Do you change your lock after losing your key?
@lordwarwizard (35747)
Singapore
March 22, 2007 5:16am CST
I was in the kitchen slurping some native China noodles when the door bell rang. Nope, it wasn't 4am in the morning. It was more like 1pm, lunch time. I put down my chopsticks and waddled to the door like an angry duck.
I unlocked the door and this guy, who was staying in my house, was right in front of me. I was wondering: What the heck? You've opened the gate, so why can't you open the door too? He showed me his keys and told me they don't seem to fit. Of course they didn't fit... none of them looked correct.
There were 3 keys there - 1 original looking one for the gate and 2 others that looked suspiciously like cheap duplicates. Furious thoughts blazed through my mind. How many times has this guy lost his keys? How many times has he sneakily duplicated them so that no one would notice the loss? I think losing keys is a very serious matter. What if someone finds the key, knows where you stay, and shows himself in uninvited?
What is your take on this? Do you change your lock after losing your key? Would you try arrange for it at the earliest opportunity? Or do you feel that no one could be lucky enough to find the key and know too that it unlocks your house? Or are you not the least bothered either way?
24 people like this
111 responses
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
22 Mar 07
..I might not be able to sleep, imagining someone sneaking in the house and murdering uas all in our sleeps.. too many movies ya say? No, too much news!
3 people like this
@Michele21 (3093)
• United States
5 Apr 07
I would be imagining the same scary things...someone following me home and coming in during the night and tying to kill us...I watch too many scary movies, so I would have to change the locks!!
@aliasad (1567)
• Pakistan
22 Mar 07
Friend, first of all I would like to add that I try to keep another duplicate of keys some other place. It depends upon the location where the lock was placed or fixed. Either a lock of iron safe having some valuables, a lock of motor bike cahin, a lock of some main door or whatelse? Sometimes, definitely, if duplicate keys are not available, if the lock is meant for some important and valuable articles, better to have changed... for your own satisfaction ;) Otherwise, just have some other set of keys from a lock master and get rid of your problem.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
22 Mar 07
nope I don't change my locks, but I do not put my address on my keys either because that would be totally stupid and asking for someone to rob me so to speak.
3 people like this
@tehawesome (1)
• United States
23 Mar 07
Haha, I've never heard of anyone putting their address on their key...
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
23 Mar 07
You might be missing the point here..
2 people like this
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
22 Mar 07
After loosing my keys for anything more than one day and after an extensive search has been done I would definately change my locks. The thoughts of someone uninvited entering my house makes me ill. As long as one of us stay home the other person just has to go to the city which is a 3/4 of an hour drive from here. I would take the lock into Lock and Key and they just change the tumblers. I don't know what that costs but certainly cheaper than changing the whole lock if you have good locks which we do have...
3 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
22 Mar 07
I think safety should always be given the top priority.
1 person likes this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
22 Mar 07
I am a paranoid so definitely I will change not only one lock but all the locks as long as someone in the house lose any keys. Not that there is a golden goose in my house, it is always better to be safe than sorry. What if the keys were stolen intentionally instead of losing absentmindedly?
3 people like this
@mummymo (23706)
•
22 Mar 07
I can understand exactly where you are coming from wizzy! I think it would depend on how or where I lost my keys - if I lost them around the house and just couldn't find them I would have no hesitation in getting a duplicate made cos i would lnow no-one could use them. If I could place exactly where I had lost them and was sure, really sure that no one had taken them or pick them up and know that they belonged to me or know where I lived then I would probably change them, then again if I lost them, had no idea where or whether someone had taken them then I would definitely have the locks changed - not just for the sake of things I own but for my own and my families safety. We have to remember that it is not just thiefs and burglars who are out there but also some really nasty, off-balance people too! Safety first hon x
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
22 Mar 07
We have not lost keys. Anytime there is a security issue though you should change the locks. Safety first. I would think of a new roommate. You don't need to have problems because of another. Good luck with this and hoping security really doesn't become any issue.
3 people like this
@raveena (1353)
• India
22 Mar 07
My hubby would change all the locks of our house. Once I had misplaced my sets of keys and he got the house house locks replaced. He did cut that money from my pocket money though. But I feel he did teach me how to be careful about my keys and I feel that it is importand. It can cause a lot of problem if the house keys fall in the wrong hands.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
22 Mar 07
Haha, hope you learned that lesson. :P
1 person likes this
@honeyangel (1991)
•
22 Mar 07
yes i would change my lock if i lose my keys,god know who might have them or what will happen,it just not worth it
3 people like this
@kaplya (1578)
• India
22 Mar 07
i m very suspicious about these things so no matter how or where my key got lost i would always change my lock. i can never convince myself that it wouldn't have reached to some bad guy(s) so i just can't take the chances!i don't believe in getting keys duplicated that's a way very dangerous.
