Moving-In Security Checklist: Your First Week in a New Home

Moving into a new home is the one moment you get a completely clean slate on security — and the one moment most people are far too busy to use it. Before the boxes are even unpacked is exactly when to reset who can get in, find the weak points the previous owner lived with, and decide what to upgrade. This is a practical first-week checklist that goes beyond the obvious. The obvious, for the record, is changing the locks — which is so important it has its own guide — so we will start there and then keep going.

Start with the locks — and who holds keys

You have no idea how many keys to your new home exist, or who has them: previous owners, their relatives, cleaners, tradespeople, letting agents. So change or re-key every external lock in the first week — it is the only way to know for certain that the only keys are the ones in your hand. While you are at it, check the new locks are insurance-rated (a BS3621 mortice or a multipoint with an anti-snap cylinder), and make sure you have counted every external door: front, back, side, patio, and the connecting door from an integral garage.

Check every door and window actually locks

Go round and test each one. Does every door lock smoothly and deadlock? Do the multipoint mechanisms throw properly, or does a handle need forcing — an early sign of a dropped or failing mechanism? Does every window have a working key-operated lock, and do you have the keys? Pay particular attention to the rear and patio doors, which are the most common point of entry and the most often neglected — our guide to patio and sliding door security covers what to look for.

Walk the outside like a burglar

Step out and look at the property the way someone planning to get in would. Where is the cover — tall hedges, side returns out of sight, an unlit back gate? Is there a shed or garage full of tools that could be turned on the house? And crucially, hunt for hidden keys the previous occupants left behind — under the mat, in a plant pot, on a hook in the porch, a fake rock by the path. People forget these, and they are the first place a stranger looks.

Alarms, smoke and the practical basics

Find out what security and safety kit you have inherited. If there is a burglar alarm, get the codes changed from whatever the previous owner used and learn how to set it; if there is none, note that for your upgrade list. Test the smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and replace any that are missing or out of date — a safety basic that is easy to forget in the chaos. While you are at it, locate the stopcock, fuse box and meters, so a future emergency does not become a scramble.

The security admin people forget

A few non-physical steps protect you just as much. Redirect your post from the old address so documents, cards and anything sensitive do not pile up where you no longer live. Update your address on the things that matter, and resist the urge to broadcast the move — a public “we’ve moved in!” with the location tagged is useful information to the wrong person. And break down and hide the packaging from anything valuable rather than leaving boxes for a new TV or games console out by the bins, which advertises exactly what is inside.

Plan the upgrades — not all at once

You do not have to do everything in week one. Make a list and work through it: anti-snap cylinders where they are missing, securing the rear and patio doors, outdoor lighting, and perhaps a smart lock or video doorbell once you have settled in. Our home security checklist and guide to preventing burglary are good companions for prioritising what matters most.

Where we come in

A new home is the ideal time for a single visit that resets the whole picture — changing the locks, checking every door and window, and walking the property to flag the weak points — rather than discovering them the hard way later. Every LocksmithLocal locksmith can do exactly that. Find your local locksmith to book a moving-in lock change and security check.