Hi. I'm new. I'm not a locksmith or hobbyist, I just wondered if anyone could help with this:
I think someone's been trying to get into my house because the front door lock has suddenly got very stiff (like, overnight), and neither of my keys turn it very well, so it's not likely to be a damaged key. I'm not sure if they've tried to force the door or pick the lock or what, but I wondered if there were any obvious tell-tale signs I could look for?
The door itself and the door jamb are fine - no splintered wood or splits or anything like that. Tried looking to see if the deadbolt is bent but it doesn't look like it to the naked eye at least. To be honest I don't know what it looked like in the first place anyway.
Can't give you any specifics about the lock (they're all the same to me). It's not one of those that screw onto the face of the door though, it's fitted into the door, and it just has the one bolt (typical front door lock in the UK (mortice lock?), if any of you are from the UK).
I might be being paranoid, but I saw someone try my door a couple of months ago at about 2am when it was locked (I was inside and watched the handle moving up and down as they tried it), so I want to try to establish if someone has since tried to defeat the lock.
Any advice much appreciated.