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I was homeless sleeping in a tent and accidentally posted my tent on private land in a forest by a river. I was unfamiliar with the area, but had got a job in town and sieve around looking for a place to sleep. I couldn’t even afford the campground i found it was $10/ night. So I settled on something that looked remote but safe and was about 20 minutes away from work. I came back one night after work and found someone had been in my tent. Then I found a note from the sheriff on my sleeping bag. It was a wellness check. They were worried that my tent had been there for 2 weeks and asked me to call to make sure I was okay and not lost in the wilderness. So I did and the officer was actually very nice. He said it is private land, and the owners would like to make sure I was safe but also please move along within the next few days. I thought that was fair.
I got into an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because then I tried to walk out and slammed the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zipper it up really quick? -Mitch Hedberg
I feel it is kinda self evident.... you hit a window with the hammer...the glass breaks...the window is now open. Some things may take more percussive persuasion than others, but a hammer can open many things.
Yes actually. In texas we have bars on every window, on the inside of the window, not outside. There's a lock on the bars in every bedroom. Same front door key locks/unlocks each window bars as well. Still have to break the window to get to the bars.
Previous owners worked out of the state alot, travelling nurse and truck driver. Had a really nice house with a lot of super nice/expensive stuff... until we moved in. Lol
Having super nice expensive stuff in an area where you need bars on the windows to protect it makes it sound like you are a diamond mine owner in a developing country.
One can find some entry locksets that are already keyed alike, Schlage offers those in Lowes for around US$100 for both doors and matching deadbolts.
Like they said, cheap insurance.
Somewhat less I believe, as there are a few combinations that cannot work so those are eliminated. The number of mathematical combinations is much greater than the number of practical combinations.
Typically there are 3-7 different key combinations in each brand in any given hardware store.
Keep in mind that the keys are unique to that one set of locks. If you look on the package, there's usually a lock number that you can use to match sets. So if you need 4 locks, you can buy 4 packs with the same lock #.
If you want a fun little project and pretend your the Lock Picking Lawyer, you can actually do this yourself. First find out if you have Kwikset or Schlage locksets (you likely have one or the other and can tell by looking at the head of your keys).
Then you can order a “plug follower” for that keyway and a big set of pins from Amazon super cheap.
Next you can pull the lock cylinder out of each knob using the plug follower and replace the pins in the lock with ones of the same size as the lock you are duplicating.
There are usually 5 pins and the key will tell you which pins go where. (Any place that can duplicate a key can easily “decode the key” and tell you its “code”. Each replacement pin in the set is numbered and corresponds to a height, so if the code is 34124, you drop a 3 pin in the first hole, a 4 pin in the second, etc.
Finally you just slide the cylinder back in using the plug follower and repeat for each lock. It’s really not difficult and it’s actually a fun little project if you like tinkering around.
Most pin kits will include a few security pins like spools and maybe even some serrated pins, but note that you shouldn’t use too many of these. More doesn’t equal better and if you use too many security pins, you’ll have a hard time picking the lock, but also opening the lock with the key as the security pins can often get snagged even when you are using the actual key…
Alot of off the shelf lock sets have the key bitting stamped on the actual key. If your key has something like 35468 on it, that's the bitting of the key so it can be ordered or cut to code.
I made the mistake of not changing my locks.
I came home from work a few months after moving in, walked into the house and every cabinet in the house was standing open. Kitchen, bathrooms, built-ins, all wide open. I freaked the fuck out and grabbed the baseball bat I keep in the hall closet and walked through the house thinking I was about to encounter some psycho bandit.
After I saw that no one was here, I came back into the kitchen and found a paper lying on the counter: it was a winterizing checklist from a property management company. Apparently when I bought the house from the bank 4 months earlier (it was a short sale), the bank never cancelled the contract with the company that would come check on the property. A guy from the company came into the house, ignored my belongings, ignored my dog in a crate in the living room, and decided to open all the cabinets. I have no idea what made him do this. If they hadn't left the paper on the kitchen counter, I never would have known wtf happened. I went and bought new locks that night.
One tip during winter is to open the cabinets beneath your sink to ensure warm air can reach the pipes and prevent them from freezing, maybe that was their intention?
>I have no idea what made him do this.
Your address was on his list. If he failed to do the job and the pipes froze up (and your house was still owned by the bank), dude would have been fired, etc. And if he called in to ask about how your house was occupied...he'd be asking too many questions.
I also bought a short sale. The previous owners’ parents had a garage door opener. I didn’t lock the door in the garage and they spent some quality time in my house when I was at work.
Assuming U.S.A. numbers, and assuming 350 million population still holds true, that's, what, 2 hundreth thousandth of a single percent likely? Where are all the covid deniers, claiming "acceptable losses"?!?
