Daylight savings has arrived. Longer days and more time spent outdoors will soon become the norm. Along with warmer weather and additional foot traffic passing by your home, now is a good reminder to check your locks and be sure your home is properly protected before the warmer months roll in.

Most people associate daylight savings as a time to go around the home replacing smoke detector batteries and clearing old clutter out but what they should also do is check their locks.

Harsh cold temperatures from the winter, inevitable wear and tear and previous break-in attempts can all weaken door locks and make your home an easy target for theft.

How to Check Your Locks

When you are checking the state of your doors, things to look for are any damages to the door knob, hinges, frame or locks that might leave your home vulnerable to theft.  There’s a chance the internal parts could stick, fail to lock in place, and even leave your door swung wide open. Or you could notice nicks around the keyhole and scratch marks which could indicate someone has already tried to break in. If you see these signs, call a locksmith over to remedy the issue promptly.

Upgrading Your Locks

Upgrading to new, functional hardware or rekeying your locks is an option a professional locksmith can help you with.

A residential locksmith will come out and perform a lock repair for you by changing cylinders in the lock or rekeying the internal components as well as install new locks if needed.

Another option is to upgrade to locks that are more advanced than traditional ones. Anti-picking features and deadbolts are just some of the things you can add to further secure your premises.

Contact All American Locksmiths for prompt lockout services, new locks, and more throughout Connecticut & Westchester County. Our expert technicians are ready to serve local communities with rapid and reliable service that ensures your family, and even your pets are safe.

If you’ve never been the victim of a home break-in, consider yourself lucky. Not only are there extreme feelings of anger and worry that occur when you’ve had your personal space invaded, but there is also fear and a lost sense of security that can be difficult to regain at this time.

Here are some tips on what to do if your home has been burglarized to keep you safe after the fact.

Change Your Locks Right Away

After contacting the authorities and your insurance agency to take care of any possible damages, dangers and file necessary claims and police reports, you should immediately consider hiring a locksmith offering residential services to come change or fix your locks. Depending on how a burglar has entered the home, you may have damaged locks and hardware to deal with. If not, it’s still a good idea to have your locks rekeyed so you know that only you have a working key from this point forward.

Repair Damages

In addition to repairing locks, be sure to check around the home for other damage like broken windows or locks to secure all entry access areas again. While taking a security audit you should also check the outside perimeter of your property to be sure the method of entry is addressed and no other vulnerabilities such as a damaged fence or open cellar door is present.

Invest in New Technologies

Thanks to advancements in technology, we now have many options when it comes to monitoring our home from afar. Low cost solutions that use cameras connected wirelessly to an app on your mobile device allow you to log in and see what’s happening from wherever you are. That means you can keep an eye while you’re at the office and even while you’re traveling. Costs vary for but it can add peace of mind and allow you to see what’s on the other side of the door before you get there and are faced with a burglar alone.

Contact All American Locksmiths today for prompt lockout services, new locks, and more throughout Connecticut & Westchester County.

Being a property owner is an important responsibility. Whether you just bought your first home, your first car, or you manage a condominium of apartments, ensuring the privacy and security of valuables is part of the gig.

In addition to managing and keeping tabs on keys, there are additional steps you can take to further protect your belongings, family and your tenants. Here are 3 reasons you should consider getting new keys, even if you haven’t lost them.

Possible Copies

When you purchase something as large as a house or car that was previously owned by someone else, it’s important to keep your security in mind. Consider the fact that someone may have maliciously made copies of the keys in an effort to come back later and commit a theft or crime. Or perhaps someone from the previous owners past still has a copy lingering around they forgot all about. The best way to protect your peace of mind and your property is to get new keys made that you know for sure only you have access to.

Unknown History

Just like you might not know the history of who has copies of your keys, there is also wear and tear you may not be aware of. The older keys get, the more they are susceptible to breaking inside of a lock. Before that can happen, get new keys. For property owners it’s even the law in some states to have new keys made each time a tenant changes.

Added Protection

When shopping around to have your new keys made, you can also do some research on locksmith services and find a professional locksmith to keep in your contact list. The chances of a lockout or lost key happening are pretty high. There’s always going to be an occasion when we may be in a rush and lock the keys on the other side of the door or leave with a friend and lock ourselves out of our own homes. Having an established relationship with a locksmith will reassure you during these intense situations that regaining access to your property is handled promptly and in confidence.

All American Locksmiths offers products and services to residential and business customers throughout western, southern and central Connecticut and Westchester County. We provide rapid and reliable locksmith services and professional technicians to help ensure you get the peace of mind you deserve.

Contact us today.