While some relationships end amicably, some get messy. This can be a particularly tricky time if you’ve been living together in a property you own, and you’ve had to ask your partner to leave. A potentially violent partner may make you worry about your own safety at home. Or, if they can’t accept that your relationship has ended, they may come around a lot and try to get in to talk to you.

If you are in dispute over who owns what in your home, you may be concerned that they will try to re-enter the property. They may try to remove furniture, possessions or even pets that you think belong to you. If you have concerns about your partner and what they might do next, then you should have a locksmith come out and secure your home. When is this a good idea?

Your Partner Won’t Hand Over Keys

In an ideal world, your partner will give you all the keys they have for your home when they leave. After all, you own the property, they don’t. However, this doesn’t always work out.

Some people refuse to hand over keys after a break-up. In some cases, they may have returned some keys, but you worry that your partner still has others. If they knew they were moving out in advance, they may have had copies made that you don’t know about.

You can put your mind at rest by asking a locksmith to change your locks. You can simply change a lock for which you know your partner has a key. Or, if you aren’t sure which keys they might have, you can change all the locks on the property.

You may not have to change the complete lock on a door to make it inaccessible to your partner. Your locksmith may be able to rekey the lock. With this option, you keep an existing lock but change the mechanism so that it only works with a new key.

Your Home Security Isn’t Robust

Even if your partner doesn’t have keys to your home, you may worry that they will try to break in. After all, they know your home pretty well and they may use this knowledge to target entry points that aren’t as secure as they should be.

For example, if you only have basic locks on your main front and back doors, then these locks may not be strong enough to keep your partner out. The locks may not hold if your partner tries to force the door.

Or, if your partner knows that you don’t have window locks, then they could target a ground floor window. They know that they can use the latch to open the window if they break the glass. They may also know good times to make this kind of entry. For example, they may go for a secluded window at a time when they know your neighbours won’t be at home.

If you’re worried about how secure your home is at the moment, then a locksmith can help. They can run an audit of your core security and look for vulnerabilities. For example, your doors are harder to breach if you upgrade to more secure locks such as mortices with deadbolts. You’ll also feel safer and more secure if you install window locks.

Don’t forget garden access when you check things out. Your locksmith may recommend that you put locks on gates, sheds and garages to boost security in these areas.

If you need to change your locks or to have a security audit, contact us. Adelaide Home Security Locksmiths are fully mobile so we can get to you quickly. We also carry all the tools and equipment we need to secure your home and put your mind at rest at this difficult time.