Locks across a move

Why a move is a security event

Think about how many people have keys to a typical home over the years: the original builder or an earlier owner, family members, cleaners, contractors, agents, house sitters, a neighbor who once watered the plants. Each key may have been copied. Nobody keeps an accurate list, so when a new resident arrives, the number of people who can still open the door is unknown.

That uncertainty is the reason a move matters. It is not that previous residents are likely to misuse a key. Most never would. It is that a lock you cannot account for is a lock you cannot fully trust, and a key that was lost or copied years ago could be anywhere. Changing who has access at the moment of transition is simple and inexpensive in effort compared with the worry of not knowing.

The checklist differs for the person leaving and the person arriving, so the sections below treat them separately, then look at unusual situations such as sales, rentals, divorces and inherited property. In each case the principle is the same: know where every key and credential is, and reset access when the people change.

If you are moving out: owners

If you own the home and are selling, you will normally hand over the keys at closing. Before then, gather every key: front and back doors, side gate, garage entry, mailbox, shed, any padlocks, and the keys or openers for the garage door. Include the keys that live in drawers and on the hooks of people who have helped you. Make a list of what you hand over so there is a record.

Think about the people who hold copies. A cleaner, a pet sitter, a relative, a neighbor and a previous tenant may all have keys. You do not have to retrieve every one, because a buyer will usually rekey, but it is considerate to ask for those you can, and to tell the buyer about any you cannot account for. If you use a smart lock or keypad, remove all your users and guest credentials and reset the lock to the state required for handover, in line with the sale agreement.

Garage door remotes, gate fobs and building fobs are also part of the picture. Leave the ones that belong with the house, and remove or disable any that you keep. If your community has a management office that issues fobs or stickers, notify them of the change of ownership. Our page on HOA and condo association locks explains how those systems usually work.

Take photographs of the door hardware as you leave if there is any chance of a dispute later about condition. Do not remove or replace hardware that is included in the sale unless the contract says so.

• Collect every key: doors, gate, garage entry, mailbox, shed and padlocks.
• List what you hand over and keep a copy.
• Ask cleaners, sitters and relatives to return their copies where you can.
• Clear smart lock users and guest credentials.
• Hand over garage remotes and gate or building fobs, and tell the association.

If you are moving out: tenants

Tenants leave behind a different set of obligations. Your lease will say what you must return and in what condition. Return all keys and fobs, including any you had copied with permission, and ask for a written acknowledgment or a signed move-out inspection form. Do not mail keys without a tracking record. If the landlord agreed that you could add a lock, remove it if the lease requires, and fill screw holes as the lease allows.

If you added a lock without permission, you should have asked beforehand, but the best course now is to speak to the landlord and arrange to restore the original hardware. Never leave a lock behind that the landlord cannot open. Our page on renters and lock changes in Miami explains the common pitfalls.

Photograph the door, lock and frame on your last day, with the date visible if possible. If there was damage you did not cause, or normal wear, the pictures help. Remind the landlord, politely and in writing, that the lock should be rekeyed before the next tenant arrives. It protects them and the next resident, and it removes any suggestion that you could still enter.

Cancel any access you arranged for others, such as a cleaner's fob, a guest's building credential or a delivery arrangement. If you share an account for a smart lock or building intercom, remove yourself and your guests.

If you are moving in: the first day

On the day you receive keys, do a few things before you unpack. First, count the keys and check each one works. Try the front door, back door, side door, garage entry, mailbox, gate and any padlock. Note any that stick or fail. A key that needs to be jiggled is a sign of a worn cylinder or a poor copy, and it is better to find out now than in the rain with an armful of groceries.

Ask how many keys exist. A landlord or seller may not know exactly, but they can tell you how many they gave you and whether others were issued. Do not assume that the copies the previous resident made have been returned. A good working assumption for any property you did not build yourself is that someone else may still have a key.

If it is a rental, ask whether the lock was rekeyed since the last tenant. If it was not, ask whether it can be, in writing. If you own the home, plan a rekey for the first week. It is a straightforward job and resets all access. Our page on rekey after moving in explains what the technician does and what you should have ready.

Take dated photographs of the doors and locks in their current condition, including any damage. They protect your deposit if you rent and give a baseline if you own.

Rekey, replace or leave alone?

Once you decide to reset access, you have two main paths. A rekey changes the internal pins of the existing lock so that the old keys no longer work and new ones do. It leaves the hardware in place. A replacement swaps the lock for a new one, which makes sense when the lock is worn, damaged, the wrong grade or not what you want. Our comparison of rekeying or replacing a lock and the guide to repair or replace door hardware help you decide.

A rekey is often the best first step because it solves the key problem without changing the look of the door, which is useful in rentals and condominiums where appearance rules apply. You can also have several doors keyed alike, so that one key opens the front, back and garage entry. That is convenient but means one lost key affects all those doors, so think about how you live.

