We get many calls from new homeowners wanting to ensure the safety of their family and belongings. In one instance, a new homeowner returned to find a contractor in her kitchen – weeks after the closing on her home. She was under the assumption that the general contractor had changed the locks. Builders often cut corners by installing cheap locks and not taking time to rekey an individual’s home once it has been sold. Many people may have the keys to your brand new home. Don’t take chances.
Another instance was brought to our attention by a customer. He recently moved to the area and bought a home that had been vacant for over a year. He did not have his locks rekeyed based on the presumption that the former owners were long gone. He thought he was losing his mind when he started noticing items missing and food disapearing. The mystery was solved when a neighbor brought his teenaged son over to return his possessions. Apparently the kid was skipping school and using an old key to let himself in and make himself at home.
Friends, neighbors, relatives of the former homeowner may all have keys to your house. Police have a difficult time filing a report and you have a difficult with your insurance company when no noticeble signs of forced entry are present after a burglary. Protect yourself.