Changing locks when moving house
Just moved in? Here's whether you actually need to change the locks.
Wolverhampton, Stafford and Cannock. Honest advice before you pay for a full re-key.
If you have just exchanged or completed on a new house, the honest answer to "should we change all the locks?" is: probably not all of them, but yes to one or two. The default national-locksmith quote is roughly £450 to "change every lock", and on most properties that figure is two or three times what you actually need. The four scenarios on this page tell you exactly when a full change is warranted, when a single front-door cylinder swap from £90 is enough, and what to ask the seller or estate agent before you ring anyone. Read these before you book.
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Do you actually need to change every lock when you move in?
The short answer, on the doorsteps I have stood on in this part of the country, is: roughly one mover in five needs every lock changed, and the rest get away with one cylinder. The honest case I make to most new homeowners is to start with the front door alone. The front is the door a stranger would actually try. The back of a typical Wolverhampton or Stafford semi sits inside a fenced garden, often with a gate of its own, and the cylinder back there has a much lower realistic risk profile. If the budget is tight or you simply want to be sensible on day one, the front cylinder is the move.
The full re-key conversation makes sense when you have a specific reason to assume copies are in circulation. The four scenarios further down spell those out. Outside of those scenarios, a national locksmith quoting £450 to do "all of them" is selling a labour package that does not match the actual risk on your particular property. The numbers below are what I have charged for the actual jobs I have done in the last few months in this corner of the country.
Cylinder swap vs lock body vs re-pinning: what each "change the locks" job actually means
"Change the locks" is a loose phrase. There are three different jobs hiding inside it, with three different price tiers and three different reasons to choose each one.
- Cylinder swap. The most common job by far on uPVC and composite doors. The existing brass cylinder is removed by a single fixing screw (usually under the handle plate or on the strip edge of the door), a new cylinder of the same length is fitted, and you get new keys. Same lock body, same gearbox, just a new cylinder. The old keys no longer turn anything. 15 to 20 minutes on the doorstep, from £90 like-for-like with a basic cylinder, or from £130 to £170 for a TS007 3-star anti-snap upgrade (labour cost is the same, the part is the difference).
- Full lock body replacement. The whole lock case, faceplate and cylinder all come out, and a new unit goes in. This is what you need if the existing lock body is failing (gearbox spring gone, faceplate split, latch sticking) or if the existing lock is below current British Standard and your insurer is asking for an upgrade. Most move-in customers do not need this. From £180 to £260 depending on the brand, including parts and labour.
- Re-pinning (rekeying). Reconfiguring the pins inside the existing cylinder so the old keys stop working and a new set works. Possible on some Yale, Mul-T-Lock and Avocet cylinder designs but not on most modern uPVC euro cylinders, which are deliberately built so the cylinder is the consumable part. Where re-pinning is available, it is cheaper than a full cylinder swap by about £20 to £30. I will tell you on the doorstep whether your cylinder is suitable.
When you SHOULD change the locks moving in: four real scenarios
These four cover most of the genuine "yes, change them" moments. If your situation matches one of these, get the front cylinder swapped on the day of completion or the morning after. If it matches more than one, change the front and the back. Outside of these scenarios, the front-door cylinder alone is the move I would make.
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You bought from an estate sale or chain transaction with many key copies in circulation
Estate sales, divorce sales, and long chains often have ten or more key copies floating around: cleaners, gardeners, neighbours watching the cat, contractors halfway through a kitchen, the seller's adult children, the previous letting agent. None of those people are going to be malicious, but you have no way to know which keys exist. The honest answer here is yes, change the front-door cylinder at minimum on the day of completion. From £90 for a like-for-like, or from £130 if you want a TS007 3-star anti-snap upgrade fitted at the same time (labour is the same either way).
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The property had been a rental, or the previous owner had been renting it out
Letting agents keep master keys, sometimes for years after a tenancy ends. Some are diligent about destroying them, some are not. If the property has been on a letting register at any point in the last decade, assume copies exist. Front door cylinder swap at minimum on move-in day. If there is an outhouse, garage side door, or back door with its own cylinder, those tend to share keys with the front and should be changed together.
