Moving is chaotic enough without worrying about who can still get into the place you just left or the place you just bought. A short moving day lock checklist keeps that from becoming an afterthought, and most of it can be handled in a single visit on either end of the move.
Before You Hand Over Your Old Keys
Gather every key associated with the old place, not just the ones on your ring. That means the copy in the junk drawer, the one clipped inside a bag, the spare a neighbor has been holding, and any keys for a shed, garage, or mailbox. Buyers and landlords rarely ask for all of them, and it is on you to remember.
Take a photo of the keys you hand over and note the date. It is a thirty-second habit that has settled more than one disagreement about what was returned.
The Moving Day Lock Checklist for Your New Place
Assume the previous occupant handed out keys and never got them back, because they almost certainly did. Rekeying every exterior door is the single most useful thing you can do in the first week, and it is faster than most people expect once the locksmith is on site.
While that is happening, walk the perimeter and count your actual entry points. Front door, back door, side door, the service door on the garage, the door between the garage and the house, basement walkouts, and patio sliders. People routinely forget the garage-to-house door, which is often the flimsiest lock on the property.
Check that every exterior deadbolt fully throws without you lifting or leaning on the door, and look at the strike plate screws. Short screws into a thin jamb are common on builder hardware and easy to upgrade while everything is already open.
Do Not Forget the Non-Door Keys
New owners frequently inherit a mailbox they cannot open, a safe nobody has the combination for, a padlocked gate, and a filing cabinet with no key. Make a list on move-in day rather than discovering each one over the following year. Most of these can be opened or rekeyed in the same visit as the doors, which saves you a second trip charge.
If the home came with a keypad or smart lock, factory reset it and set new codes. Leaving the previous owner’s codes in place is the electronic version of not changing the locks.
Plan the Timing
Book the rekey for the day you get possession if you can, before boxes and furniture make the doors hard to reach. Movers coming in and out with a door propped open all afternoon is also a good reason to want the locks settled that evening rather than a week later. Buyers closing on homes around Whiting often schedule us for the same afternoon they get the keys.
Start the New Place Secure
Jacob’s Lock and Key is a licensed mobile locksmith serving Gary and Northwest Indiana, including Hammond, Merrillville, Crown Point, Griffith, Dyer, Munster, Schererville, Hobart, Portage, Saint John, Whiting, Lake Station, and Chesterton. Open 7 AM to 11 PM, seven days a week. Call Jacob at (219) 342-5595 to book around your move.
Last updated: 09/01/2026