Landlord Lock Changes: Between Tenancies, HMOs and Lost Keys

There is no blanket legal requirement in England for a landlord to change the locks between tenancies, but it is strongly advised, because you cannot know how many copies of the old key exist. A cylinder rekey from £45 or a replacement from £65 closes that gap in a single visit. If keys were not returned, the reasonable cost can usually be deducted from the deposit, provided you keep the receipt.

Do landlords have to change locks between tenants?

In England there is no general statute that obliges a private landlord to fit new locks every time a tenant moves out. What the law does expect is that the property is secure and that the landlord takes reasonable steps to protect the incoming tenant. A previous occupier, their partner, a cleaner or a builder may all hold a working key, and if one of them lets themselves in, “we never changed the locks” is a poor defence.

Selective licensing schemes, HMO licence conditions and some letting-agent terms go further and may set specific requirements, so check the tenancy agreement and any licence before deciding. Where nothing is stipulated, treat a lock change as routine turnover maintenance, like testing the smoke alarms.

Keys not returned: what you can deduct

The tenancy agreement normally requires every key to be handed back at the end of the term. When a full set is not returned, the landlord is generally entitled to claim the reasonable cost of restoring security from the deposit. “Reasonable” is the operative word: a rekey or cylinder swap is defensible, whereas an upgrade to high-security locks across the whole house is not, unless the tenant agreed to it.

To make a deduction stick, keep the check-in inventory listing how many keys were issued, the check-out record showing how many came back, and an itemised locksmith receipt. Deposit protection schemes decide disputes on paper, and the landlord who can produce all three usually wins.

Rekey, replace or key alike?

Option	What changes	Starting price	Best for
Cylinder rekey	Pins inside the existing cylinder are reset so old keys stop working	from £45	Sound lock, keys unaccounted for
Euro cylinder replacement	New cylinder and a fresh set of keys	from £65	Worn lock, or a straightforward tenancy change
Anti-snap cylinder upgrade	Replacement with a TS007 3-star cylinder	from £95	Insurance compliance on uPVC and composite doors
Keyed-alike set	Several cylinders matched so one key opens them all	from £95	Front, back and side doors on a single key
BS3621 mortice deadlock	Kitemarked five-lever lock fitted to a timber door	from £120	Insurance compliance on wooden final exit doors

For most lettings, a rekey is the cheapest way to void old keys, and a fresh cylinder is only marginally more. Keying the doors alike means the tenant is issued one key instead of three, which reduces the number that can be lost. The lock rekey and replacement service covers every option in the table.

HMO door locks

Houses in multiple occupation carry two extra concerns: each bedroom is a separate secure space, and the escape route has to work in a fire for people who may not know the building well.

Bedroom doors

Each lockable bedroom door should have a lock that lets the occupant leave without a key. A thumbturn on the inside, with a key cylinder outside, is the standard answer. Locks that need a key from both sides, or bolts that could trap someone in, should be taken off. Licence conditions from your local authority may state precisely what is acceptable, so read them before buying hardware.

Fire door hardware

Bedroom doors in most licensed HMOs are fire doors, and the lock is part of that door. The self-closer, the intumescent strips and the latch all have to work together, so a badly fitted lock, or a closer disconnected because a tenant found it annoying, undermines the whole assembly. Check that each door closes and latches on its own at every turnover.

Key control

In a five-bedroom HMO with a shared front door, one lost keyring can compromise every lock in the house. Keeping bedroom cylinders separate from the front door, and rekeying only the affected door when a key goes missing, keeps each loss cheap. A record of which keys went to whom, updated at every change of occupant, shows exactly what needs changing.

Restricted keys and master key systems

Standard keys can be copied at any high-street kiosk for a few pounds, which means a departing tenant may have had spares cut that never appear on your inventory. Restricted or patented keys can only be cut on the authority of the registered keyholder, from £25 per key through the mobile key cutting service. For a landlord, that turns “how many copies exist” from a guess into a known number.