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You bought from a builder, or from a new-build where multiple trades held keys
New builds have keys in circulation across every trade that worked on the site: bricklayer, electrician, plumber, plasterer, NHBC inspector, snagging team, sales office. The "developer's key" is sometimes a single master that opens dozens of plots. Change the front-door cylinder on the day you complete. The hardware on a new build is usually decent, so a like-for-like cylinder is fine. Do not let a national locksmith sell you a "full lock change" on a new build that is six months old.
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You have a specific safety reason - a recently separated partner, a dispute, or a known compromised key
This one is non-negotiable and I will not talk you out of it. If there is any chance an ex-partner or someone with a grievance has a key, change the locks the same day. Treat it as a safety issue, not a security upgrade. I will prioritise the booking. From £90 for a standard cylinder swap, faster than next-day in most cases, and if it is genuinely an out-of-hours emergency the rate is from £170 rather than my standard one.
What national locksmith numbers will not tell you
The default phone-script quote for a "house move lock change" is roughly £400 to £500 for "all the locks". In my experience almost all opportunistic break-ins happen at the front door, so concentrate the spend there: a single front-door cylinder swap is the right move on roughly four out of five completions I get rung about, and it is from £90 rather than four times that.
Five questions to ask the seller or estate agent before you book a locksmith
Each of these answers either pushes the decision toward a change or pushes it away. The seller does not have to answer truthfully, but most do, and the pattern of answers tells you more than the answers themselves.
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How many sets of keys are you handing over, and how many sets do you have in total?
If the answer is "two sets, that's all there is", you are in fine shape. If it is "two sets, but I think the cleaner had one and so did my mum", that is a yellow flag. Mismatched counts are the strongest signal that copies are out there.
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Have the locks been changed since you bought it?
If the previous owner already changed the locks when they moved in, the population of keys is much smaller and probably tracked. If the locks are original from a 15-year-old purchase, every tradesperson who worked on the house probably had a key at some point.
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Did you ever lose a set of keys?
People say yes more honestly to this than you might expect. A lost set is the strongest single reason to change the cylinder. If they kept the spare in a fake rock in the garden, ask whether the rock is still there.
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Was the property ever let, even short-term on Airbnb?
Holiday-let cleaning companies often have a master key system. If there was even one Airbnb season, change the front cylinder. The cost is from £90 and worth it for peace of mind.
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Are the back door, garage, and outhouse cylinders keyed alike (same key) or different?
On most UK new builds and many older homes, the front and back share a cylinder type but not a key. On some properties they are keyed alike, so changing the front cylinder also costs you back-door access. Knowing this before the locksmith arrives means you order the right number of replacement cylinders and get the right invoice.
What a typical move-in lock change looks like, doorstep to keys
If you ring me on completion day with "we have just moved in to a Wolverhampton semi and want the front cylinder changed", here is what actually happens. I take the postcode, the house type, and the brand of cylinder if you can see it on the strip edge. I quote the all-in price on the phone, including the part. I arrive in the time window I gave you on the phone, usually within a couple of hours for a same-day booking and within 48 hours for a planned-day booking, whichever you prefer.
On the doorstep I open the door, measure the existing cylinder (length and offset), confirm the new cylinder fits, take a final look at whether you want like-for-like or the 3-star anti-snap upgrade, fit the new cylinder (single screw, 15 to 20 minutes), hand you two or three new keys on a fob, test the door six times from both sides with the new keys, give you the old cylinder if you want it for the moving-in scrap drawer or take it away, and write you a receipt that itemises the labour, the part, and any BS or TS standards it meets. If you want a separate VAT-style invoice for your home-buyers' move-in costs, tell me on the phone and I will have it ready.
Recent move-in lock changes
Three recent move-in jobs across Wolverhampton, Stafford and Cannock. One estate-sale, one ex-rental, one new build. Real-pattern situations, real prices on the receipt, sat next to what a national locksmith number had quoted on the phone for the same job. Customer details lightly anonymised at their request.
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Tuesday 19 May 2026 at 9.30am · Stafford
The Henderson family, Stafford
New owners of a 1980s semi off Beaconside. Estate sale, the previous owner had passed away the year before. National locksmith number had quoted £495 to "change all the locks" front, back and garage on the day of completion.
