What Does a Locksmith Do?
Locksmiths are people who are trained to work with locks and keys. Usually, you will call a locksmith when you have been locked out of your home or vehicle. They come out and open the locks for you.
They can also do things such as make duplicate keys for you and break a lock without damaging your doorway. You can have these services done by a residential locksmith in Chicago IL, specializing in this type of work – they can help you out of most kinds of jams.
This article will reveal some of the reasons that you might need to hire a locksmith. It will help you to learn more about the services they offer. You can also do more research to find information that you might need.
Reasons for a Locksmith
- Lost Keys – This might be the most popular reason a locksmith is called in. They will get you into your home or business when you have lost your keys. They can also re-key your locks when this happens.
- Stolen Keys – If you have had your keys stolen, someone else could gain access to your home or business. A locksmith will come in and re-key your lock – they will also get you new keys to fit. They can even replace the entire lock if you would prefer that.
- Moving into a New Home – When you buy a new home, you don’t know how many people have had keys to the lock. This can even happen when you have a new home built for you – the general contractor and many of the subcontractors may have keys to your home. You can have all the locks in your home replaced so that no one can access them but you.
- Broken Keys – Keys can break due to metal fatigue, and sometimes, that happens when you are trying to unlock your home. One of these technicians could come to your home to remove the key and make a new key for you: https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-a-Broken-Key. They can also replace the whole lock and provide you with a new set of keys.
- Moving Into an Apartment – This is another instance of when you need new keys. Any number of people could have access to your apartment. You want a new set made for you, but make sure that the apartment manager gives you the okay to do it.
- Repairs for Damaged Locks – Locks can wear out and fail to work. It takes too much time and effort to unlock them. They need to be replaced when this begins to happen.
- Installing Single Key Access – It can get annoying when you are looking for the right door key. A locksmith can help you ensure that all the locks in your home or business will unlock with one key. This will make it less frustrating for you, so you won’t need to fish through all your keys to open any lock.
- Accidentally Getting Locked Out – It happens all the time – you get locked out of your home or vehicle. You might have gone out quickly to check your mail, and the door shut behind you and locked. In such a case, you would need someone to help you get back in.
- Upgrading Home Security – Locks have improved in the last few years, and you might want to upgrade. The most popular is the keyless entry that uses buttons or a fob to gain entry to your home. Learn more about keyless entry here. This is much more secure than the typical lock.
- Forgotten Combinations – With the new keyless entries, you might forget the entry code to your home. There may be other systems with keyless entries to which you have forgotten the codes. A locksmith can help you gain entry to these systems.
Choosing a Locksmith
- Hire Local – Hiring local can ensure that you get someone to come quickly and that it will be less expensive. A national company may be coming from a long distance, taking longer and charging more. If you are locked out, you don’t want to wait too long to get back in.
- Choose One That is Certified – Look for one certified by the Associated Locksmiths of America or ALOA to ensure they are reputable. This also ensures that they know what they are doing. You can be assured that they can do the job you are asking them to do.
- Consider Liability and Insurance – You also want to see if they are insured just in case they break something while trying to fix your lock. If they are insured, you can be more certain they will guarantee their work. They should also be able to guarantee the locks from the manufacturer.