For a portfolio of properties or a large HMO, a master key system gives the landlord or agent a single key for the whole building, with each tenant holding a key that works nowhere but their own door. Systems start from £250 through the commercial locksmith service and can be extended as properties are added. The same approach suits agents managing dozens of flats across Harrow and Uxbridge.

When a tenant is locked out

Who pays depends on why the tenant is outside. If the lock has failed, the door has dropped or the mechanism has broken, that is a repair and normally the landlord’s responsibility. If the tenant has lost keys or shut the door with them inside, most tenancy agreements place the cost on the tenant, and it is worth having that clause spelled out clearly at sign-up.

Out-of-hours visits cost more, so a tenant ringing at midnight over a lost key should expect the evening rate. Open-in Security Services charges from £85 for a daytime non-destructive entry and from £110 in the evening or overnight, with no call-out fee. Before opening a door, the locksmith will ask for proof that the person requesting entry is entitled to be there, so tenants should have ID and something showing the address ready. The emergency lockout service sets out what to expect.

Tenancy-turnover lock checklist

The order of work on turnover day

1. Count the keys against the check-in inventory before signing off the check-out.
2. Note any lock that is stiff, loose or damaged during the inspection itself, not afterwards.
3. Decide per door whether a rekey, a replacement or an upgrade is needed.
4. Book the locksmith for the same day as the check-out, so the property never sits with unknown keys in circulation.
5. Photograph the new hardware and file the receipt with the tenancy paperwork.
6. Issue the new keys to the incoming tenant against a signed record.

Door-by-door checks

Door or item	What to check	Action if a key is missing or the lock is worn
Front door	Cylinder or mortice turns smoothly, all keys returned	Rekey or replace the cylinder; fit BS3621 or TS007 3-star if the policy requires it
Back door	Same as the front, plus any bolts or night latch	Rekey, or key alike with the front door
Patio or French doors	Multipoint throws fully, cylinder not stiff	Replace the cylinder; adjust or repair the multipoint if it drags
Garage	Up-and-over lock, side-door lock, any padlock	Replace the lock or padlock; rekey if it shares a key with the house
Post box	Communal or individual box lock, key present	Replace the cam lock; they are inexpensive and often forgotten
Meter cupboard	Utility key or standard lock present	Replace the utility lock; agree who holds the key
Window keys	One key per lockable window, all present	Replace the window keys, or the locks if the pattern is unknown
Key safe	Code changed since the last occupant	Change the code at every turnover; replace the unit if the mechanism is loose

Insurance wording for let properties

Landlord insurance policies usually carry the same minimum security conditions as owner-occupier cover, and a theft claim can be reduced or declined if the locks fall short. On timber final exit doors, the common requirement is a five-lever mortice deadlock made to BS3621. On uPVC and composite doors with a euro cylinder, insurers increasingly ask for an anti-snap cylinder rated TS007 3-star, or the alternative route of a 1-star cylinder behind a 2-star handle.

Read the wording rather than assuming, then match the hardware to it. The residential locksmith service fits both standards using hardware from Ultion, Mul-T-Lock, Yale, ERA, Winkhaus and Fullex, and the receipt states the standard fitted so it can be filed against the policy.

Working with landlords and agents across West London

Open-in Security Services has been based in Ickenham since 2006 and handles turnover lock work for landlords, letting agents and block managers across West London, from Hillingdon out to Harrow. Cylinder swaps and rekeys are done the same day where possible, so a property checked out in the morning can be relet with new keys by the afternoon. Every job is carried out by the same DBS-checked locksmith, comes with an itemised receipt, and is priced by phone before the visit, with no call-out fee.

For agents with several properties, keyed-alike sets, restricted keys and master systems can be planned across the portfolio rather than door by door. The pricing page lists the starting points for every job above, and a call to 07904 594452 gets a fixed figure for a specific property.