Secure your new home: 10 tips from our locksmiths

You have no way of knowing how many keys to your new home are still out there. Previous owners, tenants, letting agents, cleaners and builders may all have had a copy. These ten checks take an afternoon and make the place properly yours.

1. Change the cylinders or locks. On most uPVC and composite doors this means a new euro cylinder, which takes 20 to 40 minutes a door. Old keys stop working straight away.
2. Check every outside door, not just the front. Back doors, side doors and patio doors are often the weak point.
3. Look for a British Standard mark. Wooden doors should have a BS 3621 mortice lock. Euro cylinders should be TS007 3-star or Sold Secure Diamond. Many insurers ask for these.
4. Make sure the door locks properly. If you have to lift the handle hard or push the door to lock it, the door has dropped or the lock is wearing. It is usually a quick adjustment.
5. Check the cylinder does not stick out. A cylinder that sticks out more than a few millimetres past the handle is easier to snap.
6. Fit window locks on ground floor and easy-to-reach windows, and keep the keys somewhere safe but not on the sill.
7. Think about the letterbox. A letterbox guard stops anyone reaching or hooking through to the inside handle or your keys.
8. Add a door chain or limiter so you can see who is there before you open the door fully.
9. Never hide a spare key outside. Under the mat or a plant pot is the first place anyone looks. Leave a spare with someone you trust.
10. Tell your insurer about the new locks. Keep the invoice. It shows the standard of lock fitted and when.

If you would like us to check the whole property, a security survey looks at every door, window and lock and gives you a price for each item, so you can decide what to do first.