Moving into a new home can be exciting, especially if you are upgrading from a smaller house. It is a huge commitment that might end up changing your lifestyle. However, many tasks are involved when planning a move, including hiring movers, budgeting for the move, packing, changing address, transferring utilities, etc. A such, you may end up forgetting some of the essential things to do as you settle in your new home.
One of the critical things you should not overlook when moving into a new home is a change of locks. Changing the locks in your new house is the first thing you want to do as soon as the moving company unloads your stuff in your new home or even before you move in there.
Replace or rekey
There are two ways of changing the locks of the doors in your new home. You can replace the locks or rekey them. Replacing is chasing the entire lock system and replacing it with a new one. That also gives you a chance to take advantage of advanced lock systems in the market and install them in your new house.
Rekeying a lock system involves realigning the pins inside the lock to match a new key. Most apartment complexes use this method which is less expensive than replacing the lock. You can buy the necessary equipment and do it yourself or hire a locksmith to do it.
Here are reasons to change the locks after getting to your new home.
You don’t trust the previous owner.
Changing the locks is vital if you move to a previously inhabited house because you never know if the previous owner can be trusted. Even if you know them and seem like friendly people, you never know who they handed copies of the keys to, including nannies, relatives, neighbors, cleaners, and friends. Can you trust all these people? To be on the safe side, have a locksmith change your locks to ensure only you have a copy of your new home keys.
For more security
Another reason you should change the locks in your new home is to boost the security of the doors. Maybe the locks don’t seem strong as the ones in your previous house. Changing your locks can enhance the security of your doors and give you peace of mind knowing that you, your family, and your household items are safe from burglars. While it is not a guarantee for preventing burglary, it does prevent someone from unlocking the door and walking right in.
Your locks may be master keyed.
Although you may be the first family to inhabit the new home, the high chances are that the locks are master keyed since it is common among many home builders and landlords. For instance, many homeowners who build several homes for renting on one block have one master key to access the houses. Although the landlord would not access your house without informing you, changing the locks assures you that you are the only one who can access your home.
The bottom line
Changing the locks on a new home gives you peace of mind which is priceless.
