They say moving homes is one of the most stressful things you can do; it’s time-consuming, emotionally taxing, expensive, and the list of life admin is all-consuming. It’s not surprising then that replacing the locks on your new house is probably the last thing on your mind. It may be tempting to prioritise postal redirects, redecorating or bonding with neighbours, but security is always worth sorting first.
In this guide, I’ll be answering one of the most common questions I get asked by friends and family as a master locksmith: Do you need to replace locks on a new house? And if so, when? Or, more importantly, why?
Here’s the full scoop.
Skip to:
- Do I Need to Replace Locks on a New House?
- Reasons Homeowners Ought to Consider
- What About Landlords or Business Owners?
- Changing the Locks on Your New House
- When to Call a Locksmith
- The Bottom Line
As a Homeowner, Do I Need to Replace the Locks on a New House?
If switching the locks on your new home never crossed your mind until now, you’re not alone. The most recent data from a 2022 survey of British homeowners found that only 11% actually prioritise getting this chore ticked off from their moving checklist.
With this many people shrugging off the task, it begs the question – should you even bother? Well, in my expert opinion, yes.
As much as changing the locks on a new house sounds like a hassle, the hour or so you spend on getting it sorted pays dividends, and it’s recommended by leading home insurance companies. I say this as both an ex-security professional and an experienced locksmith; your home’s entry points are only as weak as their locks, which criminals will exploit if you let them.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. As you’ll shortly find out, there are numerous reasons why upgrading your door locks is a good idea, for you and your family now, and well into the future.
Reasons Homeowners Ought to Consider
Maybe because of optimism bias or a general misunderstanding of home security, we always assume that when unfortunate things happen, they’re going to impact the next person – not us. But, when your home is your sanctuary, not to mention a huge investment, you mustn’t treat these things lightly. Here’s why.
You Don’t Know Who has Access to Keys
For many people, the main driver for changing the locks on a new house all boils down to not knowing who might still be in possession of the keys. This is fine, but not ideal, for internal locks to say a bathroom cupboard, but for external door locks, it’s understandably worrisome.
Besides the previous occupants, of which there could be many, a whole host of people might have easy access to your front door:
- Family members, dog walkers, care workers, or neighbours of the last occupants
- Old tenants if the property was a rental
- The estate agents and anyone they lent the keys to…
- …such as tradespeople, cleaners or property photographers
- Previous guests or customers, if an Airbnb or workplace
Online, I’ve seen homeowners question whether they’re being too paranoid about the possibility of one of those people returning to the property and entering with a spare key. In my opinion, not at all – especially when you take a look at the cold, hard facts.
Some Quickfire Facts to Put it Into Context
According to data from Admiral Home Insurance, it’s possible that millions of spare keys are lost and potentially in circulation among the wrong hands. This is because:
- 98% of homeowners give a spare set of keys to another person
- The average homeowner has 7 sets of house keys, handing out spares to neighbours, cleaners and co-workers, among others
- 60% don’t bother to replace their locks after losing house keys
- And half don’t change the locks at all when they move in
New Homeowners Can Be More Vulnerable to Break-Ins
Although there aren’t any specific statistics demonstrating that new homeowners are the target demographic for burglars, a cocktail of factors makes them uniquely vulnerable. For one thing, criminals are always on the lookout for easy wins; if they see a moving van roll up on your new drive, they’re probably musing about the potential weaknesses they can exploit.
You’re new to the area, life is hectic, you likely haven’t had a chance to scope out the security of your new home, and you’re probably bone tired. It’s the mindless slip-ups, like forgetting to secure your windows or fumbling an old, sticky door lock that they’re waiting for.
When you consider the level of break-in convictions UK-wide, a measly 3%, it’s just not worth it to neglect updating that all-important hardware.
Your Old Locks May Be in a Poor Condition…
To a layperson, the locks on a home could look perfectly sound – but there may be underlying issues that only a locksmith can see. Think broken pins, a faulty gearbox or an internal buildup of debris due to years of neglected lubrication.
Continuing to use a damaged door lock that looks fine on the outside, but is worn on the inside, increases the risk of its malfunction. It might not seem pressing when you move in, but if your key snaps in the lock later down the line, or it simply won’t turn anymore, you’ll kick yourself – especially if you get locked out.
Generally, the wiser course of action is to anticipate that most locks last around 5-7 years, meaning that yours is likely due an update.
