Moving into a new home: the first-week security checklist
On the day you take occupation, you have no idea how many keys to your new home exist. Previous owners, tenants, domestic staff, contractors and estate agents may all have held one. The first week is when that gets fixed.
Security advice 5 min readUpdated
Day one: rekey or replace the external locks
Rekeying changes the internals so old keys no longer work, while keeping the existing hardware. It is the fastest way to reset who has access, and it costs less than replacing every lock.
Do it before the first night, not after the boxes are unpacked.
Day two: walk every entry point
Doors get all the attention. The gaps are almost always somewhere else.
- Sliding doors and their latches.
- Window locks, especially on the ground floor.
- Garage side doors and the interconnecting door to the house.
- Outbuildings, cottages and store rooms.
- The gate motor's remotes — and any spares the previous owner kept.
Day three: reset every remote and code
Gate and garage remotes are handed over casually and duplicated freely. Reprogramming the motor and re-issuing only the remotes you hold closes that gap in one visit.
Day four: upgrade what is visibly weak
Deadlocks, security gates, door closers and quality padlocks are the incremental upgrades that make the biggest difference on an ordinary house. Fit them where the door is weakest, not where it is most visible.
Day five: decide whether you want visibility
CCTV is worth considering once the physical layer is sorted. Cameras record what happened; locks decide whether it happens. Do the locks first.
Frequently asked
- Is rekeying enough, or must I replace the locks?
- Rekeying is enough when the existing hardware is sound. Replacement makes sense when the lock is worn, damaged or too weak for the door.
- Should I rekey a rental property between tenants?
- Yes. Rekeying between tenancies is the standard way to guarantee that previous keys no longer open the door.
The service behind this guide
More from the Knowledge Centre
Need this sorted today?
Call Jurgens Holtzhausen on 083 227 1625 — 24 hour service across Kempton Park and the East Rand.