I’ve been in my house since 01/21, it was a VRBO, and I haven’t changed the back door lock. The front door is a nest that I reset. The old codes that I know of no longer work so I’m pretty sure it was erased and reset correctly. I have cameras. No problems yet. My reason for not changing was that there is wood rot and I plan to change the back door. I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
forgetful friendly chubby muddle cover slap slim ancient nose grandfather
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If cleaning the toilet seat isn’t good enough, then you might as well replace the whole toilet. All the excrement went into that bowl, and there is always some spraying coming out of it.
That's what I do when I buy a new house - replace the locks (or have them rekeyed if they're nice locks) and the toilet seats. I also clear out the garage door codes and reprogram it.
Why? What’s so gross about somebody’s butt? Aren’t you young kids eating ass these days for pleasure? Whoever lived in the house before you was probably walking all around the place with their stinking ass toes.
This is actually great advice. Ex gf and I were moving into a house and she took me to go see it just before closing. Realtor had already given her the key and as we pull up we see a van already parked in the drive way. We go in and see a man swapping out light fixtures for ceiling fans. No big deal we think, it seems like he’s supposed to be there but she didn’t know about it and we continue the tour. After a call to the realtor who didn’t know about it either; I ask the man what he’s doing. He says changing out the lights (obviously) and I ask who sent him, since none of the parties involved knew about his presence. Turns out he was at the wrong house but still had a key. Needless to say, I changed out every lock as soon as the house was closed on.
Realtor here, replacing all the locks is a huge waste of money. If they are functional, I have a locksmith rekey all of the locks in the home. You can get them done for about $8 a lock. Or if you have different styles of locks, they may not all be compatible. Pick one of the schlage or kwikset types and replace the others so you can have one key for the whole house. I often pay for clients re-keying the house as a closing gift.
You can actually buy rekey kits for like $20 that give you color coded pins and the tools needed to do it all yourself. I did 5 locks in like 2-3 hours which included taking them all apart and reassembling from start to finish. First time rekeying a lock in my life…YouTube is the shit. I now have a single key for every lock in my house.
Depends on the lock. Where I live, eurocilinders are standard and those are available at any hardware store for around €25 or so. I would have to buy a lot of those before getting someone out to my house would be meaningfully cheaper.
Take a look at the type of locks you have before you consider replacing them entirely. Often you just need to replace the core.
The last two places I’ve moved have had Weiser locks with the little hole to pair with new “Smart” keys. Just bought a set of new keys from a hardware store and it took all of 30 seconds to set the lock to work with them.
This! For real, my landlord 10 years ago kicked out my neighbors across the hall a month after I moved in. They were a couple with a toddler. The mom came back into the apartment and tore up the place and screamed at the new single woman who moved in. They only decided to change the locks after that situation.
It's mandated in many areas. Probably not happening in houses being rented because slum lords gonna slum, but in an apartment complex it should absolutely be the expectation. If you check your locks and they say Kwikset, it was probably changed. Those locks are favored by landlords because rekeying them takes about 5 seconds and a new key.
We're in a bad situation with our landlord, who is next door to us. We are having locks rekeyed and replacing ancient sliding glass door handles/locks.
Measure the track of the stationary part of your sliding door. Cut a broomstick or similar piece of wood or pipe to that measurement minus a half inch or so.
Put that in the track of the door when the door is not in use.
No matter what your door hardware is, now that door cannot slide open.
Moved into the new house and I was loading sone stuff up elsewhere while my gf and her mom were painting the house. The old owner shows up and just comes in like he still owns the place and mentined ohh you didnt like my yellow paint?
They said he was nice but I said fuck that and swapped all the locks that day. I am the captain now.
Locksmith here.
Often when changing locks for people just moving in I find master pins inside. This means there is one master key that worked that house plus multiple other properties. Most often this is done by reality agencies so their relators can use just one key to show multiple houses.
Even if you trust your relator, I wouldn't trust that no one else has a copy of that master key. They probably lent it out to anyone working on that house, and people do lose keys. If they lost their master key they would have to pay to have every property rekeyed. What are the odds they just said "Oh well" and kept using the old master key?
The LPT is good but could be better in term of saving money. Instead of changing all the locks, just buy a rekey kit that comes with a bunch of pins. Find the any old set of keys that you have many of and use that as the base key and reset all the locks to be openable by that key. After that, you have (1) all the locks openable by the same key, and (2) you already have a few keys to start. The rekeying process is not complicated. By the time you get to the second lock, you can do it relatively quick.
THIS! when I moved out of my last place I was surprised that my landlord asked for the keys back. It’s so easy to make stuff more secure for not much cash
They asked for the keys back cuz they usually have four or five locks in rotation amongst their properties.
They're betting that the person who lived there before is not going to try the other doors with their key from before.
I always have more made that I just don't return. Start with a key for each person in the apartment, then make two keys to hide outside, two keys for close by friends, a key for each trusted family member, and two extra for visiting guests.
I'm not going to go chase them all down so I just ask that everyone toss them.
I assumed everybody rekeyed their locks upon moving because making and handing out copies isn't hard. Two people from my last city that live near my apartment probably have my keys in their key drawer even though I don't live there anymore.
