Losing your house keys rates high on the list of Very Bad Days. So before you start to panic about break-ins, take a deep breath, and read our guide to what you need to do.

It’s tempting to change the locks immediately. But before you do, a couple of things to consider.

First of all – where did you lose your keys? If you dropped them into a drain, or they fell into the sea chances are a burglar isn’t going to find them and connect them back to your property. In cases like this it would be okay not to change the locks.

But if you lost the keys locally, or the keychain has your address on it then, no question, you have to get your locks changed. Some insurance companies will refuse to pay out if a lock hasn’t been changed and your house is then robbed.

So call a locksmith, pronto.

They can install new locks on your front door, including latch locks, dead locks or combination locks. They are also a great source of advice on home security, so ask about window locks, and security screens, if you are concerned about your home’s security.