Moving checklists cover the electricity, the internet and the mail redirect, and almost none of them mention the one item with actual security consequences: the keys you were handed at settlement are copies of copies, and you have no idea how many others exist.
Previous owners, their adult kids, ex-partners, tenants, cleaners, dog walkers, tradies and every agent who ran an open home may hold a working key to your new front door. Rekeying erases all of that in a single visit. Here is how to do it properly and when.
Why rekey immediately, not eventually
The keys handed over at settlement are whatever the vendor had left, and there is no register of how many copies were cut over the years or who holds them. Standard house keys are duplicated in minutes at any kiosk, no questions asked, so every person who ever legitimately held one could have made another.
None of this requires assuming bad intent. It only requires noticing that your home's security currently depends on the key discipline of strangers across the entire history of the property. Rekeying resets that history to zero for less than the cost of the moving-day pizza order, which is why locksmiths consistently call it the single best value security job there is.
What to rekey: more than the front door
Walk the property with a notepad before the locksmith arrives and list every lock a stranger's key might open:
- All external door locks: front, back, laundry, French doors and any door from a garage or carport into the house
- The garage itself: roller door key locks, side door, and reset or repair any keypad codes
- Sliding door cylinder locks and key-operated patio bolts
- Window locks, if keyed and worth keeping; otherwise note them for replacement
- The mailbox: mail theft is the cheap route to identity theft, and mailbox locks cost little to change
- Anything else keyed: garden shed, pool gate, meter box, internal garage cupboards left by the vendor
Keyed alike: the move-in bonus
Since every cylinder is being repinned anyway, moving day is the cheapest moment you will ever have to get the whole house onto one key. The locksmith pins each compatible lock to the same new key, and the jumble of vendor keys in the kitchen drawer becomes one key per person plus a spare.
Mixed lock brands can complicate this slightly, since different keyways cannot always share a key, but a locksmith can usually swap the odd cylinder to bring it into the family for a small extra cost. Ask for the whole-house-one-key option when booking and mention the brands on your doors if you can read them.
Renters: permission first, then the same logic
The security argument applies with equal force to a rental: previous tenants and their contacts may hold keys. The difference is legal. In most Australian states and territories a tenant needs the landlord's or agent's consent to change or rekey locks, and must supply copies of the new keys to the agent, so the request goes in writing before the locksmith is booked.
Reasonable agents rarely refuse, and some landlords will pay for rekeying between tenancies as a matter of course; it protects their property too. If there has been a specific incident, a break-in, a lost key, or safety concerns involving a previous occupant, say so in the request, and be aware that family violence provisions in most jurisdictions allow lock changes on an urgent basis with their own rules. Keep the invoice and hand over the agent's key copies promptly.
Timing it with settlement day
The clean sequence for buyers: book the locksmith a week or so before settlement for the afternoon of settlement day or the morning after, then confirm once the agent releases the keys. You cannot rekey a property you do not yet own, but there is no reason to sleep more than a night or two behind locks that strangers may hold keys to.
Rekeying before the removalists arrive has a practical bonus: the locksmith works on empty, accessible doors, and the new keys are in your pocket before boxes and trades start flowing through the house. If settlement timing slips, as it does, most locksmiths will shuffle the booking without fuss; it is a short job for them.
What it costs and how long it takes
Rekeying typically costs $30 to $60 per lock plus the callout, so a standard house with four or five external cylinders usually lands as a modest one-visit bill, with extra keys cut cheaply on the spot. Compare that number with anything else on the moving spreadsheet and it is a rounding error with outsized effect.
Allow roughly an hour on site for an average home. The visit also doubles as a free security audit: the locksmith handles every lock in the house and will flag worn cylinders, doors that do not latch cleanly, and any external door relying on a bare knob set, so you can fix the worst of it while they are already there.
Frequently asked questions
Should I rekey even if the vendor handed over lots of keys?+
Yes. A thick bundle of keys tells you nothing about the copies that are not in the bundle. There is no way to prove how many duplicates were cut over the life of the property, and rekeying is the only way to make the question irrelevant.
Is rekeying or replacing better when moving in?+
Rekey by default: it is cheaper and the existing hardware usually has years left. Replace any lock that is worn, sticking or clearly low quality, and treat an external door secured only by a knob set as a replacement candidate. The locksmith can mix both in one visit.
Can my landlord refuse to let me rekey a rental?+
Consent generally cannot be withheld unreasonably, and the rules differ by state, so check your tenancy authority's guidance. Put the request in writing, offer to supply key copies to the agent as required, and note that urgent provisions exist in cases involving safety concerns.
What about garage keypads and smart locks from the previous owner?+
Treat codes like keys. Factory-reset any smart lock and garage keypad, set fresh codes, and remove the previous owner's account from any connected apps, contacting the manufacturer if the lock is still tied to their email. A locksmith can reset most units during the same rekeying visit.