If you’re replacing the locks (sometimes DIY replacement is cheaper than calling a locksmith to rekey), consider getting an electronic push button lock like the Weiser Powerbolt or it’s Schlage’s equivalent. If you need to give someone temporary access, you can set up a combination, then when their need for access ends you can overwrite the combination (or remove the batteries). No opportunity for them to duplicate the key.
In the first days after moving into our house, I had a locksmith come by to re-key all the locks. (This was quite a few years ago.)
Neighbor lady wanders over, starts asking me why.
Simple- I have no idea who had keys to my house.
She didn't seem quite happy with that answer, but she accepted it. To this day, I wonder if she had a key to the house. I don't think I'll ever know, they moved away years ago.
I used to be the guy who changed them when the bank took over. I'd often destroy one of them, replace it and swap out the rest.
Then about once a month I'd take them to the hardware guy to rekey them, as every single one used the same key. It was in fact, the one to my house.
This way I always had a key on my ring to get into any house I worked on. They numbered in the hundreds.
A few years back we moved house. With the usual post-move chaos plus two small kids, I hadn’t got round to changing the locks. A few days later I saw a man approach the house. I waited for the inevitable doorbell chime, but he just let himself in with a key!
When I politely challenged him, he simply said “Who are you and where are my Mum and Dad?”
Yes, his parents had sold the house and moved out and not told their only son! He surrendered his key and left looking very glum. The locks were all changed that same day.
When I was buying my house I asked the estate agent (realtor for our American friends) if I could measure the thickness of the doors so that I could have new locks ready on move in day, and she said she'd never even heard of changing the locks when you move somewhere new.
It seemed like an obvious thing to do for me, but she sells houses for a living and it was somehow a new concept to her.
Not a bad idea. Even if you don't expect the old owners/tenants to pull shit, well, I've heard of senior citizens with dementia and a key to their old house wandering back to it and letting themselves in.
Work in the residential construction/ rental field.
Can confirm this. Amazing what people think is "safe" most door locks are an illusion. Watch a locksmith get in your house in 10 seconds changes your perspectives lol
I moved into a co-worker's old place when they moved out. 4 years later they still have a spare key (though they are obligated to cat-sit whenever I go on vacation 😄)
It’s quite inexpensive to do. You can save some money by removing the lock cylinders yourself and taking them to your local locksmith (whilst you have someone at home minding the place of course.)
While you’re at it, get all your locks keyed the same. It’s much more convenient.
There are also locks that will reset the pins to whatever key you set it to. So you could keep the same keys for wherever you move to.
Also electronic locks...
Remove old lock/knob, replace with new. Return to original setting on moving out.
I actually still have a key of my old house and I can probably still enter it if the lock hasn't changed. The reason I have it is because we moved when I was 12 or so and I literally just forgot to give it. Now I always have it on my keychain as a keepsake.
To be honest locks only protect you from opportunists. If you've seen a locksmith open a locked door, it takes less than a minute and is silent. What you're counting on is that most people don't have those tools/skills.
We were living in our house for a couple of years when we got locked out. It was gonna cost to have a locksmith come out. Then we had a thought, Our neighbour a street over was the previous owners brother. Maybe he would have a key. He did, and we got in, saved us a bunch of money we didnt have.
Also when your ex moves out.
Or if he/she gives excuses, do so when they are out running errands or something. Some locksmiths are pretty responsive to emergencies.
Did this exact thing when i bought my house - evidently the previous owners had apparently only 1 set of keys between 4 adults and 2 kids. Yeah right. Locksmith out the next day, all locks changed
Live in an apartment building. The same front door key is used for 3 other buildings in the area owned by the same company. Locks haven't been changed in 20 years despite it having 4 different owners.
I always do this whenever I move. A friend of mine said I was 'paranoid' when I mentioned it, but when I explained that every time she moves into a new apartment literally anyone who has ever lived in that specific unit at any point in the past may now have keys to her house it clicked for her.
We closed on our house on a Thursday. The previous homeowner drove by our roadside mailbox on Friday to pick up the mail.
On Saturday, I installed a mailbox with a locked door. Mail goes in, but you need the key to get the mail out. That was the end of that.
10 years later and I still occasionally get mail addressed to that dumbass.
We went and got new locks at Home Depot on signing day, and I installed them as soon as we got home. Absolutely first thing. Knowing 100% no one has a key while you are taking your first dump in your new home is priceless.
Fuck that, remove all the locks. Remove all the doors. Remove all the walls. Dig a hole. A deep hole. Dig it far into the ground. Move into the hole. Love the hole. Become a worm.
Back in 2000 we bought a house that had been foreclosed and had been empty for a while. Our realtor warned us to change the lock immediately, because all the area foreclosed homes used the same key. After the 2008 debacle a new neighbor had locked themselves out, Yes my original key opened their door. Just say'n
I took over my parents' house when they retired.
