Changing the Locks When You Move into a New Home

[7] Think about the typical chain of events before you collect your keys. A property may have been let to several tenants over the years, managed by a letting agent, visited by tradespeople, and sold through an estate agent. Each of those parties may have had a key at some point. The Conveyancing process transfers legal ownership, but it does not transfer any control over how many physical copies of the existing key exist in the world. No amount of goodwill from the previous owner can answer that question reliably, because most people genuinely do not keep track. Changing the lock — or more precisely, replacing the cylinder so that only your new keys operate the door — closes that gap immediately and completely.

There is also a practical insurance angle. Many home contents and buildings insurance policies in the UK require front doors to meet a minimum security standard, often a 5-lever mortice deadlock conforming to BS 3621, or a multipoint locking system on a uPVC or composite door. If your policy has that requirement and the existing lock does not meet it, a claim following a break-in could be complicated. Fitting the right lock at the outset means you are covered from the first night, not scrambling to upgrade later after something has already happened.

A lock change is not a complicated job when it is carried out by an experienced locksmith, but the detail matters. For a timber front door in a typical north London Victorian or Edwardian terrace, there are usually two separate locks to consider: a Yale-type nightlatch on the upper part of the door, and a 5-lever mortice deadlock lower down. The nightlatch cylinder can be swapped out quickly. The mortice deadlock is recessed into the body of the door and takes a little longer, but replacing it with a BS 3621-rated lock is straightforward for a skilled locksmith and makes a significant difference to both security and insurance compliance.

For uPVC and composite doors — common in purpose-built flats and in many properties that have been updated over the past twenty or thirty years — the arrangement is different. These doors use a multipoint locking system: when you lift the handle and turn the key, multiple bolts engage along the length of the door frame simultaneously. The key-operated part of the system is a euro cylinder, a small barrel that slots through the door. Swapping the euro cylinder is the standard way to change the lock on a uPVC door, and it is a relatively quick job. The critical thing is to fit the right size — a cylinder that protrudes too far beyond the door face is vulnerable to a technique called cylinder snapping, which is a known method of attack on uPVC doors across London. Anti-snap cylinders, ideally carrying the TS007 3-star rating, eliminate this vulnerability and are what we fit as standard where the door type calls for it.

The choice of replacement lock depends on your door type, but also on what your insurer specifies and how you use the property. On a timber front door, the combination of a good-quality nightlatch and a BS 3621 5-lever mortice deadlock is the benchmark that most insurers recognise. If you are a landlord with tenants, or a leaseholder whose freeholder has conditions attached to the lease, it is worth checking those requirements before the work is done — a quick call to your insurer or managing agent should give you a clear answer. Our locksmiths can advise on the spot once they have seen the door, which is often the most efficient approach.

On a uPVC or composite door, the euro cylinder replacement is the main event, but there are meaningful differences between cylinders. A standard brass euro cylinder from a DIY shed offers minimal resistance to snapping, drilling, or picking. A TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder — or a combination of a 1-star cylinder with a 2-star door handle, which also achieves 3-star overall — offers substantially better protection. In parts of Kentish Town where uPVC doors are common in purpose-built blocks and 1980s and 1990s conversions, upgrading to an anti-snap cylinder at the point of moving in is one of the highest-value security improvements you can make for the cost involved. If you are unsure what is currently fitted, our team can assess it when they arrive. If you have recently moved in and need advice quickly, call 020 7871 7825 — we answer around the clock.

Even the most organised move has moments of chaos, and one scenario that catches people out more often than you would expect is arriving at a new property and finding the keys do not work — or discovering that in the flurry of moving day, a key has been left inside or misplaced entirely. Knowing what to do when you're locked out of your house is worth thinking about before it happens, not in the moment. The first sensible steps are always the same: check whether any other accessible entrance to the property is unlocked, ask whether a trusted person already has a spare key, and confirm you have your proof of identity and ownership to hand, since any legitimate locksmith will ask to see this before carrying out work.

If none of those options resolve the situation, calling a professional locksmith is the right course of action. What to do when you get locked out of your house is not a question with a complicated answer: do not attempt to force entry yourself, as this risks damaging the door, the frame, or the lock in a way that creates a larger and more expensive problem. A trained locksmith can open most standard UK residential locks without causing damage to the door, assess what has happened, and either reopen the lock or replace it on the spot. We cover Kentish Town and the surrounding area and are usually with you in around 30 minutes of your call. As a 24 hour locksmith London homeowners and tenants rely on, we are available on evenings, weekends, and bank holidays — the times when moving chaos is most likely to strike.

Once you have the keys to your new home, a brief security review before you do anything else is time well spent. Start at the front door: check what locks are fitted, whether they appear to be in good condition, and whether the door closes and locks smoothly without resistance. A door that drags, sticks, or has visible damage around the lock area may have been subject to a previous attempted break-in, or it may simply need minor adjustment — but it is worth knowing. Move on to the back door, any French doors or patio doors to the garden, and any communal entrance doors if you are in a block of flats. Note which doors have locks that look worn, misaligned, or non-standard.

Then make the calls. Your insurer can confirm what lock standards they require. If you are in a leasehold flat, your managing agent can clarify any lease conditions. And Kentish Town Locksmiths can visit, assess every door in one visit, and carry out all necessary lock changes in a single call-out — which is usually more practical than multiple visits over several days. We confirm an exact price before any work begins, so there are no surprises when the job is done. The factors that shape the final quote include the type of door, the number of locks being changed, the hardware required, and the time of day — all of which we discuss with you on the phone before we come out. To book or to get advice, call 020 7871 7825 — we are available 24/7, every day of the year.

Kentish Town Locksmiths is a fully insured, mobile locksmith team serving Kentish Town and the wider north London area. Here is a full list of the specific services our experienced locksmiths provide: front door lock change on timber doors; front door lock change on uPVC and composite doors; euro cylinder replacement; anti-snap cylinder upgrade; TS007 3-star cylinder fitting; BS 3621 5-lever mortice deadlock installation; Yale nightlatch replacement; multipoint lock repair; multipoint lock replacement; uPVC door lock repair London; door handle replacement on uPVC doors; door handle replacement on timber doors; door lock replacement London for all residential door types; non-destructive lock opening for lockouts; emergency locksmith London call-outs for residential properties; 24 hour locksmith London coverage including weekends and bank holidays; lock change London for landlords and rental properties; lock change following a break-in or attempted break-in; lock change following lost or stolen keys; lock alignment and adjustment on dropping doors; communal entrance lock replacement in blocks of flats; back door lock change; French door and patio door lock assessment and replacement; locked out London emergency response across the NW5, NW1, and N7 postcode districts; and door security assessments for homeowners newly moved into a property.

Kentish Town sits at the junction of several distinct neighbourhoods — the busy high street around Kentish Town Road, the quieter residential streets of Tufnell Park to the north, the period terraces near Gospel Oak, and the mix of Victorian conversions and purpose-built blocks that run down towards Camden. Our team knows this patch well and responds to call-outs across the area including the NW5, NW1, and N7 postcode districts. If you are locked out London can feel like an isolating experience, particularly late at night — but it is a situation we deal with every day, and our aim is always to arrive promptly and resolve the problem with as little disruption as possible.

Whether you need a straightforward lock change on moving day, an emergency opening at 2am, or a full security assessment of a property you have just bought, we are here. As a genuinely local, 24/7 mobile locksmith, we do not operate from a shop or a central depot — our locksmiths come directly to you, with the parts most commonly needed already in the van. Call 020 7871 7825 at any time, and we will confirm availability, discuss the job, and give you a clear up-front price before anyone sets off.