If travelling in your own personal or rented vehicle, when away from the vehicle, do not leave anything of value out where prying eyes can see it. It only takes a second to break a window and steal anything of value that can be quickly re-sold. Always remove all items of value from the vehicle you are travelling in and keep them with you in your room or suite. Expensive items left exposed, are a direct invitation to break and enter.

When planning on staying in Hotels or Motels, book your stay wisely. Do a background check on the Hotel/Motel to see if there have been any incidents where a rash of break and enters have happened. Call the Hotel/Motel directly and find out if there is a wall safe in the room you are going to be staying in. This will enable you to lock up valuables while away from your room or suite and enjoying your summer vacation.

Find out if your Insurance Agent can provide Travel Insurance for expensive items that you may wish to carry with you while on your summer vacation.

While out on day excursions, carry a minimal amount of cash or Travellers Checks with you. Carry only enough to cover the activities that you plan to participate in.

Have a safe and happy summer vacation from Locksmith Toronto.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/
416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright and may be re-published provided that link and credit remain attached – May 12, 2012 – Locksmith Toronto

Sentry Electronic Safe

Most people don’t ever consider the level of security that their property currently has. Many choose to ignore issues with doors, locks and windows believeing that their property will never be broken into. It usually takes a neighbour’s house or a rash of neighbourhood break and enters before most people start to assess the security of their own property.

Break and enter artists will usually study a residence for some length of time in order to formulate their plan. They will eventually figure out exactly how many people reside at the property and what their habits are. After a period of time, they will know exactly when there is no one at the property and specific window of opportunity in order to pull off the burglary.

There are some things you can do to help protect your valued property and circumvent or slow these thieves down.

A safe is a great way to protect expensive jewelery, rare coins and any personal documents you feel should be away from prying eyes. With the recent rise in Identity Theft you would be well advised to keep any and all documents related to bank, personal and credit information locked away in a safe. Keep in mind that your personal property is not the only thing that can be stolen and it could take you years to re-build your credit after your identity has been stolen. This could directly affect your ability to get a job, a bank loan or even buy a new car.

When purchasing a safe here are a few key elements you should look for. It should be fire proof. In the event that a fire ever breaks out you want to know that your most valued property will remain safe. The safe should also be water proof. Let’s face it, if a fire ever does happen, it will take lots of water to put it out. If the safe is not water proof you will likely have water damage to it’s contents.

Buy a safe with a weight of at least 100 pounds so it is not easily removed from your premises. The bolts that extend out from the door and slide into the frame of the safe should be at least 1/2 inch in diameter (the bigger the better). There should be 6 points that they extend into around the door. The door hinge pins should be made of hardened tempered steel and be non-removable.

There are a couple of different styles of safe locking mechanisims. There is the manual type where you dial up the combination. Some of this type of safe design also requires the use of a key in order to open the safe. Electronic safes are becoming more common and more preferred in the marketplace. Electronic safes are usually furnished with a keypad and require the use of batteries in order to operate. You simply key in your combination on the keypad and push the unlock button. This type of safe usually has a combination built into it but usually offers the ability to add new and different combinations. Some of the higher-end electronic safes have a security lockout feature built in. This feature usually locks out use of the keypad after a set amount of incorrect combinations have been entered, usually three. The keypad remains in the lockout feature for a set period of time which may vary according to manufaturers specifications. Some electronc safes also require the use of a key in order to gain entry or a key is provided as a manual over-ride in the event of an electronic malfunction.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto

http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/

416-429-0075   905-616-2565
This Article is Copyright and may be re-published or reproduced provided that credit and links remain attached - May 10, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto

Commercial Property

If you are a Landlord evicting a Commercial tenant in Ontario, you should employ the services of an Ontario Bailiff. I speak from personal experience when I say that a Bailiff can help the process go a lot smoother. <strong>You should also get in contact the local Police agency</strong> and inform them of your intent to take your property back. I say this because the Police already have enough to deal with without having to respond to a break-and-enter that is nothing more than a Commercial Eviction / Lockout. It is a real waste of Police resources and their time that could be better spent on real Emergencies. You should also have your Legal Counsel draw up a letter to be posted at the front door of the property notifying the tenant that a Lockout is in effect . It should include instructions on how the tenant can re-claim any property left behind at the premises after the Lockout.

