Landlord & Tenant Lock Changes

There is no single piece of UK legislation that explicitly compels every landlord to change the locks at every tenancy changeover, but the obligation to provide a property that is safe and secure is well established in tenancy law, and failing to do so can have consequences for insurance claims and disputes. Many letting agents in Fulham now treat a lock change as a standard checkout procedure precisely because it is the clearest way to demonstrate that the incoming tenant's security has been properly considered. If you are unsure about your specific obligations, your letting agent or a solicitor can advise — our role is to carry out the physical lock change quickly and correctly once the decision has been made.

Tenants in England generally should not change the locks without the landlord's written permission, as doing so may be a breach of the tenancy agreement. That said, landlords are equally not permitted to change the locks on a property while a tenant is in lawful occupation — doing so without a court order is a criminal offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. If you are a tenant with a security concern — for example following a relationship breakdown or a lost key — the right approach is to contact your landlord or letting agent, explain the situation, and ask for the lock to be changed promptly. If there is an urgent safety concern, call us on 020 7871 7823 and we can carry out the work once the necessary authority has been confirmed.

Most home insurance policies in the UK ask that external doors are secured with a 5-lever mortice deadlock that meets BS3621, and that any nightlatch is a double-locking type. For uPVC and composite doors with euro cylinders, insurers increasingly expect anti-snap cylinders, ideally rated to TS007 3-star. When we attend a Fulham property for a tenancy lock change, we can tell you exactly what is currently fitted and whether it meets those standards. If an upgrade is needed, we carry appropriate stock in the van and can complete the replacement in the same visit. It is always worth checking your specific policy wording, as requirements do vary between insurers.

For a typical Fulham Victorian terrace with a Yale-type nightlatch and a 5-lever mortice deadlock, replacing both locks usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, depending on the condition of the existing hardware and the door. uPVC and composite doors with multipoint locks and euro cylinders are often quicker — a cylinder swap on a well-maintained uPVC door can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes in straightforward cases. We will give you a realistic time estimate on the phone once we know what is fitted, and we aim to minimise disruption to tenants moving in and landlords or agents managing a tight handover schedule.

Yes. Letting agents and landlords with portfolios across Fulham and the wider SW6 area are welcome to call us on 020 7871 7823 to discuss their requirements. We can attend multiple properties on the same day where scheduling allows, and we are available on evenings, weekends and bank holidays to work around checkout and check-in timings that do not fall neatly within standard working hours. We confirm a price for each property individually, based on the locks involved, so you have a clear figure for each job before it goes ahead.

We operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including bank holidays, so we can attend at short notice whenever the property becomes available. When you call 020 7871 7823 we will confirm an exact price on the phone, and we send a technician straight away — in most cases we are with you in around 30 minutes, though we cannot guarantee an exact arrival time due to traffic and job conditions. Our technicians carry a wide range of replacement lock hardware so that in most cases the job is completed on the same visit without a return trip for parts.