Your lock system may not be as secure as you think—at least not if you bought it from a big box retailer like Lowe’s or Home Depot.
When you get a new home or apartment, it is often recommended that you change out the locks since you don’t know who has access. The previous resident, a neighbor, or a former dogsitter might have the key to your place.
Those of you who took this extra security step may feel good that you were proactive about protecting yourself and your belongings.
But this home inspector says there’s more to it than just grabbing a lock from your local hardware store. Some experts disagree.
Your locks may not be safe
In a trending video with more than 59,000 views, home inspector Scott Lubik (@scottlubik) makes a claim that’ll make you question your safety.
“Your keys to your place will open your neighbor’s door,” Lubik wrote in the text overlay.
Lubik explains that this specifically applies if you got your locks from a place like Home Depot or Lowe’s.
“There are only five different locking configurations, meaning that every fifth set that they sell has the same exact key,” Lubik claims.
He says that in theory, if everyone in the neighborhood got their keys from Home Depot or Lowe’s, every fifth house would have a duplicate key since there are only five keys per brand.
“This is a well-kept secret, but I’m a home inspector and a realtor, so I know this just from buying and flipping houses,” Lubik says.
Lubik confidently adds that his key set would probably get him into your house, or anybody’s house that went to Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Is this true?
Doesn’t seem to be.
First of all, even if everyone in the neighborhood bought their locks from the same Home Depot or Lowe’s, there are several key brands on the market, like Kwikset, Schlage, Yale, Weiser, Mul-T-Lock, and Medeco, so the likelihood of everyone getting the same exact brand and style dwindles.
Plus, just the Kwikset Keyway (KW1) has more than 10,000 key combinations and the Schlage keyway (SC1) has 72,000, Marketplace reported. That’s way more than the five Lubik claimed.
Even if everyone bought the SC1, for example, it could only unlock about 0.00139% of all homes out there.
“If you really want to unlock a random home, you’re better off learning how to use a pick set,” Erik Glassen, senior brand marketing manager for Kwikset told Marketplace.
Is this a security concern?
Wirecutter spoke to a number of locksmiths, and they all said that homeowners don’t need to worry much about their locks getting picked. Instead, the concern should be how well the lock holds up against brute force entry.
On top of that, many thieves aren’t putting in the effort to come in through a door and are instead focused on other vulnerable points in the house, like the windows.
Even lock pickers on Reddit confirmed that a thief wouldn’t waste time trying keys.
“What are you going to do with that information? Randomly try your key in every lock you see? You’ll get bored and buy bolt cutters long before you find one of them that came in the same tray as yours,” a Redditor wrote.
What’s the best lock for your home?
Wirecutter’s top pick is the Schlage B60N because it’s affordable (at just $30), resistant to forced and stealth entry, and widely available.
@scottlubik Your keys to your place, will open your neighbor’s door. #homedecor #homes #homesweethome ♬ original sound – The Down Fall
Commenters react
“Welp, thanks for telling everyone. I feel much safer now,” a top comment read.
“Five keys per brand is absolutely crazy,” a person said.
“It may get you in but it will be the last door you open,” another threatened.
“Locks only keep an honest man out. If someone wants in, they’ll find a way,” a commenter pointed out.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lubik for comment via TikTok direct message and comment, and to Home Depot and Lowe’s via email.
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