Residential Property Lockout

Residential Property

If you are a Landlord Locking-Out a Residential tenant in Ontario, you must go through the due legal process. Any self-respecting Locksmith should refuse to help you unless you have gone through the proper channels. You must have the Ontario Sheriff attend the lockout to serve the court issued eviction papers. It is also a good idea to have the Sheriff attend the Lockout  because you really don’t know how someone is going to react to the eviction order until it happens. I have attended many Residential Evictions over the years and on several occasions, the Sheriff has had to get the Metropolitan Toronto Police involved because of the situation. Let’s face it, no one want’s to get evicted from their home and everyone is going to react differently to it. I believe that the current fee to have the Sheriff attend at a Residential Lockout in Ontario is $350.o0. More information on pricing and legal due course can be found through the following web page:  http://www.ontariolandlord.ca/columnists/adele/ (You may have to copy and paste this into your browser address bar.)

The material contained within this Blog is for informational purposes only and is the sole opinion of the author. This, should, in no way be misconstrued to be legal advice. You should hire your own Lawyer for sound legal advice.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/

416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright and may be re-published provided link and credit remain attached – February 5, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto

Key In Knob Lock

A key in knob lock is one where the handle that you turn to open the door accepts a key. It has a spring loaded latch and if not installed properly, it could easily be opened with a credit card. This type of lock is also susceptible to being picked open very easily. Most burglars already know how to pick a lock and this type of lock is his number one choice and an invitation into your home. The fact that the latch is spring loaded actually helps to get the lock picked faster than a deadbolt.

Another technique for getting these locks open is brute force. The burglar will arrive at the property with a pair of channel lock pliers or ViseGrips and will apply enough brute force on the handle to cause two flats to happen at the points where the force is applied by the pliers. He will then apply force in both a clock-wise and counter clock-wise direction and eventually wrench the handle off of the door. This is a very fast and quiet method to get your door open.

Yet another technique to gain fast entry to your home is key cylinder knockout. The burglar will arrive with an automotive dent puller much like the ones used in auto body shops. He will twist the threaded end into the keyhole and proceed to slam the cylinder out of the lock. This technique is likely not used as often because of the amount of noise this would make while knocking out the cylinder but it is still a very fast and effective entry method.

By now, you must be asking yourself, just how do I go about better protecting my home, family and property?

To begin with, you should have a Professional Locksmith install a deadbolt on your door. The key is to get a deadbolt that provides certain features and specifications which I will endeavour to cover within this article. The deadbolt you select will determine the degree of security offered to you, your family and your possessions. The best deadbolt you could buy will likely cost in the range of $175 and $250 depending on the manufacturer. It should have the following features built in for your maximum security:

1. The bolt should have a hardened and tempered steel core.

2. The bolt should be at least 1″ in length when extended.

3. The lock cylinder should be made of hardened and tempered steel so that it is resistant to drilling.

4. The lock cylinder should be constructed to include a sidebar to be pick and bump resistant.

5. The outside decorative ring should be supplied with a hardened and tempered steel slip ring so it will stop it from being crushed into the deadbolt cylinder with a pair of vice grips or channel lock pliers. This will defeat a brute force attack to occur on the cylinder.

6. The screws that sandwich the front and rear portion of the deadbolt into the front and rear of the door should actually be at least1/4″ thick.

7. The rear plate on the inside of the door should be separate from the inside thumb turn (the thumb turn is the lever on the inside of the door that you use to extend or retract the deadbolt).

8. The deadbolt should come supplied with a strike plate (the plate that is fastened to the frame that accepts the bolt when it is thrown). There should also be a secondary plate that is made of hardened and tempered steel that is installed behind the strike plate to resist crowbar and kick-in attacks.

9. Wood screws supplied with the secondary plate should be at least 2-1/4″ in length.

The deadbolt described above is actually a Commercial Grade Lock. You won’t find it at a Hardware or Depot store. They are usually only available through a Professional Locksmith or a Locksmith Supply House. This type of lock will definitely slow a burglar down and will offer your Maximum Security against forced entry through a locked door.

The Bottom Line: You only get the degree of security you are willing to pay for. The less you spend on your deadbolt, the less security features built in and the easier it is for burglars to break into your home through your door.

Security article written by John Farquharson O/O Locksmith Toronto

http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/

This article is Copyright 24, April 2011 and may be reproduced and re-posted provided that author credit and links remain attached.

Locksmith Expert Lock Service

No one told me that they had developed and perfected the human teleporter like the fictional ones in Star Trek or the movie Spaceballs. I’ll have to get one!

What a totally ridiculous claim to make. There are many unscrupulous Locksmiths on the internet today all trying to get your money. Some aren’t even qualified Locksmiths. Many are nothing more than a web developer with a 1-800 number who funnels work to who he or she thinks are trained and qualified Locksmiths. The people that perform the work never have their qualifications checked out and pretty well anyone can claim to be a Locksmith and work in this field. It’s a sad statement for the business on the whole and a slap in the face to those who have spent their hard earned money on courses and put in the time learning the trade properly.