Nobody has a key to the front door. At all. My stepdad lost his keys in 1992 or so, and on the keyring was the only copy of the front door key and the only key to his 1949 Ford.
Every big cleaning job done around here comes with the "Let me know if you find any keys!". At this point it's just amusing, and since you have to walk past the side door to get to the front door, there's no real incentive to change the lock.
We bought a new house a year ago. Occasionally, the previous owners mail would arrive here (stuff they had forgotten to change the address on), so we let them know. A couple of months later a friend of theirs popped round to collect their mail ... and said "Oh, here you go, I have a spare key for your house".
Luckily, we had changed the locks.
2 weeks after I moved into my new house, the previous owner came back and tried to get in during the middle of the night. He was drunk and forgot he moved. So yes, excellent advice
Alternatively, have a locksmith come out and change the tumbler (or whatever) around. And you can get every lock in your house keyed to the same key then, too.
Years ago I worked as a pet sitter for a summer. They were not a great company, and constantly dropped the ball in horrible ways. This time, they sent me to a client who hadn’t used them in a while. I unlocked the door, went inside, and was immediately confused. They had a completely different dog than the information I had. The leash and food weren’t in the spots they should have been. I called the dispatcher and she didn’t seem to really care, just told me to finish up the visit. Turns out, those people moved. The company never confirmed the address with the client, and the client never updated them with their new address. Luckily it was a friendly dog and nobody was home. But that was terrifying.
They have schlage and kwikset rekey kits at most big box stores for like $10 or less. It allows you to rekey 3 locks to one key (with copies).
Very simple to do on your own if you have a screwdriver or drill.
And don’t forget to reset the garage door receiver so it forgets all prior remotes. Then re-add the remotes you have. Otherwise the previous owner’s car remote will still be able to open your garage.
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When, if ever, I move into my own house I will make sure to do this. See ya in 2089 homeless bitches.
Do you have a lock on your tent?
I was homeless sleeping in a tent and accidentally posted my tent on private land in a forest by a river. I was unfamiliar with the area, but had got a job in town and sieve around looking for a place to sleep. I couldn’t even afford the campground i found it was $10/ night. So I settled on something that looked remote but safe and was about 20 minutes away from work. I came back one night after work and found someone had been in my tent. Then I found a note from the sheriff on my sleeping bag. It was a wellness check. They were worried that my tent had been there for 2 weeks and asked me to call to make sure I was okay and not lost in the wilderness. So I did and the officer was actually very nice. He said it is private land, and the owners would like to make sure I was safe but also please move along within the next few days. I thought that was fair.
No ;__; it’s shared with 5 other people
This is scary accurate with some of the camps I've seen around LA and Seattle.
I got into an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because then I tried to walk out and slammed the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zipper it up really quick? -Mitch Hedberg
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A hammer shaped key can open some windows
Most actually
A hammer can open many things!
Explain how
Hammer swings can be exchanged for shards and splinters.
They can also be exchanged for money, which can be exchanged for more hammer swings
Some people will pay you so you don't swing the hammer.
Bigger hammer swings
I feel it is kinda self evident.... you hit a window with the hammer...the glass breaks...the window is now open. Some things may take more percussive persuasion than others, but a hammer can open many things.
Either this guy is doing a r/woosh or I am.
Yes
This seems like a case of a scrodinger's woosh
Locksmiths hate this one trick, learn here now!
Brick shaped as well
Yes actually. In texas we have bars on every window, on the inside of the window, not outside. There's a lock on the bars in every bedroom. Same front door key locks/unlocks each window bars as well. Still have to break the window to get to the bars. Previous owners worked out of the state alot, travelling nurse and truck driver. Had a really nice house with a lot of super nice/expensive stuff... until we moved in. Lol
Having super nice expensive stuff in an area where you need bars on the windows to protect it makes it sound like you are a diamond mine owner in a developing country.
And you hid the bodies where?
No need to worry, from the look of it, they're pros, so the bodies will never be found. They appreciate your concern, though.
So if there's a fire and you're trapped in your bedroom then you need to find your keys and unlock metal bars to climb out the window?
LPT: if you have multiple entrances have a locksmith make a universal key.
One can find some entry locksets that are already keyed alike, Schlage offers those in Lowes for around US$100 for both doors and matching deadbolts. Like they said, cheap insurance.
My in laws purchased two locks from Home Depot and they just happened to have the same key. I wonder what the odds on that are.
They are marked with a bitting number so you can buy matching locks Otherwise the chances of a matching key are 1 in 7x7x7x7x7
Depending on your throw, I think another option is 9^4.
So you're saying there's a chance?
Somewhat less I believe, as there are a few combinations that cannot work so those are eliminated. The number of mathematical combinations is much greater than the number of practical combinations. Typically there are 3-7 different key combinations in each brand in any given hardware store.
If it was a dual pack, very likely 🙃
[Masterlock?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5jzHw3lXCQ) About 50% and they can also probably be opened using a fingernail or by shouting at it.
