In short:
- Until you've checked, assume that previous owners, tenants, agents, staff, contractors and neighbours may still hold keys, remotes or access codes.
- Secure the doors and gates that lead straight into living areas and bedrooms first, then work outwards to garages, outbuildings and internal doors.
- In a sectional-title complex, an estate or a rental, find out what you're allowed to change, and who controls gates and tags, before you book any work.
- On many cylinder locks, replacing just the cylinder makes old keys useless without changing the whole lock.
- Use the printable checklist near the end to keep track of what you've done.
Why moving day is the time to think about locks
When you take over a home, you take over its locks, but you don't take over the history of its keys. You may be handed a bunch of keys at transfer or at the start of a lease, with no record of how many copies exist. Over the years, keys will have gone to family members, domestic workers, garden services, builders, estate agents running show days and neighbours watching the house over a holiday. Some will have been returned; some won't.
A lock that works perfectly can still leave you exposed if someone you don't know holds a key to it. This checklist helps you decide what to secure and in what order. It doesn't assume every lock needs replacing: often only a handful of doors matter, and some locks only need a new cylinder. If you decide to change locks, our lock replacement service in Sandton covers the work on site.
Who might still have keys, remotes or codes
Go through this list for your new home. You won't always get a complete answer, but every "don't know" is a reason to treat that lock or system as unsecured.
| Who | What they may still hold | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Previous owner and their family | Spare door keys, gate remotes, alarm codes, estate tags | Ask how many keys and remotes exist and ask for all of them at handover. Treat anything unaccounted for as lost. |
| Previous tenants | Keys copied during the lease, remotes, codes | If you're the new owner or landlord, assume copies exist unless the lease records every key. |
| Estate agents and rental agents | Keys used for show days and viewings | Ask the agency to return every set and confirm there are no copies left in a key safe or lockbox. |
| Domestic workers, gardeners, pool and garden services | Kitchen-door and gate keys, pedestrian-gate remotes | Ask the previous occupant who had keys. If you keep the same staff, agree which keys they'll hold. |
| Builders, painters and other contractors | Keys or codes given during renovations | Ask whether any work was done recently and whether keys came back. |
| Alarm or armed-response company | Alarm codes, a keyholder list with the previous occupant's contacts | Contact the company to change codes and update the keyholder and contact list. |
| Body corporate, managing agent or estate management | Access tags, remotes and biometric records; sometimes an access arrangement for your unit | Ask them to cancel the previous occupant's access and to tell you what records or keys they keep. |
Pay special attention to keys that were ever kept with something showing the address, such as a tagged key ring or a bag containing post. The more obvious it is which property a key opens, the greater the risk if it's lost.
Freestanding houses: many doors, many gates
A freestanding house in Sandton often has more ways in than people expect: a front door, a kitchen or scullery door, sliding or patio doors, an interleading door from the garage, security gates in front of some doors, a pedestrian gate in the boundary wall, and outbuildings such as storerooms or a cottage. Each may have its own key, and few bunches come labelled.
Sort out the keys first
Before anyone changes anything, try each key in each lock and label what it opens. Note any lock with no working key, and any key that opens nothing you can find. Both are worth telling the locksmith about.
Then prioritise the doors
- Doors that open straight into living areas: the front door, kitchen door and patio or sliding doors.
- The interleading door from the garage, especially if garage remotes are unaccounted for.
- Security gates in front of those doors. If a gate is locked with a padlock or its own lock, describe it when you call and ask whether it's work the locksmith does.
- Any security gate that closes off the bedroom wing, if your house has one.
- Outbuildings and storerooms, particularly those holding tools or ladders.
- Internal doors, which rarely need attention for security reasons.
Remotes for electric gates and garage doors are usually re-coded by following the gate-motor or garage-door manufacturer's instructions, or by the installer. That's normally a separate job from the door locks.
Sectional-title units: what the body corporate and managing agent control
If you're buying into a sectional-title complex, some of the doors and gates you use every day aren't yours to change. Main gates, pedestrian gates, communal doors and their access systems belong to the scheme and are managed by the body corporate, usually through a managing agent. Ask the managing agent to cancel the previous owner's tags or remotes and to issue yours.
Your own front door is a different matter, but check before you change its lock or add a gate. Whether a door counts as part of your section or as common property depends on the scheme's sectional plan and rules, and conduct rules often control changes that affect the appearance of the building. The managing agent can tell you what applies in your complex.
The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act also places duties on owners that are relevant here. Owners must promptly tell the body corporate about a change of ownership or occupancy. They must also allow a person authorised by the body corporate into their section, at reasonable hours and after notice (except in an emergency), for purposes such as maintaining shared services. So the body corporate may ask how access can be arranged in an emergency: settle that with the managing agent.
If you can't resolve a disagreement with the body corporate, the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) deals with disputes in community schemes.
Estates: gate access belongs to the estate
In a security estate, the gate, boom, visitor system and any biometric or tag access are run by the estate's homeowners' association or its management. As a new owner or tenant, ask estate management in writing to remove the previous occupant's access and register yours. Ask also how domestic workers' and contractors' access is managed, because those permissions may still be in the previous occupant's name.
The locks on your house are your responsibility, but estates commonly have rules about visible changes such as new security gates, and procedures for letting contractors in. Check both before booking work. CSOS also covers disputes in homeowners' associations.
