Guide
Should You Change the Locks When You Move House?
Yes, in most cases. You cannot know who still holds a key to a home you have just bought or rented, and some insurers expect locks to be changed. On most doors only the cylinder needs replacing, which costs about £105 to £175 fitted from the MLA and MyJobQuote, so it is a good moment to fit an anti-snap one.
Why change the locks when you move into a new home?
Because you cannot account for every key. Previous owners or tenants, their family, cleaners, builders, neighbours who watered plants and estate agents may all have held one, and nobody keeps a list. The seller handing over a bunch of keys tells you how many they found, not how many exist.
Insurance is the second reason. If a burglar gets in with a key, there may be no sign of forced entry, and some policies treat that differently. Check your policy's wording, and keep the locksmith's invoice as evidence of the change. House completions peak in June, according to Land Registry data reported by Mortgage Strategy, so locksmiths' diaries fill up in summer; booking ahead of moving day helps.
Which locks should you change?
Every lock on a door that leads outside or into the house:
- Front and back doors - Side and patio doors - an internal garage door, and the garage itself if it holds anything of value - gates with key locks
On a uPVC or composite door you usually only need a new euro cylinder, the barrel the key goes into. The multipoint mechanism inside the door stays. On a timber door it is the mortice deadlock and the nightlatch.
Do not forget what is not a lock: reset any key safe code, alarm code, and garage door remote, and remove previous users from any smart lock app.
How much does it cost to change the locks?
From published price guides:
| Job | Typical price | Sources | |---|---|---| | Euro cylinder change, fitted | £105 to £175 | MLA, MyJobQuote | | Anti-snap cylinder, fitted | £137 to £150 | MLA, Checkatrade | | Mortice deadlock (BS 3621), fitted | £100 to £205 | MLA, Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, Bark |
Several locks on one visit usually cost less each than separate visits, because the call-out and travel are paid once. Ask for a price per lock and a total. Keyed-alike cylinders, which open with the same key, are worth asking about if you are changing several.
Is it a good time to upgrade the locks?
Yes. If the cylinder is coming out anyway, the extra cost of an anti-snap one is small. The MLA's 2026 price list starts a standard cylinder change at £105 and an anti-snap cylinder at £137 fitted.
Ask for:
- a cylinder rated TS 007 3 star or SS 312 Diamond on uPVC and composite doors - a BS 3621 mortice deadlock on timber exit doors
Those are the standards insurers usually name, though wording varies by policy. Ask the locksmith to write the standard on the invoice.
What if you are renting?
Do not change the locks without checking the tenancy agreement first. Most tenancy agreements say the landlord must agree to a lock change and be given a key. Ask the landlord or letting agent whether the locks were changed after the last tenant left; many landlords do this as standard.
If they were not, ask the landlord to arrange it or to agree in writing that you can. The guide on whether a tenant can change the locks covers the rest.
Common questions
Do I have to change the locks when I buy a house?
There is no legal requirement, but it is usually sensible because you cannot know who holds a key. Some insurers expect it, so check your policy wording.
Can I just change the cylinder on a uPVC door?
Usually, yes. On most uPVC and composite doors the euro cylinder is the part the key turns, and replacing it changes the key. The multipoint mechanism inside the door stays.
How much does it cost to change the locks on a house?
A euro cylinder change costs about £105 to £175 fitted, from the MLA and MyJobQuote. The total depends on how many doors and which locks, and several on one visit cost less each.