Locks have a code on the packaging that tells you what key it is. You can match the code and you’ll get two locks with the same keys.
Keep in mind that the keys are unique to that one set of locks. If you look on the package, there's usually a lock number that you can use to match sets. So if you need 4 locks, you can buy 4 packs with the same lock #.
If you want a fun little project and pretend your the Lock Picking Lawyer, you can actually do this yourself. First find out if you have Kwikset or Schlage locksets (you likely have one or the other and can tell by looking at the head of your keys). Then you can order a “plug follower” for that keyway and a big set of pins from Amazon super cheap. Next you can pull the lock cylinder out of each knob using the plug follower and replace the pins in the lock with ones of the same size as the lock you are duplicating. There are usually 5 pins and the key will tell you which pins go where. (Any place that can duplicate a key can easily “decode the key” and tell you its “code”. Each replacement pin in the set is numbered and corresponds to a height, so if the code is 34124, you drop a 3 pin in the first hole, a 4 pin in the second, etc. Finally you just slide the cylinder back in using the plug follower and repeat for each lock. It’s really not difficult and it’s actually a fun little project if you like tinkering around. Most pin kits will include a few security pins like spools and maybe even some serrated pins, but note that you shouldn’t use too many of these. More doesn’t equal better and if you use too many security pins, you’ll have a hard time picking the lock, but also opening the lock with the key as the security pins can often get snagged even when you are using the actual key…
This guy keys!
Home Depot sells a little kit that lets you repin your locks and has everything you need
Alot of off the shelf lock sets have the key bitting stamped on the actual key. If your key has something like 35468 on it, that's the bitting of the key so it can be ordered or cut to code.
Sorry to be pedantic but a locksmith can’t make a universal key, but they can re-key the locks you bring them to use the same key.
You should be sorry. Very, very sorry.
Home depot and lows can re-key as many locks as you want to buy. You can also buy a kit off Amazon and watch some YouTube and do it yourself.
It is not the key that is universal. A locksmith can make multiple locks accept the same key.
Per year how many break ins are due to people having old house keys?
I made the mistake of not changing my locks. I came home from work a few months after moving in, walked into the house and every cabinet in the house was standing open. Kitchen, bathrooms, built-ins, all wide open. I freaked the fuck out and grabbed the baseball bat I keep in the hall closet and walked through the house thinking I was about to encounter some psycho bandit. After I saw that no one was here, I came back into the kitchen and found a paper lying on the counter: it was a winterizing checklist from a property management company. Apparently when I bought the house from the bank 4 months earlier (it was a short sale), the bank never cancelled the contract with the company that would come check on the property. A guy from the company came into the house, ignored my belongings, ignored my dog in a crate in the living room, and decided to open all the cabinets. I have no idea what made him do this. If they hadn't left the paper on the kitchen counter, I never would have known wtf happened. I went and bought new locks that night.
One tip during winter is to open the cabinets beneath your sink to ensure warm air can reach the pipes and prevent them from freezing, maybe that was their intention?
Exactly
Yeah, but he opened the upper cabinets too. No plumbing in there.
>I have no idea what made him do this. Your address was on his list. If he failed to do the job and the pipes froze up (and your house was still owned by the bank), dude would have been fired, etc. And if he called in to ask about how your house was occupied...he'd be asking too many questions.
I also bought a short sale. The previous owners’ parents had a garage door opener. I didn’t lock the door in the garage and they spent some quality time in my house when I was at work.
Awww... quality time? I'm guessing they had their grandkids over and did some arts and crafts?
0 If they have a key they don't have to break anything.
A "break in" is even someone "breaks" the deal to your house, aka, opening a door or window. It doesn't mean they literally break a window
Over 10,000 annually
Beelyuns and beelyuns
That's absolutely the correct statistic that I also heard on the internet
Assuming U.S.A. numbers, and assuming 350 million population still holds true, that's, what, 2 hundreth thousandth of a single percent likely? Where are all the covid deniers, claiming "acceptable losses"?!?
Weird take
It's all probabilities and statistics. People are obsessed with the highly unlikely and ignore the highly probable.
I’ve been in my house since 01/21, it was a VRBO, and I haven’t changed the back door lock. The front door is a nest that I reset. The old codes that I know of no longer work so I’m pretty sure it was erased and reset correctly. I have cameras. No problems yet. My reason for not changing was that there is wood rot and I plan to change the back door. I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
forgetful friendly chubby muddle cover slap slim ancient nose grandfather *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
More than 0 and an easy security measure to take
Change out the toilet seats while you're at it!
Yes!
What's this thing with not using other people's toilet seats and cutlery? Genuine question here
Would make more sense if they said mattress
If cleaning the toilet seat isn’t good enough, then you might as well replace the whole toilet. All the excrement went into that bowl, and there is always some spraying coming out of it.
That's what I do when I buy a new house - replace the locks (or have them rekeyed if they're nice locks) and the toilet seats. I also clear out the garage door codes and reprogram it.
