As a homeowner or renter, making sure your property is properly insured is a priority, but how do you go about doing it? The best solution would be to contact a professional in the field, such as a locksmith. Unfortunately, few are aware of all the services that locksmiths can provide. Therefore, below we will illustrate all the ways that security can be improved by using a qualified residential locksmith technician.

One thing that most people know is that a residential locksmith can take you to your home in case you have been locked out. But what if you have lost all the keys together, then what? Once inside the house, a locksmith can disassemble the lock cylinder and unscramble the pins. From this information an original key can be produced that matches the one that was lost. If needed, a mobile locksmith can make as many key copies or key duplicates as needed.

Another service that many can already expect a locksmith to provide is lock replacement or lock upgrades. Because it’s the unfortunate nature of a lock to wear, whether it’s the finish fading in the sun, the lock cylinder wearing out from heavy use, or the latch/bolt breaking from being retracted too many times, is the fate of all locks. , which at some point will have to be repaired or replaced. Since they are immersed in the security industry every day, a locksmith is the ideal candidate for such a call for service. A professional locksmith will be up to date on all contemporary lock designs as well as residential security concerns and considerations. For example, a quality locksmith would be aware of the security risks posed by deadbolt locking, and therefore to help ensure your locks are not compromised in this way, they would recommend a driver pin upgrade. This would be accomplished by replacing all of the standard driver pins in their locks with the coiled or mushroom variety. To save you money, the ideal time to complete this security update would be when the keys are changed or the locks are replaced.

One service that many may not consider or know that a residential locksmith can perform is new lock and hardware installation. In order to cut costs, contractors often build homes with a single knob or lever handle that secures one or both garage doors. This poses a safety risk due to the fact that dead latches on knobs and lever handles do not extend far enough into the door jamb and therefore can be compromised quite easily. The solution to this is the new installation of a deadbolt above the knob on all exterior and garage doors. A locksmith is the ideal candidate for the installation of a lock of this type; they will have all the tools necessary to get the job done right the first time. While the installation is taking place, the locksmith can also install security strike plates with 3-inch screws to help reinforce the door jamb against kick-in attacks.

Another new lock installation that a locksmith can perform is cabinet door locks. The main function of these locks is to keep people out of cabinets that they shouldn’t have access to. An example would be keeping small children away from chemicals and cleaning products. Another would be to keep teenagers away from liquor. In either case, a professional locksmith is fully equipped to install cabinet door locks without ruining your cabinet doors.

A skill set unique to locksmiths is the ability to work with and open safes. Maybe the combo was lost due to a memory lapse or a loss in the family took the combo to the grave or maybe the combo just doesn’t open the safe anymore. No matter what the reason, a professional locksmith should be able to open the safe for you and then repair it back to its original security level. To help prevent this problem from occurring in the future, it may be advisable to replace the combo style lock with a contemporary digital electronic lock. The advantages of this secure lock conversion would be ease of entry and the ability for the user to change the combo himself. That is unless you want a locksmith to come out and trade it for them, in which case they would be willing and able.

The last and probably the most important service a professional residential locksmith can provide is a home security risk assessment. If one requests a security assessment, the locksmith technician will walk through the house and point out any vulnerabilities that are present. These can include things such as windows next to one-sided deadbolts, doors with only knobs, sliding glass doors that are not properly secured, insufficient contact plates, missing coiled pins on cylinders or areas around the door. house that offer little visibility that provides cover for a thief to break in and the list goes on.