It’s surprisingly normal for people to accidentally lock themselves out of their homes. Perhaps they didn’t realize that they forgot their keys during the morning rush, or perhaps they left their keys in their bag which they left at work. These situations aren’t uncommon because they usually stem from our busy lifestyles which require us to rush from one place to another all of the time. But if you ever find yourself locked out, what’s the best thing to do?
In this post, we’ll be sharing a few tips to help you get out of this sticky situation with your sanity intact!
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Don’t leave spare keys outside your home
Some people believe in leaving a set of keys somewhere outside for their family members to use if they’re locked out. For example, you might leave a spare set under your doormat, behind a certain plant pot, or even near the shed. While this sounds like an innocent idea at first, it’s incredibly dangerous because you’re putting your home at risk. Because so many people do this, it’s actually common for thieves to just check these locations for a spare key, open up your front door, then steal everything of value inside.
So if you’re thinking about doing this, don’t! It’s only going to make things worse and put your home at risk. There are much better options for getting back into your home without needing to put the safety of you or your family at risk.
Do have an alternative way to get inside your house
Of all the security updates that are worth the money, why not consider getting yourself a keyless system to get into your home? These usually attach to your door and can be opened with a remote switch or even your phone. Some can even have fingerprint scanners attached, and others have keypad systems on them. This can be an extremely effective way to get back into your home, especially if the “key” is something personal such as your smartphone. However, this doesn't come free of risk.
For example, you might need to consider the possibility of someone stealing your phone to enter your house, or even learning of the keycode that you use to get into your home. While this is very unlikely, you’ll ultimately want to safeguard against these possibilities. For instance, make sure that instead of just needing your phone, you also need a password to unlock your door. You could also make sure to change the code every time you use it so that even if someone learns of it, it’ll be different when they try it.
Don’t try breaking into your own home
Breaking into your own home is usually a bad idea. It’s novel and could make for a funny story in the future, but it’s certainly not something you want to be doing on a regular basis every time you forget your keys. Don’t try to pick your own locks because you could damage them, don’t try to climb in through the 2nd story window, and certainly don’t break or damage something just to get in. If you absolutely need to resort to this option, then at the very least you should let a professional locksmith handle it so they can get you into your home with minimal damage.
Not only is this dangerous, but it could prompt your neighbors to call the police because you’re acting suspiciously around your home. The last thing you want is to be questioned by police, so don’t do this!
Do call a locksmith if there are no other options
If you don’t have any backup plans for getting back into your home then the best option is usually to call the best locksmith you can find. This is often the only choice that some people have because they haven’t set up an alternate system to get back into their house, and they also don’t have a spare key somewhere. Calling a locksmith does obviously cost money, but it’s going to be the most stress-free method of getting back into your house. Do keep in mind that some locksmiths may suggest that you replace your locks on the same day, especially if you don’t have any spare keys indoors or if your keys have definitely been stolen.
While many consider a locksmith to be their last resort, it might be better to consider it the very first option so that you save yourself the headache of asking friends and family members or trying to break into your own home.
