Landlord & Tenant Lock Changes

Legally, a landlord cannot change the locks on an occupied property without the tenant's consent — doing so is treated as unlawful eviction. Equally, a tenant has no right to change the locks during a tenancy without the landlord's written permission. The safe, correct moment for a lock change is at the formal handover: when keys are returned, the inventory is signed off, and the previous tenant has vacated. At that point, changing the cylinder or the whole lock mechanism is not just sensible — many buildings insurance policies and landlord insurance products now expect it. If you are unsure whether your policy requires a BS3621-rated 5-lever mortice deadlock or a TS007 3-star anti-snap euro cylinder on a uPVC door, our technicians can advise on the spot and fit a compliant replacement.

For tenants moving in, the concern is straightforward: you do not know how many copies of the existing key are in circulation. Former occupants, previous maintenance contractors, or even earlier tenants from years back may still hold a copy. A fresh cylinder costs very little relative to the security it restores, and it means you start your tenancy knowing with certainty that you hold all the keys. We work directly with tenants, landlords and letting agents — whoever contacts us is who we deal with — and we confirm ownership or authorisation before any work begins.

These four terms get used interchangeably but they mean different things in practice, and knowing the difference helps you describe your situation accurately when you call us. A lock change typically means swapping the cylinder or the lock mechanism for a new one of the same type — the door furniture stays, the locking points stay, only the internal working part is replaced. This is by far the most common request at tenancy handovers on uPVC and composite doors, where pulling the euro cylinder and fitting a fresh one is a clean, quick job. A lock replacement goes slightly further: the entire lock body, including the case and any visible hardware, is removed and replaced — this is often necessary on older timber doors where the existing mortice lock is worn, damaged, or no longer meets insurance standards.

Lock installation means fitting a lock where none existed before, or adding a secondary lock to a door that only had one. This comes up when a landlord upgrades a property between tenancies, or when a tenant requests an additional deadlock on a rear garden door or a communal entrance improvement. Lock repair covers situations where the mechanism is faulty — a stiff deadlock, a nightlatch that does not retract properly, a multipoint lock where one of the hooks has stopped engaging — but the core lock is otherwise sound. We will always tell you honestly which of these four applies to your door, and we aim to work damage-free wherever possible, preserving the door and frame rather than forcing or drilling unless there is genuinely no alternative.

Bexleyheath's housing stock is varied, and so are the locks our team encounters on a daily basis. On traditional timber front doors — common on the terraced streets around Upton Road and the older housing in Barnehurst — the standard setup is a Yale-style nightlatch on the upper half of the door paired with a 5-lever mortice deadlock lower down. At a tenancy change, we can replace the rim cylinder on the nightlatch and re-key the mortice lock independently, or swap the mortice lock entirely if the existing one is worn or below the BS3621 standard your insurer requires. For the nightlatch, we fit anti-pick rim cylinders as standard and can upgrade to a high-security double-locking nightlatch where the door type allows.

uPVC and composite doors — fitted widely across the newer developments and converted flats throughout DA6 and DA7 — use a multipoint locking system driven by a euro cylinder. Euro cylinder replacement is one of the most common lock change Bexleyheath jobs we carry out at tenancy handovers, and it is also one of the most security-critical: cheap euro cylinders are vulnerable to snap attacks, where the exposed section is sheared off and the lock is bypassed in seconds. We fit anti-snap, anti-pick, anti-drill cylinders that meet the TS007 3-star rating, which is the benchmark most insurers and local housing associations now require. For older uPVC doors where the multipoint mechanism itself is sluggish or failing, we carry out full uPVC door lock repair Bexleyheath work — adjusting or replacing the gearbox and locking points so the door operates correctly before the new tenant moves in. Rear patio doors and French doors in Bexleyheath properties often use the same euro cylinder platform, and we cover those too.

For landlords managing a single rental property, the process is simple: call us on 020 3757 5689 when the previous tenant has handed back their keys, and we will send a locksmith straight away — we are usually with you in about 30 minutes. We confirm an exact, up-front price before any work begins, so there are no surprises on the invoice. The factors that determine the final quote include the type of lock and door, the number of locking points, the parts needed, the time of day, and travel distance to your property — we will cover all of that on the call. For letting agents coordinating multiple properties across Bexleyheath and the wider DA postcode area, we can work efficiently across a schedule of handovers, turning jobs around quickly so void periods are not extended unnecessarily.

Tenants who want a lock change on a property they have just moved into should, in most cases, seek written permission from their landlord first — we strongly recommend getting this in writing before we attend, as it protects both parties. Where a landlord has pre-authorised us to carry out the work and arranged for the tenant to meet us at the property, we can deal with the tenant directly on the day. If you are locked out of your new home and cannot reach your landlord, we provide a full emergency locksmith Bexleyheath service around the clock — call 020 3757 5689 and we will get you in safely, with proof of residency checks carried out before the door is opened.

Tenancy handovers do not always go smoothly. Keys get handed back late, inventory disputes delay checkout, or a new tenant discovers on moving day that the lock is already damaged or the door will not close properly. Our 24 hour locksmith Bexleyheath service exists precisely for these situations. We operate every day of the year — including bank holidays and over the Christmas and New Year period — and our mobile technicians cover Bexleyheath town centre, the residential streets around Watling Street, the flats near Bexleyheath station, and surrounding neighbourhoods across the DA6 and DA7 postcode districts.

Being mobile means we come to you — there is no need to remove a lock and bring it to a workshop, and no waiting for a slot at a fixed premises. Each technician carries a range of replacement cylinders, lock cases, and door hardware so that most tenancy lock changes are completed in a single visit. For landlords who have experienced an emergency — a lock damaged at the end of a tenancy, a door that will not secure properly overnight — our around-the-clock availability means the property is never left unsecured while you wait for a standard business hours appointment.