Home security is one of those things almost no one revisits after the day they move in. The locks work, the door closes, end of story. Then five years pass, the kids come and go, contractors visit, you lose track of who has keys, the strike-plate screws back out a quarter-inch, and one day you realize the front door wiggles in a way it didn’t used to.

This is the checklist we’d want every homeowner to run once a year. Most items take 5 minutes and cost less than $50 to fix. The few that don’t are still cheaper than the consequences of skipping them.

Block out an afternoon. Walk the perimeter. Use this list.

Doors and locks (items 1–6)

1. Test every exterior door’s deadbolt

Lock and unlock each one with the key. Look for:

Stiffness or grinding — the cylinder may be wearing out. Lubricate with graphite (NOT WD-40 or oil — those gum up the pins). If lubrication doesn’t fix it, the cylinder may need replacement.
Slop in the bolt — the deadbolt should slide cleanly into the strike plate with no wobble. Wobble means the strike plate or door jamb has worn or shifted.
Bolt extension — the bolt should fully extend at least 1 inch into the strike plate. If it doesn’t reach, the door has shifted (often from temperature/humidity cycles) and the bolt needs realignment.

Cost to fix: $5 (graphite) to $40 (replace a worn cylinder yourself) to $150–$300 (locksmith full lock change). See rekey vs. lock change for the decision framework.

2. Inspect every strike plate

This is the single most-skipped security upgrade and the single most-effective one. Most kicked-in residential doors fail at the strike plate, not the lock.

Open each exterior door and look at the strike plate (the metal piece on the door jamb that the bolt slides into):

Is it screwed into the framing studs behind the jamb, or just into the jamb’s thin trim? Test with a thumb push — if it gives, the screws aren’t reaching the framing.
Are the screws at least 3 inches long? The standard 3/4-inch screws shipped with most locks are useless against a kick.
Is the strike plate itself steel and at least 4 inches tall? Plastic or thin stamped strikes will break before the door does.

Cost to fix: $5–$15 in 3-inch+ wood screws, plus 10 minutes per door with a drill. Optionally, $20–$40 for a heavy-duty steel strike plate (Strike Master, Mag StrikeShield, or equivalent).

3. Check the door itself

Stand outside, push the door inward at the latch side. Does it flex? A door that flexes more than ¼ inch under hand pressure will break apart under a kick.

Look at the door material:

Solid wood or steel — good
Hollow-core interior door used as exterior — replace ASAP, this is a common builder shortcut on garage/back doors
Sliding glass doors — install a security bar in the bottom track and a foot-lock if you don’t already have them

Cost to fix: $0 (security bar from existing materials) to $400+ (full door replacement)

4. Locate every key in circulation

Sit down with a notepad. Account for every copy of every exterior-door key:

Family members: how many copies?
Trusted neighbors: do they still have a copy you forgot about?
Cleaners, dog walkers, contractors: did anyone keep one?
Old roommates, ex-partners, ex-employees: should they still have access?
Keys you may have lost or that are unaccounted for?

If you can’t fully account for every key, the right answer is rekey ($25–$45 per lock from a locksmith) — far cheaper than lock change. See our pricing.

5. Test the door knobs (not just the deadbolt)

Many homeowners ignore the doorknob lock because the deadbolt is the “real” lock. But:

A doorknob lock that doesn’t engage at all is a vulnerability — anyone can defeat the deadbolt by drilling and just walk in if the knob isn’t latched
A doorknob lock that’s worn but still engages is fine, but should be on your radar to replace eventually

6. Look at hinge pins

If your exterior doors open outward (rare but exists), the hinge pins are exposed. An attacker can pop the pins and remove the door entirely. Replace standard hinge pins with non-removable security pins ($5/pair) or weld them in place.

Most modern doors open inward, so this rarely applies — but check.

Windows (items 7–9)

7. Inspect window locks on every accessible window

Ground floor windows, basement windows, second-floor windows that are reachable by a porch roof or fence — all should have working locks. Look for:

Window sash locks that actually engage and hold the window closed
Sliding window track locks for sliders
Window security pins (a nail or pin through both sashes when locked) for older double-hung windows

Cost to fix: $5–$30 per window for retrofit hardware

8. Check basement windows

Basement windows are the single most-overlooked entry point. If yours are large enough to crawl through:

Are the locks functional?
Are they painted shut (preventing emergency exit) or actually openable?
Is there a window well that could be covered or alarmed?

9. Window air conditioners

If you have window AC units, they’re often the weakest point of an otherwise-secure window. Make sure each is mechanically secured to the window frame so it can’t be pushed in from outside.

Exterior environment (items 10–12)

10. Outdoor lighting

Walk your home’s perimeter at night. Are all entry points well-lit? Specifically:

Front door (motion-sensor or dusk-to-dawn?)
Back door
Side / garage entrance
Any path or area where someone could approach unseen

Cost to fix: $20–$80 for motion-sensor LED fixtures. Easy DIY install.

11. Hidden spare keys

The “magnetic key holder under the bumper of the car” / “key under the doormat” / “key in the fake rock” — burglars know every hiding spot. Remove all hidden keys.

Better alternatives:

A trusted neighbor with a labeled spare
A small lockbox (Master Lock 5400D or similar) attached somewhere inconspicuous, with a code you can text to family
A keypad smart lock — see our smart lock buyer’s guide

12. Address numbers visible from the street

This isn’t a security item per se, but it matters when you call us, EMS, or police. Make sure your house number is visible from the street day and night.

What to do with the list

Walk through it this weekend. Note what you found in each category. Most items will be quick fixes. A few may need a locksmith — at which point we’d say give us a call for a residential quote.

We do this kind of full-home walkthrough as part of our residential service for homeowners who’d rather pay someone to do it right. Typical home walkthrough + recommendations + same-day rekey or hardware install runs $300–$800 depending on scope.

When to do this

We recommend running this checklist:

Once a year as preventive maintenance
The week you move into a new home (do this BEFORE unpacking — rekey day one)
After any major life change — divorce, departing housemate, ex-employee with key access, contractor with prolonged unsupervised access
After a break-in attempt, even a “minor” one
When daylight saving time changes — useful as a recurring memory hook (“when I change the smoke detector batteries, I also walk the locks”)

Where we serve

Family-owned residential locksmith covering the Delaware Valley (Philadelphia, South Jersey, Wilmington DE) and Houston, TX. See our service areas or call the main line for the closest truck.

Multi-state licensed, BBB A+ accredited since 2007.

The 12-Point Home Security Checklist (Walk Your House This Weekend)