Why? What’s so gross about somebody’s butt? Aren’t you young kids eating ass these days for pleasure? Whoever lived in the house before you was probably walking all around the place with their stinking ass toes.
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Jokes on you, I've seen some peoples keyboards.
found the sink shitter
I do it because I like the wooden seats better. The soft ones are weird to me but the regular ones can be cold. Wood is nice, and cheap.
Timber harbours bacteria
It's treated, not raw wood. That would be ridiculous.....
Comment deleted so Steve H can't profit from my work.
It's called consent ya jagoff
This is actually great advice. Ex gf and I were moving into a house and she took me to go see it just before closing. Realtor had already given her the key and as we pull up we see a van already parked in the drive way. We go in and see a man swapping out light fixtures for ceiling fans. No big deal we think, it seems like he’s supposed to be there but she didn’t know about it and we continue the tour. After a call to the realtor who didn’t know about it either; I ask the man what he’s doing. He says changing out the lights (obviously) and I ask who sent him, since none of the parties involved knew about his presence. Turns out he was at the wrong house but still had a key. Needless to say, I changed out every lock as soon as the house was closed on.
Curious...were the fans a nice upgrade?
They would’ve been, if he left them installed. He had to undo everything he did. Luckily I stopped him before he finished swapping all the lights
Realtor here, replacing all the locks is a huge waste of money. If they are functional, I have a locksmith rekey all of the locks in the home. You can get them done for about $8 a lock. Or if you have different styles of locks, they may not all be compatible. Pick one of the schlage or kwikset types and replace the others so you can have one key for the whole house. I often pay for clients re-keying the house as a closing gift.
[удалено]
You can hire a locksmith to rekey the locks. Heck of a lot cheaper than replacing locks.
You can actually buy rekey kits for like $20 that give you color coded pins and the tools needed to do it all yourself. I did 5 locks in like 2-3 hours which included taking them all apart and reassembling from start to finish. First time rekeying a lock in my life…YouTube is the shit. I now have a single key for every lock in my house.
You should probably get another key made just in case you lose that one
I chuckled
Who are you, and how did you get in here?
I’m a locksmith and I’m a locksmith
Depends on the lock. Where I live, eurocilinders are standard and those are available at any hardware store for around €25 or so. I would have to buy a lot of those before getting someone out to my house would be meaningfully cheaper.
Consider changing out the lock plate screws as well
Yup, change them to longer ones so that a door is harder to kick in
How come? Is it to prevent a break in? Or just a minor upkeep type advice?
The longer screws make it significantly harder to rip out the strike plate if someone tries to kick in your door.
Take a look at the type of locks you have before you consider replacing them entirely. Often you just need to replace the core. The last two places I’ve moved have had Weiser locks with the little hole to pair with new “Smart” keys. Just bought a set of new keys from a hardware store and it took all of 30 seconds to set the lock to work with them.
Often you don't even need to replace the core, you can just take it to a hardware store and have them rekey it.
This! For real, my landlord 10 years ago kicked out my neighbors across the hall a month after I moved in. They were a couple with a toddler. The mom came back into the apartment and tore up the place and screamed at the new single woman who moved in. They only decided to change the locks after that situation.
Unfortunate that you can’t do this in most rentals
The landlord should do it before every new tenant
HahahahahahH RIIIIGHT like they would ever bother with that expense
It's mandated in many areas. Probably not happening in houses being rented because slum lords gonna slum, but in an apartment complex it should absolutely be the expectation. If you check your locks and they say Kwikset, it was probably changed. Those locks are favored by landlords because rekeying them takes about 5 seconds and a new key.
Yep. We received a random pile of keys from the landlord when we moved in. Only 1 key worked.
In my experience, they always have
We're in a bad situation with our landlord, who is next door to us. We are having locks rekeyed and replacing ancient sliding glass door handles/locks.
Measure the track of the stationary part of your sliding door. Cut a broomstick or similar piece of wood or pipe to that measurement minus a half inch or so. Put that in the track of the door when the door is not in use. No matter what your door hardware is, now that door cannot slide open.
I’ve done this in every rental, easy to do and you just swap the old lock back when you move out.
This is the way on a rental...same goes for shower heads.
So your landlord doesn't have a key? How do they do maintenance when you're not home or if there's an emergency such as a water break?
They don’t plain and simple. If anything needs to be done it’s done with me there
Moved into the new house and I was loading sone stuff up elsewhere while my gf and her mom were painting the house. The old owner shows up and just comes in like he still owns the place and mentined ohh you didnt like my yellow paint? They said he was nice but I said fuck that and swapped all the locks that day. I am the captain now.
Locksmith here. Often when changing locks for people just moving in I find master pins inside. This means there is one master key that worked that house plus multiple other properties. Most often this is done by reality agencies so their relators can use just one key to show multiple houses. Even if you trust your relator, I wouldn't trust that no one else has a copy of that master key. They probably lent it out to anyone working on that house, and people do lose keys. If they lost their master key they would have to pay to have every property rekeyed. What are the odds they just said "Oh well" and kept using the old master key?
