Improperly Installed Deadbolts Leave Homes Vulnerable

DENVER (CBS4) Many homeowners feel a deadbolt on their door goes a long way to keep robbers out of their home, but locksmiths warn that if the deadbolt is installed improperly the home is vulnerable.

"Criminals are going after the easiest target," said Michael Benoit, President of Mathias Lock and Key.

Mathias Lock and Key is an A+ rated company with the Better Business Bureau. It has 25 trained technicians, and Benoit showed CBS4 how easy it is for homeowners to check their deadbolts.

"For the homeowner to turn the key with the door open, and to see that that key is in the 4 o'clock position. The bolt is fully extended, and they can't push the bolt back in," Benoit explained.

"If a homeowner was to close the door, and was to only be able to turn it to that 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock position, the criminals are able to push that bold back in," he said.

Consumer Investigator Jodi Brooks talked to one homeowner whose deadbolt wasn't working for eight years.

"I would lock it and it wouldn't lock, you could still push the door open and pull it open," said homeowner Susan Schooleman.

Locksmiths like Benoit say that improperly installed deadbolts are fairly common, and that's giving criminals a way in.

RELATED: More Reports By 4 On Your Side Consumer Investigator Jodi Brooks

- Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith