Changing the locks when you move into a Croydon home: a checklist

The day you collect the keys to a Croydon home is the day you should assume someone else still has a set. Previous owners, tenants, builders, cleaners and agents all had copies at some point, and no one can tell you how many came back. Booking a locksmith in Croydon for the first week is cheap insurance. This checklist covers which locks to change, the British Standards your insurer will expect, how to check a locksmith before you let them in, and what the work typically costs.

The move-in lock checklist

Walk the property with this list in the first few days, before the furniture arrives. Most of it takes ten minutes.

1. Count the external doors: front, back, side, garage, any door from an integral garage into the house, and any door onto a balcony or flat roof.
2. Note the lock type on each. Timber doors usually have a mortice deadlock in the edge and a night latch on the face; uPVC and composite doors have a euro cylinder and a multipoint strip.
3. Look for a British Standard kitemark on the faceplate of each mortice lock and on the cylinder of each euro lock.
4. Check the windows: ground floor and any reachable from a flat roof should have key-operated locks.
5. Ask the agent or seller in writing how many keys were cut and how many have been handed back.
6. Read the locks and security section of your home insurance policy before you call anyone.

If you rent, the landlord normally pays to change locks at the start of a tenancy only if there is a security reason, so ask before you book and get any agreement in writing.

Which locks to change, and to what standard

Changing a lock does not mean replacing the whole mechanism. On a timber door, a locksmith can usually change the levers inside the existing mortice lock or swap the lock case for a new one in the same cut-out. On a uPVC or composite door, the euro cylinder is the only part that needs to come out, and it is a twenty minute job. Insurers commonly require a mortice deadlock to BS3621 on timber external doors, with a five lever mechanism and a kitemark on the faceplate, and a cylinder rated TS007 three star or SS312 Diamond on uPVC doors, which is the rating that resists lock snapping.

Lock snapping is the point to understand. A standard euro cylinder can be broken in half with hand tools in under a minute, and burglars in south London know it. A three star cylinder, or a one star cylinder paired with two star security handles, is the fix and costs little more than a basic replacement. If your policy wording names a standard and your doors do not meet it, a claim after a break-in can be reduced or refused, which is why the policy comes before the shopping list.

What is different about Croydon doors

Croydon has a wider spread of housing than most of outer London, and each type arrives with its own locks. The Victorian terraces of Thornton Heath, South Norwood and Broad Green mostly have original timber doors fitted with a night latch and, if you are lucky, a mortice deadlock from a previous owner; many of those deadlocks are old three lever models that do not meet BS3621. The 1930s semis of Purley, Coulsdon, Shirley and Sanderstead have had their timber doors replaced with uPVC over the last thirty years, and a large share of those cylinders predate the anti-snap standards.

The town centre and the newer blocks in East Croydon and around the tram line have communal entrances with fob or code access, and the flat door inside is usually a fire door with a euro cylinder; in those buildings you need the freeholder’s agreement before changing anything on a communal door. Local locksmiths see a steady run of snapping damage on older cylinders across all of these. Our Croydon hub and our seasonal locksmith advice for Croydon homes cover the winter checks that follow.

How to check a locksmith in Croydon before you book

There is no statutory licensing of locksmiths in the UK, so anyone can buy a van and a set of picks and call themselves one. The checks that stand in for a licence are membership of the Master Locksmiths Association’s approved company scheme, which inspects members and requires a DBS check, and a photo ID card the locksmith will show at the door without being asked. A legitimate locksmith will also ask you for proof that you live at the address before they change or open anything, and will not be offended when you ask the same of them.

Avoid any firm that quotes only a call-out fee and will not discuss the price of the lock, and be wary of national call centres that pass the job to whoever is nearest. The government explains what a DBS check actually covers, and our guide to what to check before you call a locksmith in London lists the questions to ask on the phone.

What changing the locks typically costs

As indicative ranges rather than quotes, a locksmith in Croydon typically charges £80 to £150 to supply and fit a standard euro cylinder, rising to £120 to £200 for a three star anti-snap cylinder. Replacing a mortice deadlock with a BS3621 model is typically £120 to £220 fitted, and a night latch £90 to £170. London prices run higher than the national range of £70 to £180 for the same jobs, and a daytime weekday appointment is always cheaper than an evening call-out.

When to call a professional

Swapping a euro cylinder is within reach of a confident householder with a screwdriver and a tape measure, provided you measure the old cylinder correctly, because a cylinder that protrudes beyond the handle is the easiest kind to snap. Mortice locks, multipoint strips, misaligned uPVC doors and anything on a communal entrance belong with a locksmith. If a door has been forced, call the police on 101 first, or 999 if someone may still be inside, and then a locksmith for the repair.

Our free help desk can find a locksmith Croydon households already trust, with the MLA membership and ID checks done before anyone arrives. Tell us the doors, the lock types and your dates through our request help page. The team reviews every enquiry and confirms availability and credentials before anything is agreed, so nothing is booked until they come back to you.

Guidance is general and refers to the authority that sets each rule. Costs are indicative ranges; always get written quotes. Trade availability and credentials are confirmed when you enquire.