They make claims that they can’t possibly back up and de-value the trade on the whole. In many instances the job is performed poorly by these self-proclaimed Locksmiths. They even have the nerve to use your business name in order to steal work from you. In turn, this causes much confusion for the business name owner. Someone may be led to believe that you provided service for them when in reality it was one of these unscrupulous characters. We have received many calls from people we’ve never heard of complaining about how our company provided sub-standard service or how their credit card was over charged by us. Funny, but we don’t accept credit cards so how can this be?

Back to the 15 or 20 minute response time. How is it physically possible for a Lockmith in, let’s say, Pickering to make it to Oakville in 20 minutes flat? You’d have to break every law in the books, drive a vehicle capable of reaching a speed of about 300 MPH and nothing in your way on the road in order to accomplish this.

This “15 or 20 minute Locksmith response time” claim is equal to the drive-thru mentality. Think about it, you can get a burger, fries and a drink in almost an instant (or sooner) so people have been conditioned to expect that everything in life should be this fast. On the other hand, reasonably minded people know that there are many factors that come into play concerning the speed with which service can be provided.

Let’s look at the facts that will determine the speed of service. They say that there are two seasons in Toronto, winter and road construction. In both instances there are determining factors. In the winter, consideration of road conditions could drastically reduce the speed with which service is delivered. During construction season, major traffic snarls happen because of road bottlenecks. Then there’s the distance to the call from where the Locksmith is located when the call is received. Depending on how busy the company is, there may not be a Locksmith available because they are all providing service at that moment. Major or minor accidents can also hinder the speed of response. And the list goes on and on.

Don’t allow unreasonable claims to cloud your sense of better judgement and scope of reality. Note that no one claims to provide “15 or 20 Locksmith response time or it’s FREE”. That’s because they can’t live up to this claim. In life, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/
416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright – April 22, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto

You may reproduce and use this article in it’s entirety provided that writing credit and link remains attached.

Vacation Time

With summer in the foreseeable future, people tend to look forward to their time off and away from the regular hustle and bustle of everyday life. They usually don’t think about the security of their property while they are going to be away. If you plan ahead before you go on your vacation you can help to minimize the risk of anything going wrong.

Favourite entry points for thieves are your windows or a sliding rear entrance patio door. With both the windows and the sliding patio door, you can cut down a broom handle or hockey stick and place it in the bottom track. This will ensure that the window or sliding door cannot be pushed over to allow access. There are also security devices available on the market that will also lock-up these entry points. Locksmith Toronto can provide and properly install these devices for you.

Try and get a family member, friend or neighbour to check up on your property two or three times per day. You should provide that person with a contact phone number in case something happens or they manage to lock themselves out of your property while house sitting. You should also leave a spare key with a trusted neighbour. You should have the person who is house sitting, even if they are not staying at your property, turn on and off different lights on a daily basis and turn your TV on at night. You want the house to appear lived in. Another way to have that lived-in appearance is to purchase and install timers to control the lights in your house.

Another consideration is the care of your outside property. A dead give-away to thieves that no one is living at the property is an uncut front lawn. Just prior to leaving on vacation, cut your lawn. During the course of your vacation, have someone cut the lawn for you if your vacation will be longer than a week. Have someone pick up your mail so it doesn’t pile up and give the appearance that no one is home.

In many areas “Neighbourhood Watch” still exists. If you know the person or people who run it, it would be advisable to let them know that you will be on vacation so that they can pay particular attention to your property while you are on vacation.

If you don’t already have one, you could have a home alarm installed that is monitored by a security company 24/7. If you do have an alarm, you should inform the alarm company of the time period that you will be away on vacation.

Following these tips will provide you with peace of mind while away on vacation so you can really relax and have some well deserved fun. Everyone deserves a worry-free vacation and you can too if you follow the advice contained within.

Have a safe and happy summer vacation from your friends at Locksmith Toronto.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/
416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright - April 18, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto

1) If you only have a “Key-In-Knob” type lock on your door, you should consider having a deadbolt added to each door. A Key-In-Knob type lock is one that requires a key to unlock the handle before you can enter the property. There are many different techniques used to circumvent this style of lock and most are effective and very fast.

2) Any deadbolts that are currently installed should be checked to ensure that the outer slip-ring (the ring that encompasses the face of the lock) is not hollow. This type of lock design is susceptible to brute force attacks and should be replaced with a design that includes an outer slip-ring that is made of hardened tempered steel.

3) If your home has a basement, you should consider having a Professional Locksmith supply and install window bars. Basement windows are a favorite entry point for thieves.

4) Have a professionally monitored alarm system installed. Aside from the protection factor, this may help to lower your home insurance rate (ask your broker).

