How not to get locked out in the rain

You won’t believe the week I’ve just lived. Firstly, there was the tangly random pleasure (not) of school holidays. Don’t get me wrong. I love my kids. They’re awesome. There’s no greater pleasure in life than seeing their beaut little faces munching on vegemite toast in the mornings.

No. It’s not them. It’s the glorious madness of a twisted life that still occurs while the school holidays are on. This term round my school holidays included tenants who ‘abandoned’ our investment property, which was a four hour drive-in-the-rain away. (Picture a scene out of A Current Affair then I won’t have to go into details.) Then some not-so-little feral neighbourhood kids (all on BMX’s) who decided to target my house by taking aim at a window of our property with a rock.

Let me just say – words were exchanged.

Anyway – after driving four hours in the rain (and then back) hubby and I (he did the same drive and work but on different days to me and for longer) realised we didn’t have keys to our own property. Yep. That was mistake numero uno and one of many to follow. There are too many to mention now, and frankly the resulting mess just makes me sad, so I’ll move on.

There’s a big lesson in the week I just lived and here it is. Come in close:

Spare keys

Always keep a spare set of keys somewhere in the house or for your house. You never know what might happen.  Whether you need to get keys cut in a dinky little country town like I had too, or you need to find a Perth locksmith – you won’t regret doing this little job. All I can say is – pleading with awful real estate agents to get keys to a house you own is no fun at all. And trust me – ‘no fun at all’ was not the phrase I was whispering under my breath.

Read on to discover some more tips on key services and why I’m so hot on locksmiths this week:

Locksmith services if you’re locked out of your car

A good locksmith will offer a range of auto services, including,

• Unlock any vehicle
• Supply extra keys
• Supply and program transponder keys
• Remote units

Locksmiths are an essential service for everyone, at some point or other. If you’re looking for a Perth locksmith or one in a dinky little town where everyone knows your business, there are reputable companies that provide a range of services.

If you get locked out of your house

Believe it or not, getting locked out of the house is common. Anything could happen. You could pop out to the mailbox and a gust of wind could snap the front door shut on you. If you happened to do that in your bathrobe and slippers, you might be caught out in the cold looking dishevelled and sprung-for-all-money. And with the weather this week, there’s a high probability of this happening.

But ah..haaa! If you took this advice before you ventured out to the mailbox and you got some spare keys cut – you’d be fine. Chances are you would have hidden a spare set somewhere in the garden. And, nowhere really obvious please – like under the mat. Bad idea. Or hopefully you’ve given them to a family member who isn’t a nosy untrusting snoop.

BTW – Did you know?

Most people lock themselves out when no-one is home? Save yourself a head of worry and do this one little – key-cutting – thing.

Consider getting a key safe

A key safe is one way to ensure that one can get back into that warm house you love so much where the heater is. Pop some keys in the safe, set the combination and voila – instant access. Note: Don’t forget the combination, ’cause then you’d be double-stumped. If you do this, you really will start to feel stupid. The great thing about key safes is you can give the combination to your teenager or other family members who might enter your house in your absence.

Note: Remember to return the master set to the key safe after use. Otherwise you’ll render the safe you bought a total waste of money and time.

Call a locksmith

If there’s really no way of getting in, because you’ve failed at all of the above or your house is as secure as a jail, you may need to call a Locksmith. A professional can gain access quickly, without causing any damage to your place. Locksmiths are great people to know. This is especially true if you are a forlorn and miserable landlord like me and you need to lock bad old tenants out. This always puts a smile on my face.

Whether you need a locksmith for your city dwelling or even a Perth locksmith – they can be at your place within minutes. And yes – I am obsessed with Perth right now because its warmer there. A locksmith might go a little red when they see you in your slippers, but you’ll be totally chuffed to get out of the cold without breaking windows and doors on your way back in.

Sure. A locksmith will charge you. But by this stage – frankly, who would care?

Just put it all down to a bad day. Yeah – the Locksmith was your silver lining.

Security services

While the locksmith is at your place get some answers on the best security systems. You might as well make good use of your time out there in the garden. He or she will be able to advise on a cost-efficient way to protect your precious property.

An alarm system and security camera’s will cover all the entry points. These always deter thieves or big gangly blaspheming kids on BMX’s. Also get the locks on your windows checked. Some doors might also need replacing.

A locksmith will have whatever solution you need and usually good quality solutions too. You don’t want those locks to snap or break long term.

Do it

Don’t get caught out in the rain with your slippers on. Call a Locksmith and sought out your key issues. It’s one of those ‘two-minute’ jobs – you’ll be happy you did later.