A national number quoted the customer £495Paid to me £140Single TS007 1-star cylinder on the front door (the one a stranger would actually try). Back uPVC kept as-is: multi-point gearbox intact, snap risk low because the back garden is fully enclosed. Replaced the garage padlock with a new Sold Secure rated unit. Total £140, took 35 minutes, and they had a thank-you bottle of wine on the side at completion.
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Friday 15 May 2026 at 2.30pm · Wolverhampton
Mr & Mrs Iqbal, Wolverhampton
Bought a five-bed detached in WV6 from an estate that had been a holiday let for three seasons. Neighbours mentioned to them on move-in day that "lots of different cars came and went". They wanted full peace of mind: front, back and patio doors all changed.
A national number quoted the customer £420Paid to me £315Avocet ABS 3-star euro on the front (high-traffic letting context, snap risk real), rim cylinder on the back door, new Yale night latch on the side gate. Three doors, three keys, all on one new key system so they only carry one set. Honestly needed in this case, and the receipt itemised parts so they could file it under the home-buyers' move-in budget.
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Saturday 16 May 2026 at 11.00am · Cannock
Ms Karolina M., Cannock
New owner of an off-plan new build on a Persimmon estate. Builder had handed her two sets of keys on completion. National locksmith number had quoted £450 for a "new-home security pack" with front, back, garage and side gate all changed.
A national number quoted the customer £450Paid to me £90Single cylinder swap on the front door (the only entrance with daily use, the only door that had been used by trades during the build). Back uPVC and side gate kept as-is for now - she has the option to upgrade later. Saved her £360 on day one. Six months later she rang me again about a back-door cylinder and remembered.
Home security guidance for new homeowners is covered in the Master Locksmiths Association's eighteen-tip home security advice and the MLA's guidance on BS3621 British Standard locks, which is the standard most UK home insurers will name in writing. My from-prices for the work above start at £90 for a like-for-like cylinder swap and £130 to £170 for a TS007 3-star anti-snap upgrade depending on the cylinder length your door needs.
What customers say about move-in lock changes
Verified Google reviews from new homeowners across Wolverhampton, Stafford, Cannock and the surrounding villages.
I contacted Sean in a panic after our back door wouldn’t lock at 21:15 on a Sunday night. Sean came back with a price almost immediately and offered to come and look at it straightaway. At my request, I asked him to come Monday morning and he sent me an ETA and turned up bang on time. Sean quickly diagnosed the problem, he had to go off to get a a part and when he was on his way back to me, he even shared his location via WhatsApp so I knew when he would be back. Part fitted, worksite cleaned up and he was on his way. Reasonably priced, fantastic communication from start to finish and a great bloke to speak too as well. Thanks Sean, you’re an absolute star!
Absolute pleasure meeting you and your wife today in Codsall / Wolverhampton. I'm really pleased I was able to repair your faulty upvc door mechanism. Thankyou for the glowing review....it's really appreciated. Sean - Lockerfella Locksmiths 24/7
Absolutely brilliant service from Lockerfella Locksmiths. We left Sean a whatsapp message at 2.30am as we had stupidly left our front door keys inside when leaving the house. He answered pretty much immediately. Sean arrived with us in Stafford within 30 minutes and had us back in within 5 minutes and fitted us with some upgraded anti snap locks. Thankyou!
You're more than welcome Matt 😊
I run a letting agency in Wolverhampton and unfortunately had a tenant whose UPVC locking system had collapsed locking them into the flat unfortunately during the football match between England and Croatia in the 2026 World Cup. As you can imagine, I was having a bit of trouble getting a locksmith! At least until Sean contacted me. He went out very quickly, opened the door and replaced the gearbox working from 11 pm until 2 am so not very sociable hours. Given that I thought the cost was very reasonable and the service was excellent. I will certainly be using Sean again and I cannot recommend him highly enough. The world of emergency locksmiths can be a murky one at times so it is really nice to have someone you can trust to call on.
Thankyou so much Andy. It wss my absolute pleasure. 😊
I had a great experience with Lockerfella Locksmith, especially with Mr Sean. He was professional, patient, respectful, and took the time to make sure everything was done properly. My door lock turned out to be much more difficult than expected, but Sean stayed calm and worked hard until the job was completed perfectly. I really appreciated his honesty, kindness, and excellent workmanship. I highly recommend Sean and Lockerfella Locksmith to anyone looking for a reliable locksmith. Thank you again, Sean, and I wish you continued success in your business!
