MJS Locksmiths

At some point in your life, for one reason or another, someone will attempt to break into your home. But sometimes, it isn’t a criminal: police, bailiffs and other government officials may have a Warrant of Entry for your home. While this can be a frightening time for many, you still have the law on your side for some issues, particularly concerning bailiffs, the most likely kind of government official who may feel the need to use their powers to break in.

The first thing to figure out is if your enforcement agent is an actual bailiff, or a simple debt collector. Asking for proof of who they are can help you nip the problem in the bud: If they say they’re a bailiff or enforcement agent, ask them to show you a badge, ID card or ‘enforcement agent certificate’. All registered bailiffs have to carry proof of who they are. They’ll also need to tell you which company they’re from and give you a telephone contact number for the head office. If they’re a debt collector trying to get inside, they can be dismissed on the spot, as they don’t have the same powers or privileges as a registered bailiff. If a bailiff appears at an unusual time, such as between 9PM and 6AM, they’re almost certainly not following the rules and shouldn’t be allowed in.

Make sure that your doors and windows are locked, as a bailiff can use these methods of ‘peaceful entry’ to get inside. Depending on the type of debt owed, a bailiff may use a locksmith to open your front door, but this is typically a worst-case scenario when negotiations break down. These debts may include:

1. Unpaid magistrates court fines, e.g. if you were given a fine for not paying your TV licence;

2. Tax debts for HM Revenue and Customs, e.g. if you owe income tax.

In the event that the bailiff doesn’t have the right to enter your home and has become violent or intimidating, calling the police is the best thing to do in this situation. If they’re receptive to a discussion on your debts and aren’t attempting to bully or threaten you into complying, you can get more information on who they are, what they’re trying to collect and how they got their Warrant of Entry.

While bailiffs have these powers, they’re typically used on debtors that utterly refuse to negotiate with them, or have committed a crime. As long as you stick to the rules, bailiffs have no right to threaten you by using a locksmith to open the door for them.

Few people consider locksmiths until they're urgently needed. Most of the time you insert your key into the door's lock and enter. If you want to learn more about locksmiths or need to hire one, this article will give you information that is helpful.

 In the event that you have a high-security lock and there is a problem, it is best to call the lock company before calling a locksmith. Since this type of lock was designed to be difficult, a locksmith may have a hard tome getting into it. You may end up paying a bundle for them to try with no success.

 You want to be sure you cover all locks in your home before you begin painting. If you get paint in the holes of the locks, it could cause your keys to no longer fit into them. It could take some time to provide all locks with adequate protection, but it will prevent you from having to replace all your locks.

 Always get keys made by a locksmith that is close to your home. Sometimes keys are not calibrated correctly and they will not fit the lock in question. Going to someone too far means there will be a hassle if you have to take the keys back. Aim for a place that is a mile or two from where you live.

Getting a new house, or purchasing your first house is an exciting time: you’re moving up the property ladder, moving to somewhere you’ve always wanted to live and getting more space to live in and store the things you need to live and enjoy your life. But since you’re moving into a new home, you need to consider just how secure your home is from intruders. There are lots of external factors involved, such as the general rate of burglaries in the area, but the prime factor is in the locks of your new home.

Get a New Locking System

Your common off-the-shelf door lock will be good enough to deter the petty criminal, but a dedicated burglar can find their way in by copying the key. Perhaps the previous home owner lost their key and it fell in the hands of a burglar, or the burglar accessed a locksmith database and copied it from there, but either way, there’s nothing stopping them from getting in.

Ideally, you can replace locks with a patented or a restricted locking system. Patented keys carry legal protection, preventing copies being made without providing proof of ownership, while restricted keys are unlikely to be copied due to their unusual design and unique mechanical features.

This means that extra keys can’t be made without your knowledge and previous owners or tenants do not still have access to your home. In addition, when patented keys are stolen or go missing, the existing key can be deleted from a locksmith’s key code database, the lock re-configured and new keys issued, ensuring that lost or stolen keys no longer work.

Burglar Alarms

Your home likely has a burglar alarm system already set up by the previous homeowner. Change the code of any alarms as soon as you move in and only give alarm details to people you trust. There’s no telling how long it’s been since the alarm code was changed by the previous homeowner or how reliable it is, so test it once you get a chance after unpacking.

A shed is the ideal storage location for a ton of tools and gear that wouldn’t fit inside your house: exercise equipment, gardening tools, paint buckets, bikes or motorbikes can be easily placed in a shed without the fuss of pushing them through the front door of your house or leaving them inside. However, your house is usually more secure than your shed.

The average shed in the UK, when it isn’t neglected as a dumping ground for various knick knacks, is very easy to break into. If you actually keep valuable things in your shed, the burglar will likely only have to deal with a cheap padlock. Perhaps they can look in through a window, with nothing obscuring what’s inside. Perhaps the shed door is fastened by screws on the outside, easily removed. Either way, the standards for securing your shed are low.

So how do you fix this situation? Purchasing a better lock than the shed supplier gave you is a quick first step, since these locks are always cheap and easy to break or pick open. Applying super glue or another strong adhesive to the screws in your door hinge can prevent a quiet thief unscrewing them. Adding curtains to the windows can protect you from opportunistic thieves looking for specific items before attempting to break in.

Wireless alarms are a good way to prevent theft when it actually happens. Putting any large tools away that could be used to break the door open is always recommended, and it has the bonus effect of making your garden look tidier. If you’re particularly worried about people stealing small items, storing them in a locked box within the shed is a good idea, as the thief can’t really tell what’s inside. Larger items, like lawnmowers, bikes and heavy gardening tools can be fastened together overnight, which will make taking one of them out of the shed much harder when there’s a bunch of junk fastened to it.