Ah, the humble letterbox. You probably don’t think about it much, it’s just where your postie deposits your mail and anybody else dumps their junk mail. But be mindful, because as well as being a beacon for Domino’s Pizza leaflets, it might be a source of take out for a would-be burglar too. Yes folks, a thief is as likely to try to burglarise you via your letterbox as any other means and they do it by sticking their arm or an implement through trying to lift the latch from the inside, or with a fishing pole type gadget crafted to hook a key left too close to the door and in plain sight. And don’t be thinking these poles can’t be that long, the police have said they’ve known them to be 3 or 4 metres in length. So, what do you do to close this unfortunate gap in your door and security? Well, first and bloody foremost, don’t leave keys in plain sight and close to your door! Take a look through your own letterbox, if you see something a burglar would be interested in like a house key, a car key, or a wallet, be sure to shift such items out of the way and out of sight. Valuables should always go out of sight or it’s you that’s out of your mind. But as for this means of access itself, your letterbox, is yours an old one? Is it just a basic one flap deal? Then we might suggest that it’s worth investing in a newer model regardless and a neat dual purpose option is a draught excluder letterbox. Those tight rows of nylon bristles around the edge will nicely prevent anyone’s clear view from the outside and keep your expensive heating inside. Maybe though you already have a double flapped letterbox? For those there’s the option of a letterbox restrictor, a clever little gadget that screws behind the door and very simply stops the inside flap of the letterbox being pushed back fully. Neat and effective, it will definitely stop anybody and anything reaching in and since the distance the flap can be lifted is adjustable you simply move it back a bit when you’re expecting that book from Amazon. Then there’s always a mail cage you might fit. Letters fall into it, it stops hands and other implements being forced through it and it’s a good way to prevent the dog from eating your mail and the postman’s fingers. You can also upgrade to a letterbox expressly designed for extra security. These anti vandal , anti burglar, anti-snap, even anti arson letterboxes have to meet strict compliance standards to prove their usefulness and durability and are available in wooden and uPVC doors versions. Whatever you do though, even if it is just the simple act of keeping your keys out of sight, remember what a thief loves most is spotting an easy target. Make sure that’s not through your letterbox.  

Kids eh. They grow up so fast. First they’re crawling, then toddling, holding your hand into infant school and seemingly in no time, now they’re off to ‘big’ school. Then they really are growing up and it’s time for an always big parental decision, especially if you’re a busy working parent. At what age should you trust them with a house key so they can let themselves into home now? There is no legal age after all and while the NSPCC recommends no child below 12 should be on their own at home, for many kids that milestone does seem to happen when secondary school starts at 11. And trusting them with a house key will probably only promote their self reliance and confidence but it’s always one of them ‘are we really sure they’re ready?’ calls and only you know your child well enough to make it. But should they get that key, have a talk with them. No, not that one yet, but one that explains the responsibility that comes with their new acquisition and how important it is to keep it safe. Because if, heaven forbid, they do lose that house key the worst isn’t they have to sit on the doorstep for a while until you return home, now the security of your home and whole family has been compromised. You may be forced to change the lock just in case and even at our low prices that’s still a few weeks of pocket money. So just a suggestion, if your kid does have their own key why not make their key harder to lose. You may not want a key with a Darth Vader figure on it but if you give them a chunky keyring with a few big decorations on it, now it really becomes ‘theirs’ and you’ve cunningly made it heavier and bulkier to be noticeable if it wasn’t in their pocket or school bag. It makes a bigger noise if they dropped it too. You might want to take the option to attach it to a cord inside of their school bag as well. Because the days when the term ‘latchkey kid’ was used in a more derogatory way are gone and having the means and assurance to let themselves into a home unsupervised is a big step in any child’s development. So well done to them and you. You are officially a good parent. As long as it’s your home obviously.

Look, we get it, in these times where money is tight and you’re at a loose end for a few hours you might think it’s the perfect time to fit that new lock you’ve just bought yourself. We applaud that intent, you want to make your home safer. But, have you ever changed a lock before?  Are you sure you’ll finish the job in a few hours? What if you don’t? Will that mean the door remaining unlocked overnight? Will you be able to sleep? Will you have to stand guard? Will someone open the door and you hit your neighbour who’s coming round to drop off that DVD he borrowed 10 years ago. What if you kill him? What if you go to jail? And what if your cellmate likes to cuddle and insists you call him Stephanie. All these questions you have to ask yourself before fitting a new lock.  Because lock fitting is not the straightforward job you might want it to be and if your lock isn’t fitted correctly there are real consequences.  Your security really will be compromised, the very thing you wanted to improve. If someone does break in, it could be because you didn’t install the lock correctly and to top it off, if that was the cause of the burglary, your insurance company now has the right to invalidate your claim. Then what about having the right tools for the job? Do you already own the thingamejig to make the hole in the door the correct size? Or the whatchamacallit to round/square off the hole that took you far longer than expected to cut because you’ve just discovered wood is really hard. Folks, we ask these questions not out of self-interest but only to illustrate that fitting a lock isn’t an easy job for a novice. A locksmith will have the right tools, it won’t take them ages, it will be done properly, and before you DIY you’ve got to be certain you can fit that lock to the same standard. And what about this, if it is a money thing how much do you know you’ll be saving if you don’t ask a locksmith for a quote first? If you are lucky enough to live near York, give Towergate a call, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by our price. At least then you can make an informed decision about hiring a professional or doing it yourself.  Because who knows, you might actually do a brilliant job of fitting that lock.  But what’s the worst that can happen if you do call a locksmith? And what’s the worst that can happen if you don’t? BTW. Stephanie wants the bottom bunk.

So, you think you know what a locksmith does and how locks work? Well yes, you can take a good guess, it ain’t rocket science, but we thought we’d bring up a couple of popular assumptions that definitely need to be addressed. Actually, we might make this a recurring topic but this will get us started. Locksmiths need to be certified? Er, no. Sorry folks but you should be aware that anyone can call themselves a locksmith without any training whatsoever. And there’s definitely no mandated qualification such as for an electrician or gas safe engineer. So if anybody can say they’re a locksmith, how do you check you’re not calling a no good rogue trader or one just plain, no good no good Well, you do what you’d do when you research anything, go online.  Wikipedia won’t help you but the website of the locksmith you’re thinking of calling should provide some answers. Does it offer confidence with its content? Are there customer reviews from Google or other independent sources? Have they been government DBS checked, vetted by trade sites like Checkatrade and endorsed by associations in their own industry? And if so, are there links to those reviews and sites to absolutely confirm all that good stuff?  You know, like ours has. Just saying.  Ultimately, most locksmiths are reputable and capable and you’ll be unlucky to pick a bad one but as in any industry, in any locality, there’s always a few to be found. We know. We’ve had to fix their mistakes. If anybody can be a locksmith, I can fit that new lock myself? You could of course, after all it ain’t rocket science, but a good locksmith does train and then perfects skills over years to ensure a lock is properly fitted. And your first time, are you certain you’re going to fit it correctly and have the right tools to do so? Because a lock that isn’t fitted correctly is apparent to all interested parties. You’ll worry every time you see it and a would-be burglar might see it once and only worry they’d better break in quick before someone else does.   Also you should know your insurance company might turn down any subsequent claim because you did fit the lock yourself, making it ‘your fault’. They will ask the question. So why risk all that when a well trained professional locksmith will ensure a correct, peace of mind fulfilling, fitting job.  And you know how to choose one now, don’t you? They’ll have an honest, informative website with lots of 5 star reviews about how good they are at lock fitting. Just saying.