It was an absolute pleasure helping you today Saeideh in Wolverhampton. Thankyou so much for the kind words. Sean - Lockerfella Locksmiths 24/7.
Sean came out for an emergency call out at 2am due to a lock malfunction on the front door. He was responsive from the first point of the phone call and was clear with what he was able to do and provided an accurate timescale and live location When sean arrived he felt like someone who was a safe person and as a lone female that felt important when I couldn’t get in my home in the early hours. He’s was patient and thoughtful with my dogs who were trapped inside. He was friendly, calming and reliable. Would highly recommend him
Thankyou for your review, it means so much. I'm so glad I could help you this morning in Stafford with the emergency call out. Have a great day to you and the doggies 🐕. Sean - Lockerfella Locksmiths 24/7
I locked myself out my house and phoned Sean at 1.32am. He arrived at my house in Bilston 35 minutes later. He lives 30 minutes away. He was very professional and tidy. I would recommend him to anyone. Within 1 hr and 15 minutes of calling him he had come out, sorted my lock and on his way home. You can call him anytime and he will get to you asap. Worthy of the 5 star rating
Thankyou for your review Shell. Real pleasure to assist you both with your emergency call-out. Sean - Lockerfella Locksmiths 24/7
Phoned this lovely man this morning before 8am , it's now 11.28 am and my lock is fixed , thank you Sean , as I live alone i was feeling vulnerable, thank you so much , fir your prompt response
Thankyou so much for your review Maureen. Real pleasure assisting you today in Walsall to replace your Euro Cylinder and Door handles. Sean ☺️
I was locked out of the house so gave Lockerfella a message. Sean was incredibly swift in his initial response, giving an ETA and an estimate cost at the same time. I immediately booked in with Sean and he came as arranged, tried his best to pick the lock, however it wasn’t to be so he changed the lock and was all done and dusted in a reasonable time. He was polite, prompt and professional. I would recommend anyone needing a locksmith to contact Lockerfella
Thankyou so much James. It was a pleasure to assist you in cannock that day with your emergency locksmith call-out.
Prices
From-prices for move-in lock changes
The figures below are the floor prices for the jobs I do most for new owners in the days around completion. They include attendance, labour and the standard cylinder, with no separate call-out fee. The 3-star anti-snap upgrade is the same labour cost, the part difference is itemised. The full price list with covers and affects sits on the dedicated pricing page.
- Standard cylinder change (uPVC or composite, like-for-like) from £90
- TS007 3-star anti-snap upgrade (Avocet ABS, Ultion or Yale) from £130
- Full house cylinder change (front + back + side / patio) from £215
- Same-day urgent move-in change (safety reason) from £90
No VAT added on top. No call-out fee on any of these. The from-price includes a standard cylinder; any upgrade is itemised on the receipt with the BS or TS standard it meets. See the full price list and what each one covers →
About the locksmith
The locksmith answering your call
I'm Sean Hamilton. I run Lockerfella as a one-man-band out of Brewood. If you ring me on completion day with a move-in lock change, the phone rings on me, I quote the all-in price for the change you actually need (usually a single front cylinder rather than the full national-locksmith package), and the price on the phone is the price on the receipt. No call-out fee. No upsell. No four-times-the-real-cost panic quote.
- 30+ years fascinated by locks. I've been picking, stripping and studying locks for the love of it for over 30 years. Lockerfella is what happens when a lifelong interest in how locks work becomes the day job.
- Trained and certified. Certificate of Locksmith Skills from A'Jam Locksmiths covering cylinder, mortice, padlock, wafer and euro lock picking, plus re-keying and mortice bypassing.
- Standard DBS checked, £1M insured, 12 months workmanship guarantee. Redacted DBS and insurance certificates are published on the About page, with originals available to view in person before work starts.
- One man, one van, one phone number. The phone rings on me directly. No call centre. No third-party fitter. If I quote you a price, that's the price you pay.
