Moving Into a New Property in Nottingham? Change the Locks First

You Do Not Know Who Has a Key

Moving into a new property is one of those milestones where the excitement tends to outpace the practical considerations. You have negotiated the sale or tenancy, arranged the removals van, and spent weeks thinking about what goes where. Changing the locks is usually not on the priority list, but it should be close to the top. The straightforward reason is this: you have no way of knowing how many copies of the existing keys are out there.

The previous owner may have given spares to family members, neighbours, cleaners, or tradespeople, some of whom may not even be aware they still hold them. In a tenanted property, the list extends further still. A previous tenant, their partner, their landlord’s agent, or a contractor may all have had access at some point. Most of those people are entirely trustworthy. The problem is you do not know which ones are.

Most people think about the front door and leave it there, but a thorough lock change after moving in should cover every entry point to the property. That means the front door, the rear door or kitchen door, any garage or outbuilding connected to the main property, and gate locks if the property is enclosed. It is also worth checking any patio doors, French doors, or bifold doors as part of the same visit, since these often have multipoint locking mechanisms that may not have been serviced in some time. Max regularly finds, on what is presented as a straightforward lock change, that one door has a mechanism that is either on its way out or has already lost a function. Getting everything assessed at once is more efficient and avoids a second call-out.

In most modern uPVC and composite doors, a lock replacement means replacing the euro cylinder rather than the entire mechanism. The cylinder is the component that accepts the key, and in most cases it can be swapped out quickly without removing the door furniture or disturbing the multipoint locking system. What matters is choosing the right grade of replacement.

Older cylinders tend to be standard euro cylinders with no anti-snap protection, which are vulnerable to a method of forced entry common enough that it features regularly in insurance guidance. A 3-star anti-snap cylinder rated to TS007 is the standard Max fits, and it provides meaningfully better protection against the most common attack method used on residential properties.

For landlords, changing the locks between tenancies is straightforward best practice, and it protects the incoming tenant as much as it protects the property itself.

Max works regularly with landlords and letting agents across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire for exactly this kind of scheduled work. It can usually be arranged to coincide with the changeover date to avoid any gap in the property being secured, and invoicing can be arranged in a format that suits your records. If the property requires a gain of entry alongside the lock change because the previous tenant has not returned keys, that can also be handled as part of the same visit.

If you are buying rather than renting, a lock change is also a good opportunity to get a general sense of the security condition of the property. Max carries out a straightforward assessment of the entry points as part of any lock change visit, which can flag issues like worn handles, misaligned keeps, tired hinges, or letterbox guards that are missing. None of it is a hard sell. It is the same honest assessment you would get if you asked a knowledgeable friend to have a look before you moved in.

Planning a move in or around Nottingham? Call Max on 075 5242 1433 to arrange a lock change before or on moving day.