If you take out your keychain and look at it right at this very moment, there’s a good chance that there’s at least one key on there that you have no clue about in relationship to what door it belongs to. Indeed, if there’s one thing that all of us use on a daily basis that we totally take for granted, it would be our keys and the locks that they fit into.

So, if someone asked you “How do you know when it’s time to replace a lock?”, you might just sit there for a moment and then reply with, “Unless someone breaks it, I didn’t know it was ever supposed to be replaced.”

The response to that contemplative thought has a little bit of both and “yes” and a “no” attached to it. And since safety is key (no pun intended), let’s explore a few scenarios when it might be time to replace a lock.

When you can’t find the key.

This one should be a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning. There are times when we may lose a particular key, but there’s actually a greater chance that we’ll give a copy of it to another individual who may have misplaced it. In either case, if you don’t know where the key to a particular lock is, there’s a slim chance that someone else—someone that you don’t want to have access to it—does. It’s usually best in this kind of situation to simply have the locks changed.

When you get a new tenant/roommate.

If you’ve been renting out a room in your house (or on your property) and the lease is up on one tenant and you are about to rent the space out to another, it’s smart to replace the locks. There are more than enough individuals who have experienced a robbery that was tied into someone they knew coming back to their place. Even if your previous tenant turned in their key, there’s still no way of knowing if they made a duplicate or not. This isn’t to make you paranoid, but it is to provide you with a way to get additional peace of mind.

When they’re old and worn.

This is one that gets the least amount of consideration. The truth of the matter is that like just about everything in life, overtime, locks become old and worn. If you notice that there is a lot of tarnish and rust on your locks or that your keys are getting harder to use within the lock, this is another time when you may want to call some local locksmith services for a few quotes. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but especially in cold weather, a worn lock can “lock up” and if it’s connected to your car or house, understandably, that can be extremely inconvenient.

These are three examples that are oftentimes overlooked when one thinks about when they should have their locks replaced, but don’t forget about the top two: If your keys or stolen or if a stranger breaks into your home.

If you’re low on cash, there are inexpensive options. A re-key kit will reset the cylinders on a lock for about $8-15. You can get those at basically any hardware store. Just make sure to call a locksmith first to explain the situation so that you can be sure that you’re going with an option that is not just cost-efficient, but smart in relationship to your safety as well. A few more bucks for a good lock that may ultimately keep you safe is definitely an invaluable investment.

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