Change Locks When Moving House — From £149, Same Day or Pre-Booked

Last updated: June 2026

When you pick up the keys to a new home, you know exactly who handed them to you.

What you can’t know is how many copies exist, where they are, and who still has them.

Previous owners, their family members, their cleaners, dog walkers, past tradespeople, neighbours with a spare — over the years a typical property accumulates key copies that nobody fully tracks.

Changing every external lock on moving day is the only way to guarantee that you and your household are the only people with access to your new home.

Local 24/7 Locksmith provides a dedicated moving day lock change service across Birmingham, the West Midlands, Telford, Luton, Milton Keynes, St Albans and the South West. Book in advance around your completion date, or call us the day you get the keys — we’ll arrive at the property, change every external lock, and hand you a brand-new set of keys before you’ve finished unloading the van.

📞 Call 07486 889391 — book your moving day slot or get a fixed quote

💬 WhatsApp — tell us your completion date and door count, we’ll confirm a price

Why You Must Change the Locks on Moving Day

You Don’t Know How Many Key Copies Exist

Estate agents routinely cut extra sets. Previous owners give copies to family and friends and forget about them.

A typical property changes hands 3–5 times over 30 years — by the time you move in, there may be half a dozen unaccounted copies in circulation.

You’ll never know.

A full cylinder change on moving day makes every one of those copies permanently useless, instantly.

Your Home Insurance May Not Cover You Until You Do

This is the point most people don’t know until it’s too late.

If someone enters your property using a key copy and steals from you, there will be no signs of forced entry on the doors or windows.

Most UK home insurance policies include a clause along the lines of: “the property must be secured against unauthorised entry.”

An insurer can — and frequently does — use the absence of forced entry signs to argue that the property was accessible to a third party and refuse or reduce the claim.

A lock change on moving day closes that gap.

Every cylinder we fit is British Standard compliant, and we provide a written invoice specifying the lock standards — the document your insurer needs if questions ever arise.

The Existing Locks May Not Meet Insurance Requirements

Most people move into a property and assume the existing locks are adequate. They often aren’t.

• Older uPVC doors frequently have standard (non-anti-snap) Euro cylinders — the type that can be snapped in under 30 seconds
• Older timber doors sometimes have 2-lever mortice locks rather than the 5-lever BS3621 standard required by most insurance policies
• Cylinders wear over time and may be stiff, intermittent, or near the end of their usable life

Moving day is the most natural moment to upgrade — you’re changing the locks anyway, and the cost of upgrading to compliant, high-security hardware while we’re already on site is minimal.

What We Change on Moving Day

Front Door

The priority. We replace the Euro cylinder on uPVC and composite front doors with a 3-star TS007 anti-snap cylinder (Avocet ABS, Brisant Ultion or Mul-T-Lock) as standard — the grade most insurers now specify. On timber front doors, we fit or verify a BS3621 5-lever mortice deadlock and replace the rim cylinder if present.

Back Door

Often overlooked. Rear and side doors are statistically more likely to be the entry point in a burglary than the front — they’re less visible from the street and more likely to have older, weaker locks. We change back and side door cylinders to the same standard as the front.

Patio & French Doors

Multipoint uPVC patio and French door mechanisms and cylinders replaced or verified same visit.

Garage & Outbuilding

If the garage connects internally to the house, or contains high-value items (tools, bikes, vehicle), we replace the cylinder and verify the lock is BS-grade. Detached garages and outbuildings can be added to the package at a low per-door rate.

One Key for the Whole House (Keyed-Alike)

On moving day, the last thing you need is a separate key for every door. We can install matching cylinders across your front door, back door, side gate and garage so that a single key opens the entire property. Same security grade, one key. Hugely popular with families on moving day — tell us when you book and we’ll bring the matching set.

Moving House Lock Change Prices

All prices are fixed and quoted before we attend. No call-out fee.

Parts included in package prices. Cylinder brand and grade confirmed on the phone before booking. 12-month guarantee on all parts and labour.

Full price list →

How the Moving Day Service Works

1. Call or WhatsApp us with your completion date and the number of external doors.

We give you a fixed all-in price on the phone — no surveyor visit needed.

2. Book your slot. We work around your completion time, your removal van slot, or whenever suits you best — including evenings if the keys come late. Most moving day jobs take 60–90 minutes for a standard 3-door property.

