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Changing the Locks After Moving In

Written by Mobile Locksmith Kempton Park · Published

In short:

  • You can't know how many copies of the old keys exist, or who has them. Changing the locks puts you in control from day one.
  • Walk the property and list every lock: outside doors, security gates, sliding doors, the pedestrian gate and padlocks.
  • In a complex or estate, check the conduct rules and any master-key arrangement before visible changes to a door facing common property.
  • Tenants need the landlord's consent. Locks must never be changed to keep a lawful occupant out.
  • We don't cut keys, so new locks or cylinders come with the maker's keys. Decide up front how many people need one.

Why the old keys are a problem

When you take over a house, townhouse or flat, the keys you're handed are rarely all the keys there are. Previous owners or tenants, their family, a domestic worker, a garden service, a builder who did the kitchen, an agent who held a set for viewings: any of them may still have a copy, and nobody keeps a list. Trellidor's own advice for its security gates includes changing the locks after moving into a home with existing gates, for exactly this reason.

Changing the locks doesn't mean anyone did anything wrong. It just closes a question you can't otherwise answer.

Step one: walk the property and list every lock

Before booking anything, walk round with a notebook or your phone and photograph each lock. People often remember the front door and forget the rest.

1234567 1 Pedestrian gate 2 Front door 3 Kitchen security gate 4 Sliding door and gate 5 Garage side door 6 Side gate padlock 7 Outbuilding door
Illustration An example stand with numbered lock points (simplified). Your property will differ, but most homes have more lock points than people expect.
A simple lock list to fill in
Lock pointWhat to note
Front and back doorsLever lock (long key with flat bits) or cylinder (shorter key), and whether a nightlatch is fitted too
Security gatesHinged or retractable, maker's name if visible, slam lock or deadlock
Sliding doorsBuilt-in lock, add-on lock, or only a gate in front
Garage side door, storerooms, outbuildingsType of lock, and whether anyone else (a gardener, a lodger) uses it
Pedestrian gate and padlocksPadlocks on side gates, burglar bars or a pool-pump box
Gate and garage motor remotes, alarm codesNot locks, but just as important: ask the installers to recode them

New cylinder or new lock?

For each lock on your list there are broadly two options.

  • Replace the cylinder. Many modern doors use a euro-profile cylinder that slides into the lock body and is held by a single screw. Swapping it changes the key without replacing the whole lock. Cylinders like ASSA ABLOY's Mzansi CYS00 double euro cylinder are offered keyed to differ, keyed alike, or as part of a master-key system.
  • Replace the lock. Lever locks don't have a separate cylinder, so a new key usually means a new lock body. This is also the route when the old lock is worn, damaged or simply weaker than you'd like.

Moving in is also a good moment to upgrade. For an outside door, consider a cylinder tested to a recognised standard (the CYS00 lists EN 1303 testing and anti-drill, anti-pick and anti-pull features), and avoid a cylinder that sticks out well past the door furniture. If you'd like one key for several doors, ask for keyed-alike cylinders when they're supplied. Because we don't cut or copy keys, this has to be chosen when the new cylinders are ordered.

Townhouses, complexes and estates: check the rules

If your new home is in a sectional title complex or an estate, there's an extra step before any visible change.

  • Visible changes. Under the prescribed conduct rules made under the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act, an owner or occupier needs the trustees' written consent to change the external appearance of a section, unless the change is minor and doesn't detract from the appearance of the section or the common property. A cylinder swap is usually invisible. A new security gate, a keypad or extra lock on a door facing a shared walkway may not be. Your scheme may have registered its own rules, so ask the managing agent for a copy.
  • Access in an emergency. Section 13 of the same Act says owners must let a person authorised in writing by the body corporate into the section, on notice during reasonable hours, or without notice in an emergency. Think about how that would work after your lock change, for example who holds a sealed spare.
  • Master keys. Some complexes run a master-key system. Fitting a cylinder from outside the system takes your door off it. Check with the managing agent first.
  • Estates. Homeowners' associations usually have their own rules on visible changes such as gates. Check them before ordering a new security gate.

Disputes about scheme rules in sectional title and other community schemes can be taken to the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS). This is general information, not legal advice; check your own scheme's rules and, if needed, get advice on your situation.

If you rent, the locks belong to the landlord. Ask before changing anything, agree who pays, and agree in writing whether the landlord gets a key. The Rental Housing Act gives tenants a right to privacy and requires a landlord who wants to inspect to do so reasonably and after reasonable notice, so a landlord's key is a matter for the lease and the agreement between you.

Locks must never be changed to keep a lawful occupant out. The Rental Housing Act makes it an offence to unlawfully lock out a tenant, and a landlord may evict a tenant who won't leave only after obtaining a court order. A lock change is not a way to settle a dispute with someone who lives there. This is general information, not legal advice.

What makes a lock change go wrong

  • Doing only the front door. The kitchen door and its security gate are just as much a way in.
  • Buying the wrong size. Euro cylinders come in different lengths and splits. A cylinder that's too long sticks out; one that's too short may not work the cam properly. Measure, or let the technician measure on site.
  • Drilling new holes in a security gate or steel door to fit a lock that doesn't match the existing cut-out. It weakens the door and can void a gate warranty.
  • Losing track of the new keys. Write down who has which key from the start. If you run a business from home, see key control for businesses for a simple register.

Booking the change

Have these ready, and send photos ahead if you can:

  • proof of residence: a transfer document, lease or utility account in your name, and your ID;
  • your lock list, with a photo of each lock and of the edge of each door, where the faceplate shows the lock type;
  • for a complex or estate, any consent from the trustees or HOA if you're making visible changes;
  • for a rental, the landlord's written consent;
  • how many keys you need for each lock, so the right cylinders or locks are supplied.

Our lock replacement service covers new cylinders, door locks, gate locks and padlocks, and residential locksmith work covers homes, townhouses and flats. Security gates have their own quirks: see security gate lock problems.

We're a fully mobile Kempton Park mobile locksmith, open 24/7. There's an R250 call-out, the technician quotes on site before any work starts, and nothing is done until you agree. Payment is by EFT, cash or card.

Questions

Can't you just make new keys for the old locks?

No. We don't cut or copy keys, and new copies of the old key wouldn't solve the problem anyway: the old keys would still work. Changing the cylinder or lock is what stops them.

Do I need the trustees' permission to change my front-door cylinder?

Usually not for an invisible like-for-like cylinder swap, because the prescribed conduct rule is about changes to external appearance. Check your scheme's registered rules and any master-key arrangement with the managing agent first. This is general information, not legal advice.

The seller left us a bunch of unlabelled keys. Are those enough?

They tell you nothing about the copies you weren't given. Test them to see which locks they fit, then change those locks anyway.

Need a locksmith to look at it?

If this hasn't solved the problem, our lock replacement service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Kempton Park, so we come to your door.

Sources and further reading

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