The First-Week Lock Checklist for a New Home

The previous owner problem

When you close on a home, you receive a set of keys, but you do not receive a list of everyone who ever held one. The sellers may have given copies to relatives, neighbors, a pool service, a cleaner, a real estate agent, a contractor or a house sitter. Some of those people may not remember they still have a key, and others may have lost theirs somewhere.

None of this implies bad intent. Most people are perfectly honest. But a lock that has been in use for years has had time to spread keys in many directions, and you cannot know where they all went. The only way to be certain the old keys no longer work is to change the lock itself, or rekey it so the internal pins no longer match.

That is why locksmiths often say the first thing to do in a new home is rekey. It is a modest job in comparison to replacing every lock, and it takes the previous owner problem off your plate. After it is done, the only working keys are the ones in your hand, and you know exactly how many exist.

Day one: secure the obvious doors

On the first day, walk through the house and look at every exterior door: front, back, garage entry, lanai or sliding door, side gates and any pool entrance. For each one, see whether the lock turns smoothly, whether the door closes firmly and whether a deadbolt is present. Note anything that seems loose, rough or missing.

If you cannot rekey immediately, take practical steps for the first night. Make sure every door locks. Place a bar or dowel in the track of sliding doors. Check that windows latch. Look for signs of previous problems, such as pry marks on a frame or damaged strike plates, which might hint at an old forced-entry attempt that was never properly repaired.

Write down what you find in a simple list. This gives you a clear conversation to have with a locksmith when you call, because you can describe each door and its condition. Quotes are given by phone based on those details, and a clear list helps the person on the line understand how big the job is.

Count and label every key you received

Lay out all the keys from the closing envelope and see what you have. How many keys did you get for the front door? Is there a separate key for the deadbolt? What about the back door, the garage entry, the mailbox, a shed, a storage cage in a condo, or a gate? Sort them into groups and find out what each one opens by trying them.

Then label them with a small tag. Use a code or short description such as front, back or garage side, never the full address. If you lose a ring, you do not want a finder to know where the lock is. Keep the tags simple and consistent so every household member understands them.

Expect surprises. Sometimes a key opens nothing, which suggests an old lock was replaced. Sometimes a lock has no matching key, which means someone else has the only copy. Make a list of mismatches. Those are the first places to ask about when you call a locksmith, and they often reveal which locks need attention first.

Rekey or replace: how to decide

Rekeying changes the inside of a lock so that old keys stop working and new keys take over. The lock hardware, handle and finish stay as they are. It is the right choice when the locks are in good condition and you simply want a fresh start. It also lets you have all exterior doors work with one key, which is convenient.

Replacement is better when the lock is worn, damaged, an old style that no longer fits your needs, or not up to a security level you want. In a salt-air climate, older hardware can corrode, with finishes flaking and internal parts getting sticky. If a lock already feels rough, rekeying will not fix that, and a new unit might be the wiser investment.

A technician can look at each lock and advise honestly. Before rekeying or replacing, they will confirm that you own the home or have authority to make the change. A closing statement, deed record or ID matching the address works. For complicated jobs, a technician visits and the service call charge is explained before dispatch.

Garage door openers and remotes

Garage openers are easy to forget, but they often provide the easiest way into a home. Previous owners may have given remotes to family or friends, and the opener may still respond to those devices. Many homes also have a keypad on the outside wall with a code the sellers chose years ago.

Start by finding every remote that came with the house. Then reset the opener's memory using the instructions in its manual, which erases all paired remotes and keypad codes. Pair only the ones you have in hand. Set a new code on the exterior keypad, avoiding obvious numbers like a birthday or the street number.

Also check the door between the garage and the house. Many are fitted with a plain knob and no deadbolt, yet they connect directly to living space. A solid deadbolt, a firm strike plate and a door that latches on its own add a good deal of security for a modest effort. Keep the emergency release cord out of easy reach from outside.

Hidden spare keys and old hiding places

Previous owners often tucked a spare key somewhere outside: under a planter, behind a loose brick, inside a fake rock, in a utility box or on a ledge above the door. Anyone who visited the home might remember where it was. Walk the property and look in likely places, and remove anything you find.

Do not simply replace the hidden key with another one in the same spot. Thieves and strangers know the obvious hiding places, and many have checked a few of them in their time. A better approach is to leave a spare with a trusted person nearby or use a quality lockbox mounted out of sight with a code you control.

Inside the house, check drawers, cabinets and hooks near the kitchen for stray keys. Try each against your locks. Keys that fit nothing may belong to a former lock or an outbuilding. A few might be tags for a gate or a storage area. Collect them in one place and decide which to keep and which to dispose of.

Sliding doors, lanai doors and windows

Florida homes have more glass doors than most. Sliding doors to a lanai or pool deck are a favorite entry for opportunists, partly because their built-in latches are often weak. Check that the latch engages fully, that the track is clean and that the door cannot be lifted out of its frame. A secondary lock or a bar in the track makes a big difference.

Salt air and humidity affect sliders in particular. Tracks collect grit and corrosion, wheels wear down and latches get sticky. If a door is hard to slide or the lock needs a hard push, it may be time for service. A door that is hard to operate tends to be left unlatched, which defeats the purpose.

