Making A Safe Choice For Your Home

Has Someone Tried to Break Into Your Home?

by Kristen Roberts

It's terrifying to come home and discover that your home has been broken into. It's almost as unsettling to come home to find that someone has clearly tried to force your front door lock and break in, even if they were ultimately unsuccessful. But how would you even know that this has happened? And what should you do about it?

Tampering

Lock tampering is the clearest sign that someone has tried to gain entry to your home. This is generally quite obvious, and you'll notice it when you go to insert your key into the lock. What might you see?

  1. Signs of force can include scratches and dents on the lock's external metal plating or around the keyhole itself. These signs are common when a potential intruder has attempted to break the lock in order to gain entry.
  2. In addition to these scratches and dents, the doorframe and the door can show signs of stress. It might be that in order to bypass the lock, the potential intruder simply tried to break down the door. 
  3. The signs of forced entry might not be so overt. If an attempt has been made to pick the lock, the only indication of this can be small scratches in the metal around the keyhole.

What should you do if you notice any of these signs of attempted entry when you arrive home?

Check Your Home

Although you're desperately hoping that whomever attempted to break into your home was unsuccessful, you will need to confirm this. Check all points of entry to your home (doors and windows). Just because the intruder was unable to gain entry via the front door, this does not mean that they simply gave up. If you should spot a point of entry that has been breached, contact the police immediately and follow their instructions. It can be prudent to immediately vacate the premises, just in case the intruder is still there. 

An Unsuccessful Attempt

If the potential intruder was unable to gain entry, there are still certain things you need to do. Although it's not an emergency requiring an immediate response, you should still log the attempted break-in with the police. You will also need to contact a locksmith. Any tampering with your lock can compromise its ability to function effectively. In cases of extreme force, the lock might have been rendered unusable. A locksmith can assess the damage and install an immediate replacement as needed.

It's downright frightening to discover that someone has tried to rob your home. You will need to confirm whether or not they were successful and take quick action to secure the premises.

To learn more, contact a locksmith.

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