Renting: lease terms and landlord consent come first
If you're moving into a rental, read the lease for anything about locks, keys and alterations before you change anything. Even if the lease says nothing, ask the landlord or rental agent in writing before changing a lock. Many landlords will agree, but may want a key, or want the original lock or cylinder kept and refitted when you leave. Agreeing this in writing avoids an argument about the deposit later.
- Record the keys at the incoming inspection. The Rental Housing Act provides for a joint inspection before you move in, to record existing defects. Use it to note which locks work and how many keys and remotes you received.
- Lost keys can come out of the deposit. The Act allows a landlord to deduct the cost of replacing lost keys, so keep the original keys safe and return them all.
- Inspections need notice. The landlord may inspect the property, but must respect your privacy and give reasonable notice.
- Disputes between tenants and landlords can be taken to the Rental Housing Tribunal, which is free to use.
If you're the landlord, a change of tenant is a natural point to re-secure the main doors.
Change the whole lock, the cylinder, or nothing?
Re-securing a door doesn't always mean a new lock. What makes sense depends on the type of lock and its condition. Our guide to mortice, cylinder and multipoint locks explains how to tell them apart.
| Situation | Often the sensible option |
|---|---|
| Cylinder lock in good condition, keys unaccounted for | Replace the cylinder only. The rest of the lock stays. |
| Lever mortice lock in good condition, keys unaccounted for | Usually a replacement lock of the same size. Ask whether anything less is possible for your lock. |
| Multipoint lock on an aluminium or uPVC door | Usually a new cylinder, if the multipoint mechanism works properly. |
| Lock that is worn, stiff or damaged | Replace it, rather than spend money re-securing a lock that's about to fail. |
| All keys accounted for and the lock works well | Leave it, and keep it maintained. |
When choosing new locks, ask whether the cylinders can be supplied to work with one key. Whether that's possible depends on the brand and type. Remember that new locks come with the keys their manufacturer supplies. We don't cut or duplicate keys, so if you need more copies, plan for that when choosing the lock. For more detail, see choosing a replacement lock that fits the existing door.
A printable moving-in checklist
Print this section or copy it into your notes, and tick items off as you go.
Before moving day
- Ask the seller, landlord or agent how many keys, remotes and tags exist for each door and gate.
- Ask who else has held keys: staff, contractors, neighbours, agents.
- Find out the body corporate, estate or lease rules on changing locks and fitting gates.
- Get the managing agent's or estate management's contact details for access tags and remotes.
On the day you take occupation
- Collect every key, remote and tag, and count them against what you were told.
- Test each key in each lock and label what it opens.
- List locks with no working key and keys that open nothing.
- For rentals, record locks and keys in the incoming inspection.
- Check that every external door locks properly when it's closed, not just when it's open.
In the first week
- Ask for the previous occupant's estate or complex access to be cancelled, and for yours to be registered.
- Have alarm codes changed and the keyholder list updated.
- Have gate and garage remotes re-coded, following the manufacturer's or installer's process.
- Re-secure the highest-priority doors first: front, kitchen, patio, garage interleading door.
- Decide who in the household holds which keys, and keep a written record.
Later
- Deal with outbuildings and storerooms, and keep receipts and key-registration cards for new locks somewhere safe.
- Look after the locks you've kept: see exterior door lock maintenance.
When you call a locksmith: what to have ready
If you decide to have locks changed, a little preparation makes the visit quicker and the quote more accurate.
- Your list of doors in priority order, with a photo of each lock from both sides and of the lock's edge if you can.
- Any brand names on the locks or keys.
- Permission from the landlord, body corporate or estate, if it's needed.
- Gate or reception arrangements, so the technician can get in.
- Proof that you live at the property, such as an offer to purchase, transfer documents or a lease. A responsible locksmith will want to be sure you're entitled to have the locks changed.
We're a mobile locksmith in Sandton, so the work happens at your door. Call-out: R250 call-out fee. Quotations: The technician assesses the job on site and gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing is done until you agree.
Questions
Do I really need to change locks if the seller gave me all the keys?
Only you can judge that, but bear in mind that the seller may not know about every copy, especially if the house was rented out or had staff and contractors over the years. If you have doubts about a door that leads straight into the house, re-securing it is a modest cost compared with the risk.
Can I change the lock on my sectional-title front door without asking anyone?
Check with the managing agent first. Whether the door is part of your section or common property, and whether the scheme's rules control its appearance, depends on your complex. The communal gates and doors are definitely the body corporate's to manage.
Need a locksmith to look at it?
If this hasn't solved the problem, our lock replacement service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Sandton, so we come to your door.
Sources and further reading
- Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act 8 of 2011, section 13: Duties of owners (Acts Online) — owners' duties to notify the body corporate of changes in ownership or occupancy and to allow authorised access after notice
- Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) — dispute resolution for community schemes, including bodies corporate and homeowners' associations
- Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999, section 4B: Rights and obligations of landowners (Acts Online) — joint inspection before occupation, deduction of the cost of lost keys from the deposit, inspections with reasonable notice
- Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999, section 4A: Rights and obligations of tenants (Acts Online) — tenant's right to privacy and joint inspections
- GroundUp: answer on lodging a complaint with the Gauteng Rental Housing Tribunal — the Rental Housing Tribunal is a free service for landlord and tenant disputes
- Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001, section 1: Definitions (Acts Online) — performing the functions of a locksmith is included in the definition of a security service
- ABLOY Master Key System Design Guide — the easier it is to identify where a lost key is used, the greater the risk of misuse