Lockout Tips

Are you moving to a new home soon? Having a home safety checklist is an important step that you’ll want to reference before, during, and after you move. You should consider all potential risks before you commit to buying your new home so that you can keep yourself, your family, or your assets safe.

What to Do Before the Move

When you’re looking into a new area, you’ll of course be looking to make sure there’s a grocery store nearby, checking out the school districts if you have children, and seeing what your commute to work will be like. But on top of that, get to know the area.

You should research how safe your neighborhood is and check out the crime rates. You can search for news about crime in the local area, check local police scanners and social media accounts, and do online research. You should visit the area you plan to move to at different times of the day so that you’re certain you feel safe at any time. You can ask neighbors or former owners of the house you’re moving into as well to get their insights into the safety of the area.

Securing Your Home

Before you move in, it’s ideal to find a reputable locksmith to change all of your locks and keys prior to moving into your new home.

Look for potentially weak entry points and walk around the home at night to find areas of your house and yard that could use more lights. It’s a good idea to take inventory of sliding glass doors and windows and count if there are any missing security rods. If so, a sliding door lock upgrade or a wooden dowel can add an extra layer of security for your sliding glass doors.

Make note of any alarm systems and extra security features that have been added. Do your research to see if the home’s features are suitable as is, or if you will need to plan for some upgrades.

Call a Local Locksmith

The best way to ensure that you’re protected in your new home is by changing the keys and locks on all doors. You never know how many copies the previous owners made and who they gave them out to. On a related note, you’ll have to ensure that any pre-existing alarm systems are updated and registered once you move in so that they don’t hold any information for the previous owners. Again, you don’t know who has access to the system, and you don’t want to risk that information falling into the wrong hands.

What to Do After the Move

Practice securing your assets. Once you’ve updated all alarm codes, you’ll want to get yourself into the habit of checking your new home. All doors and windows should be locked when you go to sleep or leave the house. Don’t make yourself an easy target. Another easy thing to do is make sure your garage and vehicles are secure. If you can organize your garage to that you can easily park your vehicle inside, it will be more secure than if it were sitting in your driveway.

You can add additional security by installing motion sensor lights around your garage to alert you if there is anyone nearby that you otherwise might not see. Nothing will make a potential robber think twice like drawing attention to them with a large floodlight. Make sure you’re doing all that you can to keep intruders out so you can have peace of mind in your new home.

If you need immediate services, contact 24 HR Lockouts. One of our technicians will help to provide maximum protection for your house.