After years of rekeying, repairing, and replacing locks all over Spokane — from South Hill craftsman homes to new builds out in the Valley — we see the same handful of mistakes over and over. None of them look like a big deal until the day they are. Here are the eight we run into most, and the straightforward fix for each one.
1. You Never Rekeyed After Moving In
When you buy a house, you get a set of keys — not every set. The previous owners handed copies to cleaners, dog sitters, contractors, neighbors, and relatives over the years, and nobody collects those at closing. Until you rekey, every one of those keys still opens your front door.
The fix: rekeying keeps your existing hardware and simply changes which key operates it — it’s fast and far cheaper than new locks. If you’ve recently bought a home, our new-homeowner rekey guide walks through exactly how it works, or jump straight to rekey services.
2. Your “Hidden” Spare Key Isn’t Hidden
The fake rock. The flowerpot. The top of the door frame. Burglars know every one of these spots, because they’re the same spots at every house — checking them takes about ten seconds and doesn’t look suspicious to the neighbors.
The fix: retire the outdoor key entirely. A keypad deadbolt gives everyone in the family a code instead of a key, lets you hand out a temporary code to a house sitter, and deletes it when they’re done.
3. Your Deadbolt Is Builder-Grade
The deadbolt that came with the house was chosen by a builder buying two hundred of them at once — it was chosen on price. Entry-level deadbolts can be forced, drilled, or bumped in well under a minute by someone who knows what they’re doing.
The fix: upgrade the doors that matter to Grade 1 or high-security locks with drill- and bump-resistant cylinders and restricted keys that can’t be copied at a kiosk. One good deadbolt on the main entry outperforms cheap ones on every door.
4. Your Strike Plate Is Held In by Half-Inch Screws
Here’s the part most people never think about: burglars rarely pick locks — doors get kicked. And when a door gets kicked, what fails is usually not the lock but the strike plate, torn out of the frame because it was installed with stubby half-inch screws that only bite into the trim.
The fix: a heavy-duty strike plate anchored with 3-inch screws that reach the wall stud transforms how much abuse your door can take. It’s one of the cheapest security upgrades that exists. We handle this as part of door repair and reinforcement.
5. The Garage Side Door Only Has a Knob Lock
Front doors get the deadbolt; the service door into the garage gets a bare knob lock — and knob locks are the weakest lock in the house. Once someone is inside your garage, they can work on the interior door completely out of sight, with your own tools hanging on the wall.
The fix: treat every exterior door like the front door — deadbolts on the garage service door and the garage-to-house door. If you’re not sure which doors are weak, we check all of them on any residential service call.
6. Your Sliding Patio Door Relies on the Factory Latch
That little flip latch on a sliding door is a convenience catch, not a lock — many can be defeated by lifting the door or flexing the frame. Sliders also sit at the back of the house, exactly where a burglar prefers to work unseen.
The fix: add a secondary lock made for sliders — a keyed patio bolt or a properly fitted security bar — and have the door adjusted so it can’t be lifted off its track. Our door repair team handles both.
7. Everyone Still Knows Your Keypad Code
Keypads are a great upgrade — until the code becomes community property. The babysitter from two years ago, the contractor from last spring, your kid’s entire friend group… if the code hasn’t changed since you set it, it’s not really a code anymore. Worn keypads even give it away: four shiny buttons narrow the guesswork considerably.
The fix: rotate the master code a couple of times a year, and use your lock’s per-user codes — one per person, deleted when they no longer need access. If your keypad lock doesn’t support multiple codes, newer models do, and they’re inexpensive.
8. You Lost Your Keys and Just Made a Copy
Losing a key ring is annoying; copying the spare feels like the whole fix. But the lost keys still open your house — and if they went missing with anything that shows your address, a wallet or a parcel label, that’s not a small problem.
The fix: when keys are truly lost (not just misplaced in the couch), rekey. Same locks, new key, and every outstanding copy dies instantly. It’s a quick visit — details on our rekey services page. If your keys were taken in a break-in, our after-a-break-in guide covers the full sequence, including what your insurance may want documented.
Not Sure Where Your Home Stands?
Most of these fixes cost less than people expect, and a single visit can handle several at once. River City Locksmith is local to Spokane — call (509) 703-6231 and we’ll walk your doors with you, tell you honestly what’s fine as-is, and fix what isn’t. If you’re locked out right now, our lockout service runs after hours too.