…Or Out of Date
Depending on the age of your property (or the negligence of the previous owners), your locks might also fail to conform to modern-day safety standards, or BS3621. This British Standard ensures that the hardware in question has been tested for stringent resistance against lock snapping, picking, bumping and other forced entry methods.
The BS3621 standard was introduced in the 1960s, so it’s unlikely your house will still have locks from this era. However, if you bought a period home and you’re not sure the locks were modernised, look out for an engraving with the code along with the iconic heart-shaped kitemark.
They Might Invalidate Your Home Insurance Policy
In some cases, insurance companies may not offer you a quote without proof of locks having been changed on your new home, or them meeting the approved standards.
If you have been burgled, your insurer may not pay out if you cannot prove there was forced entry, and your claim could be invalidated if your locks don’t meet the BS3621 standard.
Good news for new build owners, however. In England, the current building regulations require new residential dwellings to meet higher security standards, which include hardware that is robust enough to “resist physical attack by a casual or opportunist burglar”.
You Can’t Put a Price on Peace of Mind
At the end of the day, the decision is yours to make, and if that means protecting your peace, that’s a choice well made. Even if the risk is low, knowing your home is properly bolstered against intruders will help you sleep well at night.
In fact, I recently went to a house that used to be an HMO, which was sold as a single residence – the owner knew there were likely many spare keys in circulation from the multiple previous occupants, agents, tradespeople and so on, so they opted to upgrade. I can imagine a similar situation for ex-Airbnbs and holiday lets, since the risk is much higher with the greater visitor turnover.
What About Landlords and Business Owners?
All of the above points apply to landlords and business owners too; however, there are a few extra dimensions to the decision that you’ll need to make.
For landlords, changing the locks on a rental property falls under your broadened responsibilities under the Renter’s Rights Act. Here, you need to ensure that they meet the legal standards for safety, but there are additional optional reasons that you might want to update them. For instance, you might wish to improve security between tenants, particularly if the previous ones were disreputable, security concerns were raised by those living in the property, or after a break-in.
With businesses, the risk associated with leaving your locks as they are is much greater, since the items on your premises are likely more valuable than the belongings you keep at home, especially if cash is handled in-store. Here, I recommend bolstering your locks with other security features, including alarms, roller shutters, a robust CCTV system, key safes and anti-ram bollards, if necessary.
Changing the Locks on Your New House
Convinced by my arguments? Great! Now all that’s left is to weigh up exactly how to go about changing your door locks: DIY or a professional replacement?
First, though, let’s take a look at some of the best locks on the market for security and lifespan.
Picking a Secure Alternative
As a local locksmith, the following locks are the ones I most commonly install for homeowners around the York area; they’re the most robust and come with the strongest tamper resistance.
- Five-lever mortice locks: 5-lever deadlocks provide superior security and can withstand a lot of force. You can install them yourself, but the best results are from an experienced locksmith.
- Multi-point locking systems: More complex, but highly secure; you’ll need to call in a local locksmith to help you install this type of lock.
- Anti-snap euro cylinder locks: By far the easiest to DIY and only requiring a screwdriver to fix, they’re a type of barrel lock popular in uPVC doors.
You could also look into smart locks, but I think that traditional hardware is the best to fall back on, since insurance companies are more familiar with it.
When to Call a Locksmith
While changing your door locks yourself is a good way to save money and enjoy the satisfaction of a job done fast, not all DIYs are made easy. Unless you’re switching out a barrel lock cylinder or replacing a mortice deadlock, I wouldn’t recommend attempting the installation without the experience. Fitting them poorly can detract from their efficacy and make them wear out faster.
Another thing is that a certified locksmith, like myself, will be able to get your locks keyed across multiple doors or install a master keying system for greater access control, both of which give you greater freedom to modify how you use your home.
The Bottom Line: Changing the Locks on a New House Doesn’t Have to Cost the Earth
Naturally, you can’t put a price on security. Changing your locks offers the added guarantee of no previous keyholders and valid home insurance. Even better, you can change yours and expect up to seven years of premium quality for as little as £20.
Every lock changing job differs in price depending on the door, type of lock and call-out time. What doesn’t vary is the assurance this brings. If you’ve just moved home, let security be one less stress to worry about.
Ready to upgrade your own locks? Give me a ring on 01904 282272 – I’m only a call away.
