Vacations are meant to relax, to unwind, in other words, to get away from the problems of everyday life. But even on our vacation spot, we are not immune to small mishaps that can bring their share of nervousness. A broken down car, a misplaced wallet and, sometimes, the loss of the keys to the apartment or house we are renting. Of course, wherever you are, you can always call a locksmith, but there are a number of pitfalls to avoid. It is then advisable to make sure that one addresses itself to a company in which one can have total confidence and which will make a quality work, without swindle.
The main traps to avoid when soliciting a locksmith
When you are on vacation, a locksmith is needed when you break the key inside the lock, forget it inside the house or lose it somewhere. Instead of going to the mailbox to see if there are some flyers that may turn out to be scams, it is better to ask a neighbor for advice or to surf the Internet to find a reliable company.
On the web, avoid companies that offer multi-purpose services and prefer those that specialize only in this field. We check that important information appears on the site such as the legal form, the company name, the contacts or the address of the headquarters. It is also advisable to take the time to call several companies in order to explain the problem and compare prices. In this field, the bill can be doubled. It is therefore necessary to ask questions, particularly about the cost of travel, the time required to carry out the work, the duration of the work, the cost of the lock or cylinder to be changed, and the guarantee.
Adopting the right attitude towards the locksmith
In order to ensure the honesty of the locksmith who is on site, you should consider asking various questions directly. He will not take offense and will surely appreciate sharing his work with you. The first thing to do is to ask for an accurate, written estimate. Some unscrupulous locksmiths may, in order to inflate the bill, change the whole lock or drill it when it is not necessarily necessary, or even damage the door so that it has to be changed.
In this case, you should not hesitate to ask for a simple repair, that is to say the opening of the door, and if there are things to change, we wait until the next day to involve other companies and compare estimates. Finally, once the professional's intervention is over, a proper invoice is required. It must include the date, the contact details of the tenant and the service provider, and elements such as the parts changed and their price, the travel costs, the hourly rate and the time spent on the intervention. Everything must of course be subject to a VAT rate.
Owners of apartments and houses for rent, armored doors are to be preferred
If the loss of a key by a tenant or a key that breaks in the lock are things that cannot be anticipated, there is in any case an area where landlords can take effective measures: preventing intrusion by burglars. Yes, vacation rentals are often victims of intrusion attempts and the installation of an armored door is the best way to block them. Solutions exist and this investment can be very interesting in order to protect one's property, as well as the safety and comfort of the vacationers.
