A quick search on your preferred search engine will reveal a plethora of information on home protection, and a lot of it is valid and useful. Still, a considerable amount of the information you’ll come across online is either misleading, purposely false, or a ruse to sell you a product. You can trust us that all the tips shared here have been carefully and meticulously researched and verified. We’re sharing this information with you in good faith without any ulterior motives.
To put our spin on this topic, we decided to focus this article on perhaps the most vulnerable time for many homeowners and renters alike. When we’re changing locations, you may be planning to move into your first or next house, moving to a new apartment, or taking the plunge into the real world from your parent’s house. It doesn’t matter; the first few weeks when we move into a new property can be the most unnerving for many reasons that we’ll go over later in this piece.
We understand that a lot of us need security tips and help on how to keep your home safe during vulnerable times, so we took one for the team and collated this article for us to enjoy and utilize. Without much ado, here are our tips;
SECURITY SURVEY
Now that you’ve moved into your new space, there are a few things you should do before settling in. Ideally, these things should be done before you make the move to your new place, but a few days after you’ve relocated is still acceptable. You can carry out your security survey yourself; it isn’t complicated; look at potential entry points, ascertain how vulnerable they are to attack, and contact professionals if you begin to feel uncomfortable with your findings.
How many people have lived in your new apartment or home before you? Do any of the previous tenants have spare keys that they failed to return? Can my landlord or caretaker access my house with a spare key? These are essential questions to ask in order to ascertain your security needs. Additionally, if you feel that you’re not comfortable with the number of spare keys that could be out there after your survey, you can ask your landlord if it’ll be possible to change the locks.
If your locks can be changed, great, all you need to do now is contact a skilled locksmith that offers residential locksmith services for door lock installation. Keep in mind that if there are restrictions to you changing your locks, your locksmith can help you with alternatives such as additional locks that work together with the current locks.
After all, is said and done, we are pleading with you not to overlook the importance of a comprehensive security survey of your new space before moving in or during your first week living there. Sequel to completing your security survey, learn more about your new neighborhood, city, or state from your new neighbors.
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS
There’s a famous saying that goes, your network is your net worth; how you relate with your neighbors will go a long way in helping your transition into a new apartment or home. This is especially true if you’re moving to a new city or state- there’s only so much you can learn about a neighborhood online or from visits; it takes living in a place to understand the intricacies, and your new neighbors are among the best source for first-hand knowledge.
The good news is that most neighbors are more than willing to share their knowledge; here’s the story of how Omar’s neighbors helped him avoid losing a fortune. Back in 2017, Omar, a young college graduate moved to Boston for his first job; he settled in a cute three bedroom in Jamaica Plain with two friends from college.
Omar decided to make friends with a couple of his new neighbors, and he found out that his building superintendent often preyed on young renters by stealing from them when they were at work. After learning this info, Omar and his flatmates changed all their locks, and since one of them worked night shifts, there was always someone at home. Without this information from Omar’s neighbors, he would have never learned about this issue, and he would have never contacted Local Locksmith MA that has been helping the entire household with everything from key duplication, house lockout service, car key programming, car key service and more.
We cannot overstate the importance of a skilled locksmith when moving to a new location, not just that, every single one of us needs to have a certified, trustworthy locksmith service provider on our speed dial because you’ll need their expertise- it’s not a matter of if you’ll need a locksmith but a matter of when you’ll need them because you don’t want to be caught off guard.
What should you look out for when considering locksmiths? This is a question we get asked fairly often by hardworking Americans from far and wide; you should look out for the following;
PROXIMITY
How close is a locksmith to your home or business? This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself when considering locksmiths because locksmith emergencies happen. They can occur outside of regular working hours, so you need a service that can get a specialist to your location in the shortest amount of time.
CERTIFICATION & ACCREDITATION
There are a considerable amount of undertrained, untrained, and fake locksmiths operating in cities across America, and they take advantage of hundreds if not thousands of decent Americans daily. One way to ascertain whether a locksmith is genuine before engaging them is by requesting some certification or accreditation from a recognized locksmith association such as the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA).
SERVICES OFFERED
Due to locksmithing’s nature and complexity, some locksmiths focus on one or two locksmithing branches, while others such as Local Locksmith MA may decide to offer more services. If you currently do not own a car or business, you can choose to opt for a locksmith that provides only residential locksmithing services. A few locksmith branches include residential locksmithing, commercial locksmithing, automotive locksmithing, digital locksmith, to name a few.
Please, ensure you’re aware of the range of your locksmith’s services, so you’re not disappointed down the road.
EMERGENCY LOCKSMITHING
A lot of the time, this is an essential distinction for locksmiths, there are locksmiths that offer 24-hour emergency services, and there are locksmiths that do not. A general rule of thumb is to opt for a locksmith that offers their services outside of regular working hours. Imagine it’s 11:15 pm and you just returned from work after a long day of making our country better, and you’re locked out of your home because of damaged or misplaced keys, you’ll need a skilled 24-hour locksmith to help you regain access into your home.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
This article is geared towards those planning on changing locations soon. When you get to your new apartment, an excellent metric would be to inquire about reliable locksmith service providers from your friendly neighbors. People generally do not recommend organizations that provide poor service.
CONCLUSION
We interviewed the lead locksmith at Local Locksmith MA, a Boston, MA service, about what to look out for when considering locksmiths and how to handle the security peculiarities of moving. Among other things, he shared a few critical information with such as, “it doesn’t matter if the locksmith you’re considering is a 24-hour locksmith that offers residential locksmith services, does perfect ignition repair or has the best car key remote & chip key programming technology, if they’re not passionate about their craft which is geared towards helping people, they’ll never give 100% effort towards helping you.
One checklist we left out earlier is passion; admittedly, passion isn’t easy to quantify because people tend to fake it. Look out for how passionate the locksmiths in your new location are about delivering their services and customer retention. That being said, we can assure you that a sincere locksmith is always a safe bet, and it’s hard to go wrong with passion.
We wish you the best as you make this vital transition, don’t overthink things; please relax and follow the tips we’ve shared here with you today, and you’ll be on your way towards a safe and happy new home.