Leaving the locks alone can be reasonable if you have strong reason to trust the history, such as a new-construction home where the locks were keyed for you. In most other cases, a rekey is a sensible, modest step. When you call, a dispatcher will explain the price for a simple rekey on the phone. For anything more complicated, such as damaged hardware or doors that do not fit, an on-site look comes first, and there is a service call charge explained before dispatch.

Fobs, remotes, keypads and other credentials

Modern homes have more than metal keys. There may be garage door remotes, gate transmitters, building fobs, keypad numbers, smart lock accounts, alarm panel numbers and the combination for a lockbox. Each of these is a form of access, and each needs to be reset or reissued when residents change.

For keypads and smart locks, change the master number and remove user credentials. If the lock was installed by the previous owner and you do not have the administrator account, you may need to reset it with the manufacturer's process. Do this carefully and follow the manufacturer's instructions. For an alarm system, ask the company to change the user numbers and remove the previous owner from the account.

For garage door remotes and gate transmitters, the receiver can often be reset so that old remotes stop working. Check the instructions for your system. If it cannot be reset, replacing the receiver may be an option. In a managed community, the association typically controls the gate and building credentials, so ask the office to deactivate old ones and issue new ones.

1. List every credential: keys, remotes, fobs, keypad numbers, app accounts.
2. Reset or remove old ones in the system that issued them.
3. Issue new credentials only to the people who need them.
4. Write down who has what in a note you keep somewhere safe.

Unusual situations: separation, inheritance and shared homes

Not every move involves a sale or a lease. When a couple separates, one person may move out while the other stays. The person who stays may feel unsafe or simply want to be sure that only the right people have access. A rekey is the usual step. In some situations there are legal questions about who has the right to be in a home, so a locksmith will ask for proof that you live there and may ask questions about ownership. Our page on locks after a breakup or separation explains the process.

When a family member dies and a home is inherited, keys may be scattered among relatives, friends and caregivers. The executor or owner should decide who may have access and rekey as soon as practical. Keep records of who has been given keys and why. If the house will stand empty, read our guide on home security before you travel for general habits that apply to a vacant property too.

In a shared house with roommates, a move-out by one person is a good moment to reset keys. Our page on roommate key control offers a practical approach. If you feel unsafe at any point, contact 911 first and arrange the lock work afterward.

Moving day itself: doors, helpers and open houses

On the day of the move, doors are opened and closed constantly, helpers come and go, and the house is often unlocked for hours. That is when keys get left on counters and doors are left ajar. Assign one person to be responsible for the doors, and agree that the front door is not left propped open when nobody is near it.

If you have hired movers, know who is in the house and keep valuables, documents and small items with you, not on a truck. Do not hand a spare key to a crew member. Keep your own keys on your person and do not put them in a box. It is surprising how often a set of keys ends up packed with the kitchen items, and a lockout on moving day is an expensive way to spend an afternoon.

If you are the one arriving and the sellers are leaving, agree on a clear handover time and check the doors afterward. Walk through together if you can, and confirm that the garage opener, gate fob and mailbox key are in your hands. If anything does not work, say so then. Our page on how to prepare your home for a lock visit shows how to make a technician's work smoother when you are surrounded by boxes.

If a lock fails on moving day, for instance a key breaks off or the deadbolt will not turn with a loaded hand truck waiting, stay calm and call. Our page on broken key in a home lock explains what to leave alone while you wait.

Documentation, authorization and what a locksmith will ask

Whoever does the lock work, expect to be asked to show that you have the right to authorize it. For an owner that normally means photo identification and some proof that the property is yours, such as a closing statement, a utility bill or a tax record. For a tenant it means a lease or written permission from the owner. This is a normal part of reputable service and protects you as much as the technician. Read more in our guide to authorization before locksmith work and the page on what ID to have ready.

Keep a simple record of the work: date, which doors, how many keys were issued and to whom. If the property is a rental, give a copy of the key list to the owner or manager. Store records where you can find them later. A one-page note saves effort when someone asks, years later, how many keys were cut.

Do not give keys to people you do not know well, and do not leave extra copies in obvious hiding places. If you need to provide access to a worker or a visitor, use a time-limited credential or be present.

A combined checklist for both sides of the move

Use the list below as a working summary. The person leaving ticks the first group and the person arriving ticks the second. If you are both, because you are moving from one home to another, do both lists, one for each address.

When you are ready to arrange a rekey or look at hardware that has seen better days, call and describe the property, the number of doors and whether you own or rent. A dispatcher can explain the next step and how the service call charge works before anyone is sent.

• Leaving: collect keys, remotes and fobs, and list what you hand over.
• Leaving: clear smart lock users, keypad numbers and app access.
• Leaving: photograph the doors and lock condition, return keys with a receipt.
• Arriving: count and test every key, and ask how many exist.
• Arriving: ask for or arrange a rekey in the first week.
• Arriving: reset keypads, alarm users and garage or gate credentials.
• Arriving: photograph the door, lock and frame on day one.

Questions people ask

Related pages

Written by Claude (AI) (AI) for 24 Hour Locksmith Miami.