How to prevent a house lockout

Being locked out of your house can cause a serious problem. A lockout can pose a serious problem, especially if you have pets and kids inside who need your help or dinner in the oven. Locks are mechanisms that had been utilized for centuries in order to secure doors, windows, and other boxes to prevent them from being accessed by thieving hands. The best way to avoid lockouts is to keep a spare key that is easily accessible from your doorstep, but that is concealed well enough to prevent potential intruders from accessing it. Here are a number of tips to help you avoid being in this situation.

Leave a Spare Key with a Neighbour

You can also give a spare to a trusted neighbour, friend or member of the family. It’s a smart idea to ensure someone nearby has an extra key, especially if you’ve been locked out of the house multiple times.

Go keyless

You can buy a smart lock that connects with your phone or other internet-connected device to grant you entry. The benefit to this type of system is that your doors can be opened by different devices, and you can remotely unlock your home. There's no more need for “emergency keys.” You don't have to hide that extra key under the rug or under the flower pot.

Hide a Set of Spare Keys

You may want to consider investing in a locking stone to store your keys. These objects can blend in seamlessly with your existing exterior décor, and provide you with a safe and easily accessible place to keep your spare keys.There are many other common places that people use to hide their keys, like under the doormat or in a planter. However, because these locations are so common, most people know to look in these places for a key, which makes your home vulnerable to break-ins.

Get into the habit of picking up your keys

The easiest ways to prevent being locked out of your house is to place your keys with other items you always need when you leave your home, such as your phone or wallet.

Call a Locksmith

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of not having a spare key and being locked out, contact a trusted certified locksmith. Locksmiths have both the proper training and tools to help you unlock your door without a key. Using a locksmith as a resource is a good last resort and is much better than breaking a window or doing something dangerous to try and enter your home.