Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Change house locks after handover 2Mar 17, 2011 9:28 pm If it's a new build then all you need to do is put your keys into all the locks which will stop the generic keys the builders have from working. The permanent keys are longer and trigger something that changes the barrel. 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Change house locks after handover 3Mar 18, 2011 4:45 am For my new last new house it worked as Lisanne says but check with the site supervisor When I have bought a new apartment 12 years ago I changed the locks the day I moved in. 2 weeks later all the other apartments in the block which were still vacant were burgled one weekend. the thieves got away with 11 new dishwashers. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Change house locks after handover 4Mar 18, 2011 7:01 am The builder's keys have 4 teeth and the owner's keys have 6, that's what I was told. The owner's key will activate the last 2 pins, after which the builder's keys won't work anymore. The guy who told me this wasn't a locksmith though. This site has pictures of a builder key mechanism: http://www.locksmithcharley.com/builderkey.html I still think the best deterrent is an alarm system, providing there are other houses nearby without alarms. There's just too many ways to break in, such as breaking a window or picking the lock, or finding the door/window you left open by accident. A professional can always get into your house, but they will target a house without an alarm if they have a choice. An amateur will also target a house without an alarm. One thing worth doing is driving around your neighbourhood and thinking which houses you would break in to. What is it that makes a house attractive to rob? Is it because all the lights are off? Easy access to the backyard? Can you see something valuable through the windows? No cars parked outside? Metricon Riva 33 - http://herlihy-riva.blogspot.com Site start 15/03/2010 - Handover 23/12/2010 9 months and 8 days (284 calendar days) from site start to handover Re: Change house locks after handover 5Mar 18, 2011 9:04 am We spoke to a few locksmiths the day we moved in. Basically we were told that the whole builders key not being able to be used was a crock in most cases. Sure the pins are different but any slight jiggling and playing will reopen the lock. We asked one of the locksmiths to show us as we had a builders key (long story). And guess what? All doors opened after we used our key and the pins changed. A little jiggle here and there and we were in. One locksmith told us it is very common for this to happen even though people are told otherwise Naturally we had planned to have every single lock removed and replaced with better quality ones anyway. Life is; then you tell yourself a story. Re: Change house locks after handover 6Mar 20, 2011 8:04 pm As a builder, i've given clients keys, shown them how my construction key works - got them to flip the locks then gave them my construction key to try to get in. Unless you're extremely unlucky to have a faulty barrel AND have a theif come along with a construction key, i'd say you're pretty well safe. Re: Change house locks after handover 7Mar 22, 2011 3:24 pm My builder doesn't use construction keys they just use any old lock they have ****** around and nail a piece of timber behind the front door to supposedly stop anyone getting access. As I was supplying 2 x Trilocks because I wanted the front door, garage door, stackers and sliding doors all keyed alike as I was sick of having multiple keys for different doors/locks, I decided to have the locksmith change all cylinders and cut new keys so I retained 'all' keys. This isn't because I didn't trust anyone in particular or have lots of gold buillion stashed in the house...ROFLMHO!!! it's a purely personal reason that I don't wish to elaborate further. The chippie wanted the Trilocks to cut mounting holes in the doors (incorrectly cut btw, I don't know how?) then kept them in his vehicle for weeks (one now damaged) until he was next working at my house. Then at handover, the builder demanded a key, politely I said 'no' because it's now my home, not a construction site!! But he 'always' retains a key as it's handy for home owners if you lose your keys or get locked out!! He became quite stroppy but I don't want every Tom, **** & Harry having a key to my house, even the insurance company thought it was strange! Don't think the keys you have to 'your' house are 'the' only set because the locksmiths confirmed that quite a few builders retain keys....just in case!! In case of what??? I asked...but didn't receive an answer. I was told there are only 'one or two' different keys for the keyed window locks so don't think they are safe either and make sure you take other precautions. While I have additional security measures in place I won't discuss them in an open forum...thieves can read too! Re: Change house locks after handover 8Mar 23, 2011 9:02 am That's very strange for him to ask for a key at handover. My site supervisor handed over two sets of keys at handover and said that from that point on he will get tradies to call me and arrange a time to visit, as it's now my house and he has no keys anymore. Window keys are not a big deal as the lock is on the inside. 1000 people could have the same window key as me and it doesn't make my house less secure. The purpose of window locks is to stop young children climbing out, not to stop people breaking in. Metricon Riva 33 - http://herlihy-riva.blogspot.com Site start 15/03/2010 - Handover 23/12/2010 9 months and 8 days (284 calendar days) from site start to handover Re: Change house locks after handover 9Mar 28, 2011 6:06 pm Something I would not have thought about so thanks for the heads up Been in a similar position and we decided to let the builder go. Some of the PSA money goes to engineering so we at least got those documents and they actually refunded us… 2 6014 Hi, you've probably already resolved this, however, Commbank will probably pay the funds to you after you send evidence the work is done regardless the change in the quotes. 1 35190 5 10417 |