Best and Worst Ways to Avoid Getting Locked Out

You don’t have to compromise your home security to avoid locking yourself out.

Do you get locked out of your home a lot? There are many different ways to address this problem, and not all of them are wise. Check out our advice about the best and worst ways to avoid a lockout for ideas on how to prevent the inconvenience of being locked out without compromising your security.

Worst Ways to Avoid Getting Locked Out

Leave Your Home Unlocked: While this technically will assure you of never getting locked out of your home, it is a huge gamble for your home security. If any opportunistic burglars should pass by doing a “knock-knock” run where they ring doorbells to find empty houses, discovering your door is unlocked will be like a huge “welcome” sign inviting them to rob you.

Hide Your Key Outside: Many people like to keep a spare key hidden somewhere around their property. Again, this will help prevent you from getting locked out if you lose or misplace the keys you normally use, but it could also backfire on you. Thieves often check the most frequently used key-hiding spots like under flowerpots, under doormats, on top of door jambs, etc. when trying to gain access to a home.

Best Ways to Prevent a Lockout

Only Use Deadbolt Locks: If you are prone to getting locked out in your jammies and slippers in when walking the dog at night or getting the paper in the morning, you can easily solve this problem by relying exclusively on deadbolts rather than doorknob locks for your security. Because you need to use a key to lock a deadbolt from the outside, it is impossible to accidentally lock yourself out.

Install a Keypad Lock: Locks that are opened by typing in a code rather than using a physical key are an ideal choice for anyone who often misplaces their keys, as well as for large households where you don’t necessarily want a key copy floating around for each person. With a keypad lock, the only way you could get locked out would be if the keypad were to run out of batteries or malfunction. But, because the lock will warn you when the battery is low, and because some models allow authorized users to open the lock using their cell phones, you really shouldn’t worry about this too much.

Save Our Phone Number: One final tip that may not help you prevent a lockout, but will certainly help you regain access to your home quickly, is to put RBM Lock & Key into your cell phone’s contact list right now. That way, if you ever do get locked out of your home or your car, you will know exactly who to call. We will send a trained locksmith to your aid ASAP no matter what day or time you call.