Move-in lock change
The Question Every New Homeowner Should Ask
Moving is exhausting on its own, and locks are rarely near the top of anyone's to-do list in the first week. But it's worth asking a simple question before you get settled: how many people currently have a working key to your new front door? For most homes, the honest answer is "I have no idea," and that uncertainty is exactly why changing your locks should happen early, ideally before your first night in the house.
Who Might Still Have a Key
Think through everyone who could plausibly hold a copy of the previous owner's key: the sellers themselves, their real estate agent, a home inspector, contractors who did work over the years, a house cleaner, a dog walker, or even a neighbour who was trusted with a spare during vacations. None of this implies anything about the previous owners personally. It's simply how keys accumulate over the years a house is lived in, and there's no practical way to track down and collect every copy that's ever been cut.
Rekey or Replace: What Makes Sense on Move-In Day
If the existing locks are in good physical condition, functioning smoothly with no rust or wear, rekeying is usually the right call. It resets exactly which key opens your door without the cost of new hardware. If the locks are outdated, low-security, or you simply want a fresh start with a security upgrade, this is also a natural moment to replace them entirely, since a locksmith is already coming out to address access regardless.
Many Ottawa homebuyers use move-in day as an opportunity to upgrade to high-security deadbolts or install a smart lock, particularly if the home is older and the existing hardware reflects an earlier era of standard-issue builder locks.
Timing: Before or After Move-In Day
Ideally, locks are changed before you move any belongings in, or at the very least on the same day as closing. Waiting even a week introduces a window where the home is occupied but still accessible to anyone with an old key. If your closing timeline makes same-day service tight, most locksmiths, including our Ottawa team, can typically accommodate a rekey or replacement appointment on short notice around a closing date.
Don't Forget Secondary Entry Points
The front door gets the most attention, understandably, but every exterior door deserves the same treatment: back doors, garage man-doors, and any basement walkouts. It's common for homeowners to rekey the front door and forget that a side entrance or garage door uses a completely different key that never got addressed. A thorough locksmith visit covers every exterior access point, not just the one you use most.
What About Garage Door Openers and Alarm Codes?
Physical keys aren't the only access method worth resetting. If the home has a garage door opener, resetting the remote code or reprogramming the opener is a good idea for the same reason as rekeying. Similarly, if there's an existing alarm system, changing the access code and updating who's registered as a user closes another gap that carries over from the previous owners.
The Cost Perspective
Rekeying an entire home's worth of exterior locks is a modest cost relative to the peace of mind it provides, especially set against the cost of a security incident down the line. It's one of those move-in expenses that's easy to skip in the chaos of a move, but it's consistently one of the most valuable ones, dollar for dollar, of everything on a typical moving checklist.
Final Word
Changing your locks after a move is one of the simplest, most affordable security steps a new homeowner can take, and it's easy to overlook in the middle of packing boxes and change-of-address forms. Making it a priority for closing day, rather than something to get to eventually, closes a real gap before it ever becomes a problem.
Can-Lock Security helps new homeowners across Ottawa, including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Stittsville, and Orleans, as well as Arnprior, Renfrew, and the GTA including Toronto, Mississauga, and Vaughan, get their locks sorted on move-in day. We can often accommodate same-day appointments around your closing date.
Ottawa: 613-908-8815 | Toronto/GTA: 647-975-1702
Suggested internal links: Rekeying, Residential Locksmith, Lock Replacement, Smart Lock Installation, High-Security Locks
FAQs
Open a question for a short answer.
Trusting the previous owners isn't really the issue. The concern is everyone else who may have held a key over the years, from contractors to real estate agents, none of whom you have any relationship with or way of tracking down.
If the existing locks are in good condition, rekeying is usually sufficient and more cost-effective. If they're outdated or you want a security upgrade, replacement makes more sense.
As close to closing day as possible, ideally before you move any belongings in. Many locksmiths can schedule this around your closing date with a bit of advance notice.
Yes. Resetting the remote code or reprogramming the opener closes the same kind of access gap that rekeying addresses for physical door locks.
Even new builds often have keys held by multiple trades who worked on the house during construction, so rekeying is still worth considering rather than assuming a fresh build means a fresh set of keys.
