Many people make errors that leave them in a position where they have to use the services of a locksmith. Here are some examples of the mistakes that can result in a person requiring this type of service.  

Compromising the security of their home by storing their spare key outdoors  

Lots of people store their spare house keys outdoors on their property so that they can easily get into their homes if they lose their original key. However, when they do this, they can inadvertently compromise the security of their home and end up needing help from a locksmith.

For example, if a person stows their spare house key outdoors on their property in a storage container that is designed to look like a rock or another random object, then this can put them at risk of being the victim of a home invasion or burglary if someone who trespasses on their property comes across this 'rock' realises what it really is and steals the key inside of it. If a person's spare house key is stolen in this manner, they would have to ask a locksmith to change their home's locks to prevent the thief who took this key from using it to access their home.

In this situation, the owner of the key would need to take the precaution of getting a locksmith to replace their home's locks, even if they were not completely sure that the rock container and the key inside of it was actually stolen (instead of, for example, being taken by a wild animal or blown off the property by the wind), as the risk of the key potentially being in the hands of a burglar would be too high. This is why a lot of locksmiths do not advise people to store their home's spare keys outdoors; instead, they usually tell them to give a key to a trustworthy neighbour or relative that lives in the local area.

Forgetting the combination that they use to unlock their safe and having to get it opened by a locksmith

Another error that can leave people having to use the services of a locksmith is failing to jot down the combination numbers that they need to use to unlock their safe and then forgetting these numbers. When they then need to access the items that they were keeping in their safe, they end up having to get a locksmith to break open this container. This error is made in an attempt to protect the contents of their safe, as people who use safes often worry that writing down the combination on a scrap of paper might lead to someone finding that note and using it to steal the things that are being kept in the safe.

Whilst it is true that this could happen if the note with these numbers were left lying around the house, it is highly unlikely that the note could be discovered if it were stowed in, for example, the pages of an old book or in another secure location in the person's home. Furthermore, if a person were very concerned about this issue, they could write down a coded version of these numbers to ensure that any potential criminal who read the note could not use it to access their safe.

Reach out to your locksmith to learn more about what you can do to be safe.