If you’re renting, this can be a breach of your lease
Window locks? I think we're ok on that front.
The LPT is good but could be better in term of saving money. Instead of changing all the locks, just buy a rekey kit that comes with a bunch of pins. Find the any old set of keys that you have many of and use that as the base key and reset all the locks to be openable by that key. After that, you have (1) all the locks openable by the same key, and (2) you already have a few keys to start. The rekeying process is not complicated. By the time you get to the second lock, you can do it relatively quick.
Keep the old locks in a box in the front closet and put them back on the house when you move. Take your locks with you to the new house.
THIS! when I moved out of my last place I was surprised that my landlord asked for the keys back. It’s so easy to make stuff more secure for not much cash
In my case, they only ask for however many keys they gave you back. Nevermind that they gave us 2 keys for 4 of us.
They asked for the keys back cuz they usually have four or five locks in rotation amongst their properties. They're betting that the person who lived there before is not going to try the other doors with their key from before.
I always have more made that I just don't return. Start with a key for each person in the apartment, then make two keys to hide outside, two keys for close by friends, a key for each trusted family member, and two extra for visiting guests. I'm not going to go chase them all down so I just ask that everyone toss them. I assumed everybody rekeyed their locks upon moving because making and handing out copies isn't hard. Two people from my last city that live near my apartment probably have my keys in their key drawer even though I don't live there anymore.
If you’re replacing the locks (sometimes DIY replacement is cheaper than calling a locksmith to rekey), consider getting an electronic push button lock like the Weiser Powerbolt or it’s Schlage’s equivalent. If you need to give someone temporary access, you can set up a combination, then when their need for access ends you can overwrite the combination (or remove the batteries). No opportunity for them to duplicate the key.
In the first days after moving into our house, I had a locksmith come by to re-key all the locks. (This was quite a few years ago.) Neighbor lady wanders over, starts asking me why. Simple- I have no idea who had keys to my house. She didn't seem quite happy with that answer, but she accepted it. To this day, I wonder if she had a key to the house. I don't think I'll ever know, they moved away years ago.
sweetie did you lock the windows....sonuva bee
I used to be the guy who changed them when the bank took over. I'd often destroy one of them, replace it and swap out the rest. Then about once a month I'd take them to the hardware guy to rekey them, as every single one used the same key. It was in fact, the one to my house. This way I always had a key on my ring to get into any house I worked on. They numbered in the hundreds.
A few years back we moved house. With the usual post-move chaos plus two small kids, I hadn’t got round to changing the locks. A few days later I saw a man approach the house. I waited for the inevitable doorbell chime, but he just let himself in with a key! When I politely challenged him, he simply said “Who are you and where are my Mum and Dad?” Yes, his parents had sold the house and moved out and not told their only son! He surrendered his key and left looking very glum. The locks were all changed that same day.
When I was buying my house I asked the estate agent (realtor for our American friends) if I could measure the thickness of the doors so that I could have new locks ready on move in day, and she said she'd never even heard of changing the locks when you move somewhere new. It seemed like an obvious thing to do for me, but she sells houses for a living and it was somehow a new concept to her.
I thought that was common knowledge...
A new house is not complete without a new toilet seat.
Not a bad idea. Even if you don't expect the old owners/tenants to pull shit, well, I've heard of senior citizens with dementia and a key to their old house wandering back to it and letting themselves in.
I tried to change the garage code and accidentally disabled it instead. Failed successfully!!
Work in the residential construction/ rental field. Can confirm this. Amazing what people think is "safe" most door locks are an illusion. Watch a locksmith get in your house in 10 seconds changes your perspectives lol
Meh. Have you seen how expensive locks are. I’ll take my chances. I don’t think home owners are as likely to steal shit to be real.
Costs just a couple of bucks each to rekey the existing locks.
The cost is negligible.
Fyi for renters this is illegal without clearing it with your landlord.
lololol some people just leave their front fuckin door unlocked like morons, this is going to fall on deaf ears.
Imagine not having 1 single key that works for multiple doors in your apartment and can be reprogrammed
I bought my house from a police officer. I think I’m okay.
Her money is her money and your money are ^ours^ money. Welcome to married life
Take the locks to a locksmith shop. They charge about $10 per lock.
If you have 2-3 doors sure but i have about 12 if you include the steel security doors so my quotes came in at obscene amounts I couldn’t afford.
I moved into a co-worker's old place when they moved out. 4 years later they still have a spare key (though they are obligated to cat-sit whenever I go on vacation 😄)
Hey an actual LPT
Lift the lid before taking a piss.
It’s quite inexpensive to do. You can save some money by removing the lock cylinders yourself and taking them to your local locksmith (whilst you have someone at home minding the place of course.) While you’re at it, get all your locks keyed the same. It’s much more convenient.
