Buying new build - change locks?

poppysarah

KatieDee wrote: »

Please excuse the thread hijack!

Would you always recommend changing the locks on a purchase which is not a new build? I hadn't even thought about it!

Yes.

Because you might get given a full set of keys for the lock but you don't know whether anyone has had a set cut.

It isn't expensive and will give proper peace of mind.

davidmcn

While I understand the potential risk - has anyone actually heard of a case where this has happened? From a detection point of view, it sounds a bit too obvious to let yourself into the house you've recently had the keys for.

poppysarah

davidmcn wrote: »

While I understand the potential risk - has anyone actually heard of a case where this has happened? From a detection point of view, it sounds a bit too obvious to let yourself into the house you've recently had the keys for.

But you're free to use that key at any point in the future...
You'd have to be a fairly horrid person .. but the world is not full of nice people.

And if you have a theft from your house with no break in then your insurance won't cover it.

davidmcn

poppysarah wrote: »

But you're free to use that key at any point in the future...

Burglars don't tend to do all that much forward planning! Even if they do, it still seems more risky than just forcing entry to a random property which you've never had a connection with.

topdaddy_2

I wouldnt bother.

G_M

pepsimiddleton wrote: »

Don't bother changing the locks. I sold new build houses for 6 years. The keys are handed by site to sales and sales tag the keys. We know exactly how many keys there are for each lock. When a contractor needs a key he has to sign it in and out. Then all the keys are handed to the purchaser and signed for. It's unlikely a contractor would go off site and get keys cut for houses so he can come back and burgle them later. I have never known any issues in all the years of doing the job.

But you simply don't know whether or not he popped into a local locksmiths and got copies made do you?

He might keep those copies, pass them to a mate, sell them down the pub....

You happily buy insurance costing £50 - £200 'just in case'. With new locks being far cheaper (and ensuring the insurance remains valid), it seems an obvious thing to do.

Hominu

Always changed the locks, but kept them, when I sold the house, I replaced the old locks. This way nobody needed to change any keys, nor did we need to get any keys cut.

Mickygg

fishpond wrote: »

You are being silly.:)

I disagree. I think new locks are a must. Any number of people could have had the keys.

bclark

G_M wrote: »

But you simply don't know whether or not he popped into a local locksmiths and got copies made do you?

He might keep those copies, pass them to a mate, sell them down the pub....

You happily buy insurance costing £50 - £200 'just in case'. With new locks being far cheaper (and ensuring the insurance remains valid), it seems an obvious thing to do.

The keys we got for our new build came with a barcode type card that you need in order to make any copies, these were kept in a safe in the sales office and never given out with keys.