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Just moved in? Make sure you're the only one with a key
On possession day you don't know how many keys are out there: previous owners, the builder, trades, realtors and neighbours who fed the cat. Rekeying the doors makes every one of them useless. Here is the short list of what else to change in your first week.
You approve the price before we start. Not sure it's really us? See who's coming.
Should I change the locks when I buy a house?
Yes, or rekey them. You can't know how many keys the previous owners, builders, trades or realtors handed out. Rekeying keeps the existing locks and makes every old key stop working, which is usually all a new owner needs. Replace a lock only if it is worn, weak or damaged.
Who else has a key to your new place?
You got two or three keys at closing. Count everyone who might have had one before you: the previous owners and their kids, the dog walker, a cleaner, contractors from the last renovation, the listing agent's lockbox, neighbours who watered plants. In a new build, add the builder, every trade and the site supervisor. You'll never collect them all. A rekey makes them all useless in one visit.
The first-week checklist
- Rekey every exterior door, including the back door and the side door into the garage. One key for all of them if the locks allow.
- Garage door opener: clear the stored remotes and reprogram the ones you have. A garage remote is a key to your house. See garage door openers if you need help.
- Keypads and smart locks: delete every code and app user the previous owner set, or reset the lock to factory settings.
- Sliding and patio doors: check the latch actually catches and add a bar in the track if it doesn't.
- Windows: make sure every basement window latch works; they're the ones nobody checks.
- Mailbox: community mailbox keys come from Canada Post, not a locksmith. Ask them for new keys.
- Alarm system: change the codes and update the contact list with the monitoring company.
Older homes and new subdivisions
In Winnipeg's older neighbourhoods, a move-in often turns up original locks that have been painted over or no longer line up with the strike. Some are worth rekeying, some are worth replacing; our guide to rekey or replace helps you decide. In the newer subdivisions around the edge of the city and in the towns nearby, possession-day rekeys are routine, because nobody knows how many construction keys went out.
Going keyless instead
If you want codes instead of keys from day one, we can fit smart locks on the same visit as the rekey.
Book before you move in
Possession days pile up at month end. Book early, tell us how many doors and send a photo of the locks. You get the price before we start: see our price promise.
Where we go
All of Winnipeg and the towns around it. See every area we cover, and we tell you the real arrival time on the phone.
Questions people ask
- Rekey or new locks for a new house?
- If the locks work well, rekey. You keep the hardware and lose every old key. If a lock is worn or you want a better grade or a smart lock, replace that one. We'll tell you which on the visit.
- Can all the doors be on one key?
- Usually, yes, if the locks share a keyway. Front, back and the garage side door on one key is the most common move-in request.
- It's a brand new build. Do I still need to rekey?
- Yes. During construction, keys pass through many hands. Some builders use construction keys that are disabled when the owner's key is first used; others don't. If you're not sure which you have, rekey.
- Can you come on possession day itself?
- Book ahead and we'll try to. Possession days cluster at month end, so the earlier you book, the better.
Book a time, or ask a question.
Open 24 hours, 7 days. You approve the price before we start.