Buying a home is often one of the most exciting steps in the lives of individuals throughout the country. To be sure, a home is generally the largest asset someone will purchase in his or her lifetime, and, as such, future homeowners often take all measures necessary to protect themselves throughout the process.
Of course, once the purchase is complete, the homeowner may still be left with one question regarding future safety: should I re-key my locks? In fact, a homeowner is never legally obligated to change the locks on his or her house once the home-buying process is finished. Doing so, however, may be one of the simplest actions you can take to protect yourself and your new home.
Why it is Necessary to Re-Key the Locks to Your New Home
Have you recently purchased a new home? If so, it is imperative that you re-key the locks as soon as possible.
Why is it so important that you re-key the locks on your home quickly? Consider, for a moment, who retained the keys to your current home before you took possession. The same structure could have passed through multiple hands over the past years, belonging at one point to individuals of all walks of life. As such, numerous individuals, as well as their trusted friends and family members, likely have had direct access to your new home through the possession of a key to the front door.
If you fail to re-key the locks on the doors, then, you are effectively allowing any number of people to retain access to the inside of your house. Access could be granted to only the last owner, or, in some cases, to a long line of owners beforehand. Either way, though, it puts your safety at risk, as well as the safety of your new home and everything within. It is impossible to know who possesses a key to your home, how many duplicates exist, and whether or not any of these unknown individuals can be trusted to stay away.
The Easiest Way to Protect Yourself
With this information in mind, consider re-keying the locks in your recently-purchased home. And you can do this in one of two ways.
The simplest way of changing the locks is through re-keying. The process of re-keying allows you to keep the same locks but change the pins within; upon completion, the lock will remain intact but will only provide access to those with the new key. This process, as you very well may know, is known as re-keying.
However, if the lock is too worn from years of use, you may need to replace it altogether. Doing so provides you with a new lock and a new set of keys entirely.
Are you unsure of which option is best for your situation? If you need to re-key the locks to your new house, contact the professionals at A-1 Locksmith today. We’ll help you decide on the best course of action and let you settle comfortably and safely into your new home.