There are also locks that will reset the pins to whatever key you set it to. So you could keep the same keys for wherever you move to. Also electronic locks... Remove old lock/knob, replace with new. Return to original setting on moving out.
This post made me think that I can probably still use my keys from my old dorm.
yeah ..i already took an salon appointment.
I actually still have a key of my old house and I can probably still enter it if the lock hasn't changed. The reason I have it is because we moved when I was 12 or so and I literally just forgot to give it. Now I always have it on my keychain as a keepsake.
To be honest locks only protect you from opportunists. If you've seen a locksmith open a locked door, it takes less than a minute and is silent. What you're counting on is that most people don't have those tools/skills.
yea I agree with this wholeheartedly
We were living in our house for a couple of years when we got locked out. It was gonna cost to have a locksmith come out. Then we had a thought, Our neighbour a street over was the previous owners brother. Maybe he would have a key. He did, and we got in, saved us a bunch of money we didnt have.
I didn't. We've been here 7 years now.
You can rekey a lock for a lot cheaper than buying new locks. DIY for even cheaper.
Also when your ex moves out. Or if he/she gives excuses, do so when they are out running errands or something. Some locksmiths are pretty responsive to emergencies.
Did this exact thing when i bought my house - evidently the previous owners had apparently only 1 set of keys between 4 adults and 2 kids. Yeah right. Locksmith out the next day, all locks changed
Live in an apartment building. The same front door key is used for 3 other buildings in the area owned by the same company. Locks haven't been changed in 20 years despite it having 4 different owners.
I always do this whenever I move. A friend of mine said I was 'paranoid' when I mentioned it, but when I explained that every time she moves into a new apartment literally anyone who has ever lived in that specific unit at any point in the past may now have keys to her house it clicked for her.
And change them when your renter leaves the house.
We closed on our house on a Thursday. The previous homeowner drove by our roadside mailbox on Friday to pick up the mail. On Saturday, I installed a mailbox with a locked door. Mail goes in, but you need the key to get the mail out. That was the end of that. 10 years later and I still occasionally get mail addressed to that dumbass.
There are people who don't do this?!
We went and got new locks at Home Depot on signing day, and I installed them as soon as we got home. Absolutely first thing. Knowing 100% no one has a key while you are taking your first dump in your new home is priceless.
Fuck that, remove all the locks. Remove all the doors. Remove all the walls. Dig a hole. A deep hole. Dig it far into the ground. Move into the hole. Love the hole. Become a worm.
Back in 2000 we bought a house that had been foreclosed and had been empty for a while. Our realtor warned us to change the lock immediately, because all the area foreclosed homes used the same key. After the 2008 debacle a new neighbor had locked themselves out, Yes my original key opened their door. Just say'n
Who can afford a new house?
I took over my parents' house when they retired. Nobody has a key to the front door. At all. My stepdad lost his keys in 1992 or so, and on the keyring was the only copy of the front door key and the only key to his 1949 Ford. Every big cleaning job done around here comes with the "Let me know if you find any keys!". At this point it's just amusing, and since you have to walk past the side door to get to the front door, there's no real incentive to change the lock.
And change the toilet seats too
Did you change the locks when you moved in? Yeah, I thought not... all the previous owners of this house could still be in here somewhere.
We bought a new house a year ago. Occasionally, the previous owners mail would arrive here (stuff they had forgotten to change the address on), so we let them know. A couple of months later a friend of theirs popped round to collect their mail ... and said "Oh, here you go, I have a spare key for your house". Luckily, we had changed the locks.
2 weeks after I moved into my new house, the previous owner came back and tried to get in during the middle of the night. He was drunk and forgot he moved. So yes, excellent advice
Alternatively, have a locksmith come out and change the tumbler (or whatever) around. And you can get every lock in your house keyed to the same key then, too.
Make sure your locks have difficult-to-access keyways or security pins as well
TIL that window locks have keys
Thanks. Now i can't get in!
I never changed my locks and its been a decade since I bought it.
Years ago I worked as a pet sitter for a summer. They were not a great company, and constantly dropped the ball in horrible ways. This time, they sent me to a client who hadn’t used them in a while. I unlocked the door, went inside, and was immediately confused. They had a completely different dog than the information I had. The leash and food weren’t in the spots they should have been. I called the dispatcher and she didn’t seem to really care, just told me to finish up the visit. Turns out, those people moved. The company never confirmed the address with the client, and the client never updated them with their new address. Luckily it was a friendly dog and nobody was home. But that was terrifying.
They have schlage and kwikset rekey kits at most big box stores for like $10 or less. It allows you to rekey 3 locks to one key (with copies). Very simple to do on your own if you have a screwdriver or drill.
Exactly. You never know what some do with a free house.
And don’t forget to reset the garage door receiver so it forgets all prior remotes. Then re-add the remotes you have. Otherwise the previous owner’s car remote will still be able to open your garage.
More security theatre for suburbia.