ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE SECURE?

If your cylinder or lock is more than 10 years old it is more than likely obsolete and can be opened quickly, silently and without leaving a single mark or trace (= problems with your insurer).

If you rent and didn't change the cylinder when you moved in, you have no way of knowing who else has keys to your home. Besides your landlord (who legally has no need to hold keys to your home), previous tenants may well have them — perhaps even a tenant's relative, kept in case they lost theirs. It's smarter to prevent than to cure.

If your neighbours have good escutcheons with good cylinders and you have a lock from the 12th century… guess where burglars will prefer to go in? It's like escaping a lion: you don't have to be the fastest, but you do have to run faster than some of the others.

If your door "has a knack" to it, that's because it's failing. If you notice things like it not opening properly, or the key being stiff to turn, or having to pull the handle as you open it, or needing to apply force in some odd way, or it catching sometimes as you open it… it's warning you that it has reached the end of its working life or has developed a fault. If you don't replace or repair it, rest assured that one day you won't be able to get in — and on top of paying to replace it you'll have to pay a locksmith extra to open your door. Get ahead of it and avoid the trouble.

If your cylinder or lock is low quality and you have even the slightest regard for what's inside your home, upgrade at least to a decent lock — you'd be surprised how much your security can improve for very little money. Bear in mind that your door is the only thing separating and protecting you, your family and your belongings from the outside.