3. We arrive at the property.

Our DBS-checked engineer arrives at the agreed time with all cylinders and hardware on the van. No waiting for parts.

4. Every external lock changed.

We work through each door, fit new cylinders, test each one, and cut or supply the keys you need (specify on booking — typically 2–4 sets).

5. You get a written invoice. Itemised, dated, specifying every lock standard fitted.

File it with your home insurance documents.

Book in advance for the best slot availability around your completion date. We also take same-day bookings — if your completion happens faster than expected, call us.

When Else Should You Change the Locks?

Moving house is the most obvious trigger, but the same logic applies in other situations:

• Relationship breakdown — one party moves out but may still have keys
• Lost or stolen keys — especially if they were lost with anything identifying your address
• End of tenancy (landlords) — previous tenants, their friends and their families
• After a burglary — the intruder may have taken keys from inside the property
• Keys not returned by a tradesperson

All handled same-day at individual door rates. See lock replacements →

Areas Covered — Moving House Lock Changes

Birmingham & West Midlands — Central Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, Dudley, Walsall, Black Country & West — Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Oldbury, Tipton, Stourbridge, Halesowen

Shropshire — Telford, Wellington, Madeley, Newport

Home Counties — Luton · Milton Keynes · St Albans

South West — Bath, Bristol, Swindon & Gloucestershire — Bristol (BS7–BS37), Bath (BA1–BA15), Swindon & North Wiltshire (SN8–SN16), Gloucester, Cheltenham & Cotswolds (GL1–GL54)

Not sure if we cover your postcode? Call 07486 889391 — we’ll confirm in seconds.

All areas we cover →

Why Choose Us for Your Moving Day

✅ Fixed all-in package price — quoted before we attend, no surprises on the day

✅ No call-out fee — you pay for the locks and the fitting only

✅ Anti-snap cylinders as standard in all packages — TS007 3-star, insurance compliant

✅ BS3621 mortice locks on timber doors — your insurance stays valid

✅ Keyed-alike option — one key for the whole house, built into any package

✅ Written invoice specifying all lock standards — for your insurance files

✅ 12-month guarantee on all parts and labour

✅ DBS Police-Checked, fully insured — every engineer carries photo ID

✅ Book in advance or same day — we work around your completion time

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you change the locks when you move into a new house? Yes — on moving day. You don’t know how many key copies the previous owners, estate agents, tradespeople or neighbours still have. A cylinder change makes all existing copies permanently useless and is the only way to guarantee sole access to your new home.

How much does it cost to change locks when moving house? Our 3-door moving house package (front, back and one more external door) costs from £149 all-in, including all new cylinders and keys. A 5-door package costs from £249. Individual doors cost from £49 plus parts. All prices are fixed and quoted before we attend.

Do I need to change the locks legally when I move house? There’s no legal requirement, but there is a strong insurance argument. If someone enters your home using a key copy and your insurer determines there was no forced entry, they can reduce or refuse your claim. Changing the locks closes that gap and is specified as a security requirement in most UK home insurance policies.

How long does a moving day lock change take? A standard 3-door property takes around 60 minutes. A 5-door property takes 60–90 minutes. We’ll give you an accurate time estimate when you book.

Can you match all the locks to one key? Yes — keyed-alike installation means one key opens your front door, back door, side gate and garage. Same security grade, one key. Add it to any package for a small per-cylinder supplement; just ask when you book.

Can you come on the day I get the keys? Yes — we take same-day bookings. Book as early in the day as possible to secure a slot. For moving days where completion time is uncertain, give us your expected window and we’ll work around it. Pre-booking around your completion date gives you the most flexibility.

Do you change locks on new-build properties? Yes — new-build homes are often fitted with basic builder-grade cylinders that are neither anti-snap nor insurance-grade. A cylinder change on day one is the same service and the same price.

What if I want to keep some keys for a cleaner or family member? We supply as many key copies as you need at the time of fitting — specify your required number when you book. Additional keys cut from the new cylinder can also be ordered later, or we can cut them on-site from our mobile equipment.

Book Your Moving Day Slot

Moving day has enough stress without worrying about who has a key to your new home. Call or WhatsApp us with your completion date — we’ll confirm a fixed price and lock in your slot.

📞 07486 889391 — 24/7, same-day and advance bookings

💬 WhatsApp — tell us your completion date and door count for an instant quote

From £149 · No call-out fee · One key for the whole house · DBS checked · 12-month guarantee