Lock change after renovation? What did you do?

[GrandPrismatic]

We are just about to complete a home renovation. As part of this we have had 4 external doors (front, back, side and bifolds) put in each with secure locks. The builders have given us 3 keys for each lock and said we can use these to get copies made if we need more keys.
Our builders have been great…no reason not to trust them but conscious we have had loads of different trades people in and out the house over the last few weeks since the doors were put in. I feel like it’s a no brainer that we should change all the locks once we move in and the trades are out, but family and friends think this is overkill given they are new doors with new locks. Am I completely mad? What did you all do with your doors as part of your renovation projects?

It didn't occur to me to do this to be honest.

We did. I think we might have only bothered with the outer one.

That's quite paranoid op.

I didn't. By that point,I couldn't afford it.

Do you also have an alarm? I didn't change any locks but we did change our alarm code.

We have always changed the locks tbh. Most trades we used we would trust, but some not so much! Cylinder locks are usually easy to change, watch a video on YouTube we just bought the locks and fitted them ourselves.

We don’t have an alarm…we will get one eventually but I thought a lock change would be good preventative measure in the meantime!

That’s what my DH is tell me 😁

The thought is in my head now so I suspect I won’t be entirely comfortable until I do it. Interesting that most people don’t seem to…it wouldn’t have occurred to me NOT to but seeing others reactions tells me I am probably more risk averse than I thought!

This is my thinking. A lot of the trades I haven’t even met..they have just been subcontracted by our builders. I’m not sure I’m ready to trust in strangers. The keys were in a key safe by the front door and all the trades had the code so they could come in and get on with things so it was hugely convenient and I had no problem with that when it was an empty shell of a house. But now we are moving back in I am a bit unsure who may have taken a copy as I don’t know who exactly has been coming and going.

I changed the lock on the front door after my first builders left - but that's because they turned out to be a bunch of crooks (I also boarded up the unfinished back doors and windows)! I wasn't planning to change them after the new builders finish, but now you've got me thinking that perhaps I should... Almost certainly it isn't necessary, but if it will help you sleep at night, then it's probably worth it, and a small cost in the context of a huge project.

All decent high security locks come with a keycode, normally on a credit card sized piece of plastic that comes with the locks.

That way if you give out your key to a trade you can be sure they cannot copy it as they don't have the code.

If your locks are the kind that can be copied in the high street they are probably barely worth having anyway, as any decent crook can either snap them or force them in a matter of seconds.

If you want decent locks for cylinders you need to look at the likes of AVS or Uliton. They are expensive but relatively easy to fit yourself. There are numerous videos on youtube. You just need to get the measurement correct.

@GasPanic very helpful thanks…our old front door key was like this and couldn’t be copied without the card whereas the keys we have been provided for the new doors are a bit flimsy and can be copied (they suggested Timpsons for new keys!). I expect the builders have put in cheap locks to save some £££. Thanks for the recommendations…I’d seen Yale premium and Yale platinum…any views on those?

It wouldn't even cross my mind to do this. We haven't had locks changed when we bought our house either. You can't live in this paranoid way, it's so harmful.

Anything marked 3* and with a keycard should be OK. Anything less is bad news IMO.

You are right about most installers fitting cheap locks to save money, because a lot of people are clueless.

Two more things I would say. One is if you need more than the standard 3 keys then make sure you buy the keys with the locks because the spare keys are expensive to buy.

The other thing is that you can get keyed alike cylinders that use the same key, which can be useful for double doors. Bear in mind though if you do have to replace the lock because of a lost key you then have to replace both !

In the circumstances you describe with lots of unknown people having access to the keys I think we'd probably change the lock.

The other thing is that you can get keyed alike cylinders that use the same key, which can be useful for double doors. Bear in mind though if you do have to replace the lock because of a lost key you then have to replace both !

This is a brilliant idea…the only thing that makes me a little nervous is we have 2 kids who are just about old enough to get their own key and I have zero faith in them being able to keep one key without losing it in outing circumstances 😂 I’d rather have to just replace one set of locks….but it is massively tempting to just have one key for front back and side door!

You could have two of them coded the same and give the kids the key coded for the third one that is different. Not a complete solution but does at least make it a bit easier and less prone to horrible costs if they lose one. I have my patio doors coded the same because it is annoying otherwise.

Or you could look at some sort of smart lock.

Genius…thanks very much. I’m glad I started this thread!

My new door came with 3 keys and a registered number so if anyone tries to copy the key, they would need to know the passcode. I thought all new doors had this.

But if not, and you don't trust the tradespeople then yes, change the locks.

We changed ours right after the builders finished. Loads of people had keys and we just didn’t feel comfy with that. We used https://budgetlocksmiths.uk/affordable-locksmiths-mayfair/ — they were quick, didn’t cost a fortune, and did a decent job. Only took about 20 minutes, and now at least we know exactly who has keys.