the keys inside and need to regain entry quickly. With a screwdriver, they could unscrew their license plate for the emergency spare, and use that to retrieve the fully functional key. This method is preferred by many over magnet boxes that are hidden near the wheels or under the vehicle itself. Many times individuals will become locked out of their vehicle and in need of a professional lockout service because their spare magnet key box fell off or is missing. Our locksmiths have heard this story many different times.
3. Check for keys before leaving — While this tip might relate to the first one, it’s extremely important to always check for keys before closing a door behind you. In the event that a doorknob or a car door is locked when it shuts, it’s important to be sure that working keys are on-hand in case entry is needed again. Consider keeping important items together so they can be easily managed, for example, hang a key rack by the front door and always check it when entering and before exiting. Alternatively, always keep wallets, phones, and keys stored together inside the house so keys are less likely to be forgotten. Many times people will become locked out because they’re focused or thinking about something else, and absent minded when it comes to thinking about their keys. We always recommend that homeowners and automobile drivers lock their vehicles and homes from outside, and to always check that they have their keys before stepping out the door. These two tips work hand-in-hand, following them properly will ensure that individuals never run into lockout situations unless in the case of faulty locks or extenuating circumstances.
4. Replace Malfunctioning Locks — In order to achieve the highest level of reliability when it comes to avoiding getting locked out, it’s always important to take proper care of existing locks. This could mean using Lock Lube to keep the internals functioning smoothly, or even replacing a lock entirely if it’s no longer functioning as it should. Many homeowners, business owners, and vehicle owners see the perks that working locks provide over malfunctioning ones. Hiring a professional locksmith service is a great way to ensure that malfunctioning locks are replaced properly and expertly by skilled lock and key technicians. When it comes to replacing malfunctioning locks, many locksmiths will offer guarantees of work that individuals don’t receive when they purchase and install locks themselves from hardware stores. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to become locked out after they’ve improperly installed a deadbolt or doorknob lock. When it comes to vehicles, we always recommend that individuals seek a key duplication service when their car keys start to become worn down over years of use.
5. Smart Locks & Electronic Locks — A good way to avoid getting locked out is to just ditch the keys altogether. For vehicles, purchasing a car with a keypad might be a good way to go. For homes, there are many different smart locks and electronic locking products that can sync with mobile phones in order to eliminate the need for keys entirely. Certain locks, like the August locks, will unlock when in the presence of an authorized app user. Using a smart locking system, homeowners can ensure that they no longer become locked out due to keys being locked inside or lost completely. If keys are lost, with electronic keypad deadbolts, a homeowner could simply put in the correct operational code to unlock their home door. It is important to note that some electronic deadbolt locks require frequent battery changes, and failure to do so in a timely fashion could possibly result in a lockout situation.
6. Leave A Spare Key With Friends or Family — Leaving a spare key with a trusted friend or family member is also a great way to avoid becoming locked out. When experiencing a lockout situation, one could simply go to their neighbors, or call a family member or friend for assistance. It’s important that when it comes to leaving spare keys with friends or family that they’re trusted individuals. It’s possible to leave a spare house key and/or a spare car key with friends or family in case they become needed due to being locked out. We recommend picking someone within a 5-mile radius if possible. If choosing someone out-of-state, it may take a while for the spare keys to arrive in the mail, which could result in costly hotel bills. It’s generally best to leave a spare key with a local family member or friend that can arrive quickly, or someone that you can quickly take a taxi to. If you’re locked out of your apartment complex, it’s often wise to ask the leasing office if they have a working copy of the key, or if the maintenance workers could unlock the door for you.
7. Change Your Locks — There are currently locks on the market that automatically lock, and doorknobs and lever locks that are very easy to mistakenly lock when closing the door behind. A good way to avoid a lockout situation is to stick with highly reputable and trusted lock brands like Kwikset, Schlage, Baldwin, Emtek, Yale, or Weiser. If a lock is starting to malfunction or act in a manner in which it shouldn’t, it may be time to consider replacing the lock with new ones that work perfectly. It’s not unheard of for businesses and homeowners to become locked out due to not replacing their faulty locks before they break completely. It’s estimated that the average American residential lock will last for roughly 7 years with moderate use. We always recommend that homeowners and businesses repair or replace their faulty locks as soon as issues arise, this can mitigate the need for a locksmith service further into the future. Read our article Rekeying Locks VS Replacing Locks to learn more about the differences between the two.
8. Leave An Upstairs Window Unlocked — A good tactic to avoid becoming locked out is to leave a single upstairs window unlocked, in regards to multistory homes. Most burglars don’t bring their own ladder, so upstairs windows that are left closed but unlocked could be good alternative entry sources for those who find themselves locked out of their house. If there’s access to a vehicle, buying a cheap and refundable ladder from the hardware store might be a good way to regain entry, as opposed to breaking a window or calling on a professional mobile locksmith service to come to your location.
Consider reading some of our other articles about home security. Top 10 Ways To Secure Your Home Windows, Top 10 Tips For Staying Safe At Home, and Top 11 Tips For Backyard Security.
9. Prepare For Power Outages — It’s not uncommon for individuals to become locked out in the event of power outages. A great example of this might be someone who is leaving to go to the grocery store only to find that when they arrive back home, their garage door won’t open. In case power outages occur, it’s important to always have a backup method of entry, this could include house keys to go in through the front door or a side door. Often times individuals will require locksmith services because their garage door opener, or garage clicker, no longer works when power is out. While individuals could wait for the power to come back on, there’s never a guaranteed time, and often times individuals are in a rush, on a schedule, or for this particular example, not wanting their groceries to melt. To avoid becoming locked out of a garage, prepare for power outage situations and always carry a house key that can be used to get back inside.
10. Program Landlords Phone Number & Locksmiths — The last tip that we can recommend to those who are serious about not becoming locked out, is to always have numbers pre-programmed into a mobile phone. Good numbers to have saved include a landlord, property manager, leasing office, or a local locksmith service. Sometimes information will be written down inside the home, but it will be useless to the individual who’s locked out. Consider preparing for the worst case scenario, in advance, and pre-program important numbers into a mobile phone that will be accessible at all times.
Summary
There are many different steps that can be taken to avoid becoming locked out in the first place, and hopefully this article provided useful information. The first and foremost tip that we provide to our customers when they ask us how they can avoid becoming locked out again is that they always use their keys. If you use your keys to lock the door behind you, then you won’t become locked out, you would simply be unable to lock the door. This is the most important tip for vehicles and homes, if you frequently become locked out with the keys locked inside, consider hanging onto the keys at all times and only using them to unlock and lock doors. In addition to always being aware of where the keys are, we always recommend that homeowners and businesses change their lock hardware if it starts to malfunction, and consider keeping a spare key with a trusted individual who resides in the same city or town. Having a spare key in another state is no use to the individual who’s locked out as they’ll likely hire a locksmith as opposed to waiting the days it could potentially take for the spare key to arrive in the mail.
If you have any other tips, tricks, or suggestions on how you avoid becoming locked out of your home, vehicle, business or anything else, please let us know below in the comments section— we would love to hear from you!
About Us: Locksmith Services Longmont provides high quality and affordable locksmith services in Longmont, Colorado and the many surrounding areas throughout Northern Colorado. All of our 24-hour mobile locksmiths in Northern Colorado are highly trained experts who have years of experience when it comes to handling various forms of lock and key situations. We can provide locksmith services in Longmont, Denver, Boulder, Greeley, Estes Park, Loveland, Fort Collins, Fort Lupton, and much more. Learn more about us on our contact page to see all the areas we provide fast, affordable, and professional locksmith services in.
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