The importance of changing locks after moving homes
Until recently I’m not sure I ever fully understood that Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”, but after the last few years of political turmoil, pandemic and now war, it’s really beginning to hit home. What we’d give to live in slightly duller times right now, with news bulletins struggling to find enough material to fill half an hour each night.
Not withstanding all the geo-political events, and our thoughts are firmly with those affected by horrendous conflict, we do still have to keep some semblance of normality. The washing needs doing, the fridge needs filling, the housework is still there – the trivialities that make life what it is don’t go away. In that vein, I’ll try to ignore world affairs and instead focus on more mundane matters, such as the security implications you face when moving house.
I say mundane in the grand scheme of things when compared to living under the threat of war or pandemic etc, but moving house is far from mundane – it’s inevitably always cited as an example of one of the major stresses we face in our everyday lives. And it’s not surprising with all the hassles it entails: from estate agents to solicitors, from sorting out utilities to organising removal arrangements, not forgetting sorting the finances, redirecting post and telling Auntie Mabel you’ve moved. Amongst all this, security issues may get forgotten, but they should be near the top of your agenda. Don’t worry, I’ll try and make this list as stress-free as possible.
Don’t forget to insure your new home
Before you even get anywhere near moving day you need to sort out building insurance for your new home. This is the one that could end up saving you the most money – literally hundreds of thousands of pounds if the worst happens. Remember that building insurance should start from the date of exchange. Don’t leave it until completion as this may be too late . As the buyer you are responsible for the building from the date of exchange of contracts. So if the building is damaged in a ransack, or god forbid, burns to the ground, and you have no insurance in place, well, it doesn’t bear thinking about. Whilst there are a lot of stresses around moving house, getting the insurance really should be at the top of your list – don’t risk leaving the property uninsured, no matter how short the period.
Change the locks immediately
As soon as you get your hands on the keys, the next task is to make them obsolete. Yes, I am afraid it’s time to change the locks. Technically, all sets of keys should have been handed over, but the truth is you just never know if this is the case. Keys may have, in all innocence, been handed over to neighbours, tradesmen, friends etc by the previous owners and never collected. And the locks may even predate the previous owners, so several people might have a set floating around somewhere. Whilst we hope that none of these people will have bad intentions, unfortunately you can’t be sure and the safest thing to do as soon as you move in is to change all the locks on exterior doors. A similar approach should be used for any burglar alarm codes – change them as soon as you move in.
Check doors and windows are lockable
Insurance and locks are the two main things you need on your list, so if they’re sorted you can begin to relax a little. However, there are still other steps you can take to bolster the security in your new home. As you’re moving in, perhaps even before the furniture is in, check the building – take note if the burglar alarm is present and working, add it to the list if not. Check the windows are all lockable and the doors are in good shape without any weak spots. Away from burglary-related checks, you should also run tests on any smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors – the safety of yourself and your family is always the priority, even above getting the wi-fi installed!
Don’t forget to check the security of outdoors too
As well as the house, don’t forget to check any garden or outside areas, especially after the recent storms we’ve had. It might be that a fence has gone missing or been broken since you last looked at the house. These will cause security concerns as well as being a worry if you have any pets or small children that could easily escape. Check out any outside lights too – I’ve talked before about how useful they can be as a deterrent so if they need fixing or replacing, that’s another one for your list.
A non-cost step to take is to pop round to your neighbours. This may sound painful, depending on your level of social confidence, but really can help from a security point of view. People who know their neighbours are more likely to keep an eye on their houses when they’re away and will be able to spot anyone who’s not part of the family group who may be lurking around.
Hopefully these tips will have helped if you’re thinking of moving house, or maybe just served as a reminder even if you haven’t. Hoping you all keep safe, and that world events can be peacefully resolved before too long.