Look at windows too, particularly those at ground level or facing a hidden side yard. Make sure the latches work and the sashes close firmly. If you plan to install hurricane protection, think about how it interacts with the doors, so you can still reach an exit quickly in an emergency.

Keyed alike, a single key for the house

Many new owners like the idea of one key that opens the front door, the back door and the garage entry. This is called keyed alike. It reduces the number of keys in your pocket and simplifies sharing access with family. It can be set up during a rekey, as long as the locks are compatible.

The tradeoff is that losing one key means every door is exposed. Weigh convenience against risk based on your household. Some owners keep the front and back doors keyed alike and use a separate key for a shed, pool gate or detached garage that is not part of the main living space.

If you are installing smart locks or keypad locks on some doors, you may also keep a standard keyway for backup. A technician can match those cylinders to your master plan so a single key works for the mechanical backup on every door. Describe what you have when you call, and the plan can be shaped around it.

Mailbox, gates, storage and the small stuff

It is easy to focus on the front door and overlook everything else. Mailboxes, cluster mail units, storage cages, bike racks, community gates, pool access fobs and utility closets often come with their own keys. Some are controlled by an association, and you may need to contact the management office to have a lock changed or a fob reprogrammed.

In condominium towers and planned communities, the rules are different from a standalone house. The association may hold a master key or require notice before any lock work on your unit. Ask about these rules before you schedule a rekey, so no one is surprised and your emergency access arrangements remain in place.

Make a note of anything you cannot change yourself and put it on a follow-up list. Request new fobs, gate codes and mailbox keys in writing if the community uses a formal process. Ask who had the previous owner's fobs and whether those were deactivated. This closes loops that are easy to overlook in the rush of moving.

Seasonal owners and homes left empty

If you plan to leave your new home empty for months, the checklist matters even more. A vacant property needs reliable locks, a clear plan for who enters, and no hidden keys in circulation. Rekey before you leave so that the only keys are ones you can account for, and share them only with people you trust.

Think about who will check on the house. A friend, a property manager or a house watch service may need access. A keypad lock with a personal code makes this easy and avoids handing out copies of your key. If a physical key is necessary, record who has it and when it should be returned.

Before leaving for the season, test every lock, replace batteries on any electronic hardware, and photograph your key setup for your records. Hurricane season adds its own concerns, so keep a backup key where your trusted contact can reach it. A short, careful check before you go is far less stressful than a surprise in the autumn.

What to tell the locksmith when you call

A good call starts with a few simple facts. Say that you have just bought the home. Describe how many exterior doors you have, whether they use deadbolts, and whether you want all of them keyed the same. Mention any electronic locks, garage entry doors or sliding doors. Share anything unusual, like a lock that does not match its key.

Quotes are given by phone, so a clear description helps. Have the address ready, but never read out private details like codes. If the job is complicated, a technician visits and the service call charge is explained before dispatch. Call to confirm availability, then plan the visit for a time when someone with authority over the home can be there.

On the day, expect the technician to ask for proof of ownership, such as a closing document or ID that matches the address. They may test every lock, rekey the cylinders, cut new keys and show you how each one works. Keep the new keys in a safe place and make a simple log of who holds them from now on.

A one-page summary to tape inside a cabinet

Once everything is done, write a short summary. List each door, the lock type, the number of keys and the person holding each. Add the date of the rekey and the name of the technician who did it. Note any codes you have set on electronic hardware and where backups are stored. Keep this page somewhere private and findable.

Review the page once a year. Replace tags that have worn out, update the holder list as people come and go, and add notes on anything that feels off, such as a sticky turn or a loose handle. Small notes become useful clues when a lock begins to fail, and they make future calls shorter and clearer.

The first week in a home is busy, and locks rarely feel urgent. But a few careful hours now give you something valuable: the quiet knowledge that you control who can enter your front door. Whether your new place is a canal-front house, a golf community villa or a condo near the beach, that peace of mind is worth the effort.

Testing every lock like a stranger would

Once the basics are handled, spend ten minutes testing the home the way an outsider might. Walk outside and try each door from the exterior side with the lock engaged. Push and pull firmly. See whether the door flexes at the latch, whether the gap between door and frame is even, and whether the deadbolt actually extends into the frame or merely rests against it.

Look closely at the strike plate, the metal piece set into the frame that receives the bolt. Short screws, a cracked frame or a loose plate are common weaknesses, especially in older houses where the wood has dried and split. Longer screws that reach into the stud behind the frame often make a visible difference. If the frame is damaged, repair it before trusting any new lock.

Test also from the inside. Make sure every thumb turn operates smoothly, so that anyone in the house can leave quickly during an emergency without hunting for a key. Doors that require a key on the inside can be a hazard in a fire. Note which doors have this setup and talk through safer alternatives with the technician.

Finally, check the lighting around entrances. A dark doorway invites trouble, and a motion light near the garage side or lanai costs little compared with its value. Trim back shrubs that hide a door from the street or from neighbors. Good locks work best when paired with simple visibility, and in a community of neighbors who look out for each other, a clear view of your door does a lot of quiet work.