3 people like this
@liranlgo (5752)
• Israel
22 Mar 07
well i am guilty here my dear friend
i did lose my keys twice in my life but never changed the locks..i am a very responsible person but i have to say that here to start changing the locks and bringing someone to do that job does cost a great deal of money for someone who has to pay a very high rent and other bills..so i just decided to look at the rented place and think if a theft came over for a night snack what can he take?
and the sad ansewr was nothing..there is not much to take..and in the day time the partner i was living with at that time was working from home so their was no danger
(no theft would have risked taking anything from him..pretty big guy..lol) so the end of the story was that i did not change the locks.
but if you do have some valuable things in the appartment and most of the day you are out it would be the best thing to do.
i also thing it is a bit unresponsible that he did not tell you he lost the key and duplicated a new one so you'll decide what to do..to change the locks or not.
@karvin87 (1033)
• India
22 Mar 07
offcourse..atleast i do!
i mean i really dont know wat others think about it, but i guess everyone should...after all if its somethin imp in side the safe , one the keys get into some bad hands , just think at the consequence..i feel its more safe to change the lock...
@misheleen73 (6037)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I think the person staying with you should have had the common decency to tell you he had lost the keys and give you the option to change the locks if you wish. It is your house after all. I personally would change the locks. My husband used to be in apartment maintenance and so we are used to changing our locks. I have never lost my keys, but we live in an apartment right now, so we actually changed the locks ourselves. Some of the apartment companies do not change locks after move outs. Can you imagine a disgruntled ex resident, mad at the company, just letting themselves in? We always, always change our locks. Better safe than sorry.
3 people like this
@romel_ece (1290)
• Philippines
23 Mar 07
Yes, I would definitely change my lock after losing my key.
As we all know that thieves are everywhere and having them an easy access is very dangerous on our part.It is better to be cautious at all cost.
@Darkwing (21583)
•
22 Mar 07
It would certainly be a bit of a lottery as to which house the keys belonged to because I believe there are a lot of different combinations, but why don't you cover yourself by having a deadlock fitted beneath or above the original lock. You're unlikely to lose both keys at once.
By the way, something is eating away in the back of my mind... if your lodger, or friend, was losing keys and getting cheap copies done... where was he getting the pattern to copy? Or, did he have them copied prior to losing the original? Doesn't sound right, somehow?
Anyway... that's taxing my mind a bit much for the time of day, so I'll buy my leave now. lol. Brightest Blessings.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
22 Mar 07
We each have our own set of keys. And there is an extra set that is common which we leave in the house to use when we are at home.
1 person likes this
@Perry2007 (2229)
• Philippines
22 Mar 07
I believe keys are important things that you must take responsibility for. I agree with you, when you lost a key somebody might just use it for all you know, specially if its a key to the main door of your house. duh... sometimes boarders just don't think like they have responsibilities over this matters, you will have to give them some sunction.
@Stiffler07 (1356)
• United States
15 Apr 07
I would be in the poor house if I changed the locks on the door every time my boys lost their keys. Although it sure is a good idea. I'm fighting the good fight with them, wish me luck:-) LOL.
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
22 Mar 07
I have a programable lock on my front door. it is a type of combination deadbolt. I don't even have a key to the front door - infact, because the former roommate locked me out of my house once too often, I now have an interior knob that doesn't lock on the front door. It was a bit of an agony when I was having the former combination deadbolt replaced with this one, but we arranged to not leave the house empty while it was happening - and set the alarm. I do have a key to the back door, but maybe I should consider the jump to the combination back there too.
3 people like this
@Liveyourlife (326)
• India
14 Apr 07
I change my lock once i loose a key. Becuase i can be happy that even if somebody finds the lost key he cant misuse it by any chance.
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
14 Apr 07
You will never know. It might be a close friend turn sinister. :P
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
15 Apr 07
I have not lost my house keys other than in my house, heh...so I have not had to change out locks for this reason. But, I certainly would if I lost them elsewhere, or if my purse were stollen etc. I may consider changing the lock if I had your house guest too, as soon as he left! If he is in the habit of making duplicates, who is to say he wouldn't return after he no longer lives there and does not have an invitation into your home - or if he would give the keys to someone else. *shudder* how well can you trust this bloke?
2 people like this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
15 Apr 07
Then you are lucky (to lose only in house).
I hate that bloke.
1 person likes this
