Just Moved? The Lock & Key Security Checklist for DMV Homeowners

Every key you are handed at closing has an unknown family tree. The sellers made copies for kids, cleaners, dog walkers, contractors and the neighbor who watered plants in 2019. None of those copies come back. Rekeying or replacing the locks is the only way to know exactly who can open your doors — and it is also the most-forgotten item on the moving checklist. Here is the full pass we recommend for homes across Maryland, DC and Virginia, in the order we do it on site.

1. Every Exterior Door — Including the Ones Nobody Uses

Walk the perimeter and count. Front door, back door, side door, basement walk-out, the door from the garage into the house (the most-forgotten door in the DMV — and often the weakest lock in it), balcony and deck sliders, and any door to an attached sunroom. Each one gets rekeyed or replaced. Rekeying keeps sound hardware and changes only the pins; replacement makes sense when the lock is worn, builder-grade or a style you want gone. If you are weighing the two, our guide to rekeying vs. changing locks walks through the decision, and the service itself is under Lock Rekeying.

2. The Garage: Codes, Remotes and the Emergency Release

The sellers' garage code should be treated as public information. Clear the opener's memory (this erases old remotes and keypads), re-pair only your remotes, and set a new code. Check the emergency release cord still works — and if your garage has a door into the house, that door's lock matters more than the overhead door itself. Homes in Ashburn and Bowie with three-car garages often have two openers; reset both.

3. Keypads, Smart Locks and Alarm Codes Left Behind

If the home came with a smart lock or keypad deadbolt, factory-reset it and set your own codes — previous codes may still be active, and the lock may still be paired to the seller's phone. Same for alarm panels: change the master code, or have the system transferred. A smart lock you fully control is a genuine upgrade; one still listening to its old owner is not. (Our smart lock guide covers what to look for if you are replacing it.)

4. The Forgotten Perimeter: Gates, Sheds, Mailboxes

Pool gates and fence gates with keyed locks, sheds holding tools and bikes, detached garages, and locking mailboxes — all of them usually share the previous owner's keys too. Rekey or replace the ones that protect anything of value. In neighborhoods from Olney to Burke, the shed is often better stocked than the house; it deserves a real lock, not a rusted hasp.

5. Check the Hardware While You Are at It

Moving week is the cheapest time to fix weak points: strike plates held by half-inch screws (upgrade to 3-inch screws into the stud), loose knobs, a deadbolt that only throws when you lift the door. Test every lock from both sides, with the door closed, the way an intruder would. Also confirm every key you were given actually works somewhere — mystery keys are a sign a door was missed.

6. Make a Sane Spare-Key Plan

Not under the mat, not in a fake rock, not on top of the door frame — the three places everyone checks first. Better options: a spare with a trusted neighbor or nearby family, a quality lockbox with a code you control, or a keypad lock that makes spares unnecessary. Get one or two extra copies cut now, while you know exactly which keys matter, and label them.

Frequently Asked Questions