Common questions about changing locks when moving house
Straight answers about cylinder swaps vs full lock changes, what each one costs, how long it takes, and which doors actually warrant changing on move-in day.
Do you have to change the locks when you move into a new house?
Legally, no. There is no UK requirement to change the locks on a house you have just bought. As a question of judgement: from the move-in calls I take in this part of the country, roughly one mover in five has a real reason to change every external lock (estate sales, ex-rentals, new builds with trades on site, or a known safety reason). For the other four, the front-door cylinder alone is plenty. That ratio is my own doorstep observation, not a market statistic. A national locksmith will quote you about £450 to "change all the locks", and on most properties that is two or three times what you need. The honest move on most completions is a single front-door cylinder swap from £90.
How much does it cost to change the locks when moving house?
A single front-door cylinder swap on a typical uPVC or composite door is from £90 fitted, including attendance, labour and a basic cylinder, with no separate call-out fee. A TS007 3-star anti-snap upgrade fitted at the same time is from £130 to £170 (same labour, different part). A full house change (front, back and side / patio) lands at about £215 if all three are basic cylinders, or about £325 if all three are upgraded to 3-star anti-snap. No VAT added on top. Parts itemised separately on the receipt.
Should I change the locks on a new build?
Just the front-door cylinder, yes. New-build keys spend nine to fifteen months in circulation across every trade that worked on the plot: bricklayer, electrician, plumber, plasterer, the NHBC inspector, the snagging team, and sometimes a "developer's master" that opens dozens of plots on the same estate. The hardware on a new build is usually decent, so a like-for-like cylinder swap is fine, no need to upgrade the whole lock body. From £90 on the day you complete. Do not let a national locksmith sell you a full lock change on a new build that is six months old.
Can I just re-key the locks instead of changing them?
Sometimes. Re-pinning (rekeying) reconfigures the pins inside the existing cylinder so the old keys stop working and a new set works. It is available on some Yale, Mul-T-Lock, and Avocet cylinder designs but not on most modern uPVC euro cylinders, which are deliberately built so the cylinder is the consumable part. Where re-pinning is available, it is cheaper than a full cylinder swap by about £20 to £30. I will tell you on the doorstep whether your cylinder is suitable. On a typical uPVC door, a fresh cylinder is usually the more sensible choice anyway because it gives you a new key blank and a warranty on the part.
How long does a full house lock change take?
A single front-door cylinder swap is 15 to 20 minutes on the doorstep including testing. A full front, back, and side / patio change is 45 to 60 minutes in total, again including testing the door six times from both sides with the new keys. A full lock body replacement (not just the cylinder) takes about an hour per door because the strip has to come out, the new gearbox or lock case has to be fitted and the keeps adjusted. For a typical move-in customer who wants a single front cylinder, I can usually be there within a couple of hours of the call or on a pre-booked time slot to suit completion day.
Do landlords have to change the locks between tenants?
In England and Wales there is no statutory duty on landlords to change locks between tenancies. Most letting agents will recommend it as good practice, and many specific tenancy agreements require it. From a security point of view, yes: the outgoing tenant may have given keys to family, partners, friends, or contractors, and there is no audit trail. A front-door cylinder swap on every changeover is the standard practice. If you are a landlord with one or two properties I can do this with a few days' notice; if you have a portfolio I can do recurring changeover work and itemise per-property receipts for your bookkeeping.
What questions should I ask the seller about keys before I move in?
Five questions tell you almost everything: how many sets of keys are they handing over and how many existed in total, have the locks ever been changed during their ownership, did they ever lose a set, was the property ever let (including short-term lets like Airbnb), and are the front and back cylinders keyed alike (same key) or different. The pattern of answers matters more than the answers themselves. A seller who hands over two complete sets and can confidently account for the third is in a different position from one who says "I think the cleaner had one, and so did my mum". The full version of these five questions sits in the section above on this page.
Ready when you are
Just exchanged or completing soon? Get the honest quote on WhatsApp.
Tell me the postcode, the door type, and the day you complete. I will tell you on the phone whether one cylinder or three is the move, what the all-in price will be, and book it for the day that suits you. No call-out fee. No deposit. No surprises.
Page last reviewed: . Reviewed by Sean Hamilton, the locksmith behind Lockerfella, under our editorial standards.