5) Have a Professional Locksmith assess the locks on your doors and make sound recommendations.

F.Y.I.: Many people are of the opinion that a double-cylinder type deadbolt lock will add security to your property. Although this may hold true, there are a few factors you should be aware of. A double-cylinder type lock is one where a key is required from the outside to gain entry and a key is also required from the inside in order to exit the premises. You should know that the Ontario Fire Code PROHIBITS the installation of this type of lock on any entrance type door. The code states that you must allow for egress from any premises, anotherwords you cannot inhibit the exit of anyone from your property with one of these locks, even if they are in the commission of a crime.

Here’s a few other things you should also be made aware of concerning the Ontario Fire Code:

1) If you do have this type of locking device installed on an entrance door and the Fire Marshall pays a visit to your home, you will be given 48 hours to bring the door back up to Ontario Fire Code Standards or face being FINED. Some think that it is ok to have this type of lock on their door as long as they leave a key in the lock. In essence, this is defeating the whole purpose of having one of these locks on your door beacause it is doing nothing more than a lock that requires a key just from the outside. If the Fire Marshall sees this type of lock on your door you will still be required to change it to a standard single cylinder deadbolt that allows egress.

2) Should someone be in the commission of a crime (break and enter), and a fire breaks out and they perish because they are locked in your property by one of these devices, you could be charged and fined.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/
416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright – April 8, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto

Weiser Smartlock

Smartlock Rekey Tool

Smartkey Lock Cylinder

• ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 Certified High Residential Security
• Fits all standard door preperations
• Adjustable latch fits 2-3/8″ (60 mm) or 2-3/4″ (70 mm) backsets
• Fits 1-3/8″ (35 mm) to 1-3/4″  (44 mm) doors
• LOCK CANNOT BE RE-KEYED WITHOUT YOUR FUNCTIONING KEY

What is Lock Rekeying?

A Locksmith can rekey the locks you now have. In Order to Rekey your lock, a Professional Locksmith must remove the lock from your door and dis-assemble the lock. The Locksmith then proceeds to change the key that operates the lock to a new and different key. This is accomplished by removing the pins in the lock that allow the key you now have to operate it. The new set of pins will stop the old key from working in the lock. This is a very inexpensive way to change the locks on your doors. One advantage is that if the same company made all of your locks then the Locksmith can make every one of them work with one key. This is very convienient for the client. No more trying to figure out what key works which lock. With Locksmith Toronto there is no additional charge to set up all of your locks to the same key, if they are made by the same company. Lock rekeying is a much more cost effective way to go for our clients.

What is Lock Replacement?

Lock replacement involves removing your old lock from your door and replacing it with a new one. Sometimes the holes in the door have to be enlarged so that the new lock can fit properly on your door. If you are not sure how things go together then you should consult a Professional. We usually only suggest lock replacement if the lock in question is badly worn due to age or if there are broken parts that cannot be replaced. Lock replacement can be more costly depending on the type, grade and style of lock you want installed on your door.

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/
416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright and may be re-published provided that link and credit remain attached – February 28, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto

I firmly believe that in life, you only get what you pay for. This holds true in many different aspects of life. Finding the right person or company to fulfill your needs becomes more trying and almost turns into a hit and miss situation. I have made some observations. Here are afew tips that I can offer you.

How long has the company been in business?

This is a good barometer of measure as those who have not been in business for very long may not have the level of expertise you require. If the  company has been in business for many years this could be a good indicator that they have a solid track record in their line of business. You could always request that they provide references from past clients to solidify any claims that they make.

Is the company a Better Business Bureau Member?

Companies come and go, especially the fly-by-night types. You could always check with your local Better Business Bureau office to determine if the company is a member, it won’t cost you anything but your time. If they are, you can find out what their BBB Rating is and if they have had any complaints against their business. Even if the company is not a BBB Member there may still be some information in regard to the company because people will file their complaints with the Bureau. The Bureau will keep a record of all complaints filed with them, Member Company or not. BBB Member Companies are bound by an ethical code of service and proudly display their BBB affiliation on their web site.

If you are in an emergency situation where you require fast help from a service oriented company, you may not be inclined to check on that company’s BBB Rating or to find out if they are even a member. This process takes little more than a few seconds to complete through their web site and it might very well make the difference in the goods or services you are provided.

For those interested in information that the BBB may have about any company operating in Mid-Western and Central Ontario, please follow this link:
http://www.bbb.org/kitchener/accredited-business-directory/

Security Article Written by: John Farquharson – O/O Locksmith Toronto
http://www.locksmithtoronto.com/
416-429-0075 or 905-616-2565

This Article is Copyright and may be re-published provided that link and credit remain attached – February 19, 2011 – Locksmith Toronto