Why would The Rekey Guy write an article with this title?  After all, doesn’t he earn his living doing service calls?     

Yes, but I have learned that if you keep your customer’s best interests at heart, you’ll never lack business!

I get it.  Sometimes emergencies happen, and you can’t avoid calling a locksmith at an inconvenient (and expensive) hour.  While 417 Rekey does not do car lockouts or offer 24/7 service, we can give you some helpful tips to prevent those unnecessary service calls at your home or business. 

Practice these proactive, preventative principles and you’ll have peace of mind while potentially saving oodles of dollars.

Hide a Backup Key

Get creative when you hide a key.  Don’t hide it under the mat or over the door frame: everybody looks there.  My favorite is a hidden key device that looks like a landscaping rock. 

A hidden key sure beats a $100+ service call from a grumpy locksmith late on a holiday weekend.  If you live in a rural area, hiding a spare key is even more important, as locksmiths often charge extra for driving out of the city.

(If that locksmith is particularly grumpy and lacks people skills, you may even get price-gouged in the process!)

Use Lock Spray

I had a client listing her home that swore her key worked on her front door.  When listing day came, the key did not seem to work.

Turns out she only entered her home via the garage, and the keyhole on her front door gummed up.  I shot some lock spray (NOT WD-40!) into the keyhole, inserted the key, and wa-la!  Her key worked!

While not a fix-all, a little bit of lock spray can go a long way and can often help you avoid a service call.

Giving your locks an occasional spray (like when you change your smoke alarm batteries) and using the key periodically will help keep your locks in good working order.

(My REALTOR® peeps should heed this tip and keep lock spray in their listing “tool bag.” )

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in the Electronic Basket

One time I had a distressed mom in rural Greene County call me.  She and her two little ones were locked out in the cold.  Their only access was a keyless entry device on their front door.  The batteries had run out, and they had no working key to access their home.

As soon as we got them in, the keypad got fresh batteries, and I made a backup key for the keypad.

Smart locks and keyless entry devices are cool and handy, but ALWAYS have a keyed entry option as a backup.  Relying solely on the overhead door is also risky.  If the power goes out, you’re up the creek!

Proactivity

Citing costs, folks often avoid proactive lock work.  But if you think about it, for just a little more than an emergency service call, you can get your entire lock situation established from the git-go. 

When buying a new home, a “sanity rekey” can get you a working key for every entry door.  If you’re leasing a new office, be sure all your interior doors have working keys.   This way if you’re locked out of your home or office, you’ll have a “peace-of-mind solution” at hand for easy access.

Michael Rodhouse is the founder of 417 Rekey, a mobile locksmith service.  Considered “The Best Friend of a Property Manager,” his company has been serving property managers, REALTORS® and home owners in Southwest Missouri since 2013.