Planned Lock Changes in North West London

Planned lock changes, not emergency lockouts

We change and upgrade locks by appointment. We do not offer emergency entry, lock picking or forced-entry work, and we are not a 24-hour locksmith. If you are locked out, or a door has been forced and will not secure, call a locksmith who offers an emergency service and come back to us for planned upgrades afterwards. What we do is the work that can be booked ahead: new tenants, lost keys, a purchase completing, or an insurer asking for a better lock.

Changing locks between tenancies

Do it after the tenancy has ended and the tenant has gone, and before the next one moves in. The order matters. GOV.UK lists threatening to change the locks as harassment, and a tenant finding the locks changed as a sign of illegal eviction. A tenant who is behind with rent still has the right to live there until the tenancy ends lawfully. For most ordinary lets there is no national rule forcing a change.

Licensing is where it becomes a duty in our area. Harrow's selective licence conditions require all relevant locks to be changed before re-letting where previous occupants have not surrendered the keys. Brent's selective licence conditions say the same, before new occupants move in. Harrow's selective scheme covers six wards (Edgware, Roxeth, Greenhill, Marlborough, Wealdstone North and Wealdstone South) and Brent's covers its Kenton ward, among others. If your property is licensed, read your own conditions.

Euro cylinders and lock snapping

Most uPVC and composite front doors are locked by a euro cylinder, and a cheap cylinder can be snapped. The attack breaks the outside of the cylinder at its weakest point, then turns the cam. Because the cylinder drives the whole multipoint mechanism, defeating it unlocks every hook and bolt on the door. The Door and Hardware Federation recommends a TS 007 3-star cylinder, carrying the Kitemark with three stars, or a TS 007 1-star cylinder combined with a 2-star security handle or lock surround.

Sold Secure's SS312 Diamond rating is the other recognised anti-snap standard. Both are marked on the cylinder face or the packaging, so you can check what you have. Size matters as much as the rating. A cylinder that sticks well out past the handle gives a snapping tool something to grip. We measure from the fixing screw to each end and fit one that sits close to flush.

What does BS 3621 mean for your insurance?

BS 3621 is the British Standard for thief-resistant locks, used on timber doors for mortice deadlocks, sashlocks and nightlatches. A conforming mortice lock has at least five levers and carries the BSI Kitemark and the standard number on its faceplate. Secured by Design describes a 5-lever lock to BS 3621 as usually a minimum insurance requirement. The Master Locksmiths Association notes that insurers differ, and gives the current version as BS 3621:2017+A1:2024. Read your own policy wording before you buy anything, since the requirement is the insurer's, not the law's. For a uPVC or composite door with a multipoint lock, Secured by Design's guidance is a cylinder certified to TS 007 or SS312 Diamond.

Where a door is certified to PAS 24, Secured by Design advises replacing locks like for like to keep the same level of security. One caution: a BS 3621 deadlock needs a key to open from inside. On a flat with one way out, or in an HMO, a door that can only be opened with a key is a fire risk. A version with a thumb-turn inside, or the lock your licence specifies, is the safer choice.

uPVC doors that are stiff, will not lock or have a floppy handle

A uPVC door that needs force to lift the handle or turn the key is usually a door that has dropped, not a failed lock. The hooks and rollers no longer line up with the keeps in the frame, so the mechanism strains. Adjusting the hinges and keeps often cures it, and doing that first saves you a new mechanism. If the handle has gone floppy or the key turns without throwing the bolts, the gearbox in the centre of the multipoint strip has usually failed.

Replacing it is a planned job: we identify the mechanism from the measurements on the faceplate, order the matching part and fit it. Older or discontinued mechanisms sometimes need the whole strip replaced. A fresh cylinder on a door that has dropped will fail again, so we check alignment on every uPVC lock change.

Can a tenant change the locks?

Check the tenancy agreement first. Most agreements treat a lock change as an alteration needing the landlord's consent, and many also require a copy of any new key to go to the landlord or agent. There are situations where a tenant may need to act quickly, for example after a break-in or where their safety is at risk.

In those cases, get advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice and tell the landlord in writing what was done and why. We fit locks for tenants on the same basis as for owners, and we ask whether the landlord has agreed.

Key registers for agents and portfolio landlords

Keep a register for each property: how many keys were cut, who holds each one, and when the locks were last changed. At check-out the count tells you at once whether a licence condition is triggered. For larger portfolios, consider a restricted key profile, where copies need the registered card, and keyed-alike cylinders so one key opens front and back doors. We record the key count on every invoice, so the register can be updated from our paperwork.

What changes the cost of a lock change?

The lock type, the standard you choose and the condition of the door. Swapping a euro cylinder on a door that closes well is a short visit; the cylinder grade, from basic to 3-star or Diamond, drives most of the cost. A BS 3621 mortice lock costs more than a basic five-lever, and a door that needs re-cutting for a different size of lock case takes longer.

A dropped uPVC door or a failed gearbox adds adjustment time and parts. Several doors at one address, or several properties on one run, bring the cost per lock down.

Certificates and defined jobs are a fixed price confirmed before we attend; repairs are charged by the hour, with the rate and an estimate confirmed before we attend.

Where we change locks

We change locks across Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware, and also in Wembley, Kingsbury, Queensbury, Wealdstone, Pinner, Burnt Oak, Colindale and the nearby areas. Licence conditions vary with the street. Harrow's selective licensing applies in Edgware, Roxeth, Greenhill, Marlborough and both Wealdstone wards, while Brent's Kenton ward has its own conditions, so two lets a few hundred metres apart can have different rules. Many older houses here still have timber front doors with a mortice and a nightlatch, and both need doing.

Handyman Services by area: A handyman in Harrow, A handyman in Kenton, A handyman in Stanmore, A handyman in Edgware, A handyman in Bushey, A handyman in Colindale, A handyman in Hendon, A handyman in Mill Hill, A handyman in Northolt, A handyman in Northwood, A handyman in Pinner, A handyman in Ruislip and A handyman in Wembley.

What we will not do

We do not provide emergency lockout, gaining entry or forced-entry repairs, and we will not open a door for anyone who cannot show they are entitled to be there. We will not change the locks on an occupied rented property at a landlord's request unless the tenancy has ended or the tenant has agreed.

Communal entrance doors and fire doors in blocks belong to the freeholder or managing agent, so we will need their agreement before altering them. Safes, car locks and access control systems are for a specialist.

Why people trust us

• Electrical or plumbing items on the list go to a registered electrician or one of our plumbers, on the same visit where we can
• A walk-in office on Kenton Lane, not a serviced address
• A written specification, so you know what is included and what would count as an extra
• A time slot rather than a morning-or-afternoon window
• Work photographed before and after, and reported
• We tell you when you do not need something we sell

We are building a review profile under this name and would rather show you none than borrow someone else's. Ask us for references from landlords and we will put you in touch.

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Private renting evictions, harassment and illegal evictions
• Harrow Council: Selective licensing mandatory conditions (condition 12, security)
• Brent Council: Selective licensing conditions 2023 (security)
• Door and Hardware Federation: TS 007
• Secured by Design: Locks
• Master Locksmiths Association: What are BS 3621 locks?

Last reviewed October 2026 by EliteShires Property Services.