Interactive explainer
Move-in security reset scorer
Tick each thing you have already reset at your new place. The scorer shows how much of your move-in exposure you have closed, and names the single highest-risk gap still open. It works from what actually lets someone walk in: keys, remotes, codes and accounts that were never reset at handover.
Score your day-one reset
Indicative only. Renters generally need landlord consent to change locks; everything else you can reset yourself.
Your security score
/ 100
Assumptions: each reset carries a risk weight (locks and remotes weigh most because they give silent, repeat physical access; window-lock checks weigh least). The score is the share of total weight you have closed. Indicative only, not a security audit. Sources: locksmith industry guidance, Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia (MLAA), 2026.
| Reset item | Who does it | Typical time | Indicative cost | The gap it closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re-key existing deadlocks | Locksmith, 2 to 4 barrels | ~1 to 2 hours | $120 to $300 | Cheapest reset for standard pin-tumbler locks; keeps the same hardware, kills old keys. |
| Replace lock barrels or cylinders | Locksmith or DIY | ~1 to 3 hours | $200 to $500 | Needed where locks are worn, mismatched or you want a fresh keying system. |
| Re-pair garage and gate remotes | DIY, owner manual | ~15 to 30 minutes | $0 | Hold the learn button, wipe all paired remotes, re-add only yours; old remotes stop working. |
| Reset alarm code and smart-lock accounts | DIY, factory reset | ~30 to 60 minutes | $0 | Change master codes, factory-reset smart locks, remove the previous owner from every app. |
The short answer
What home security really means when you move in
The most dangerous moment for your home security is not some night three years from now, it is the first week after you move in, and almost nobody treats it that way. On the day you collect the keys you have no idea how many copies are out there. The previous tenant or owner, their friends and family, tradies who fitted the dishwasher, cleaners, the real-estate agent and a stream of inspection visitors may all have held, copied or kept a key, a garage remote, an alarm code or a smart-lock login. None of that is reset when the property changes hands; it is simply handed over as is. That is why the real first move is not buying a camera in three months, it is treating day one as a reset-everything event: re-key or change the locks, wipe and re-pair every remote, change the alarm code, and take over the smart-lock and wifi accounts. This page explains why the handover leaves you exposed, what to reset first, and how renters can do most of it without touching the locks.
Here is the core takeaway in one line: the riskiest moment in a home's life is the first week after you move in, because the keys, remotes, codes and app logins are handed over un-reset, so day one should be a reset-everything event, not a shopping trip for cameras. That reframes the whole job. The threat in your first week is not a stranger breaking a window, it is someone with legitimate-looking access who was simply never asked to hand it back. You close that by resetting, not by adding gadgets on top of the gap.
Reframe the assumption: moving in does not give you a fresh, secure home, it gives you a home whose access is shared with an unknown list of people. Your first security task is to take exclusive control of that access: re-key or change the locks, wipe and re-pair every remote, change the alarm code, and take over the smart-lock and wifi accounts. Renters do everything except the locks, which need landlord consent.
The blind spot
Where the handover quietly leaves your access shared
Most "home security" advice for movers does one of three unhelpful things, and each one skips the actual risk of your first week.
First, it jumps straight to cameras and alarms. The standard guide is a buying list: which doorbell, which monitored plan, which DIY kit. All of that watches for an intruder forcing entry, which is not the most likely event when you move in. The most likely event is someone walking in with a key, remote or code they kept, and a camera records that rather than prevents it.
Second, it assumes the property arrives secure. It treats the keys you collect at settlement or lease start as the only keys. In reality the locks were never reset for you: previous tenants and owners, their friends and family, tradies, cleaners, the agent and a parade of inspection visitors may all have held or copied a key, and nobody audited who handed theirs back. The handover transfers the property, not control of its access.
Third, it forgets the invisible access. Garage and gate remotes sit in glove boxes, alarm master codes stay unchanged, and a smart lock or video doorbell can still carry the previous owner's app login and saved codes. These give silent, repeat entry with no broken window and no trace, and they are exactly the things a camera-first guide never mentions.
How move-in access actually works, piece by piece
Expert analysis: who can really get into your new home
The key copies you can never count
A standard pin-tumbler lock has no memory: any key cut to match it works forever, and there is no log of how many were cut. Over the life of a tenancy or ownership, keys spread to family, flatmates, neighbours minding the place, tradies and cleaners, and they are rarely all returned. When you take over, you inherit that unknown set. The only way to reset it is to re-key the existing barrels (a locksmith re-pins them so old keys stop working, often $120 to $300) or replace the locks entirely. Hunting for hidden spares under mats and in meter boxes is part of the same job.
Remotes and codes give silent, repeat access
Garage and gate remotes are the most overlooked gap because they leave no trace. A paired remote opens the door from the street with no key and no noise, and the previous occupant may have several. Most openers let you wipe all paired remotes and re-add only yours by holding the learn button, which costs nothing and takes minutes. Alarm panels are the same: the master code shipped or set by the last owner stays live until you change it, and a known code can disarm the system or add new users. Changing the alarm master code and re-pairing every remote closes access that a lock change alone would miss.
Smart locks and accounts: control is the security
A smart lock, connected alarm or video doorbell handed over with the home is only as secure as its account. The previous owner can keep a working app login, a saved PIN or a paired phone long after they leave, and the device will happily obey them. The fix is to factory-reset the device and create a fresh account in your own name, then confirm you are the sole administrator and remove every old code. The wifi router matters here too: a smart home runs on it, so change the admin password and the network key so nobody can rejoin or reconfigure your devices. The hardware is not the security; sole control of the account is.
Renters: reset everything except the locks
Across most Australian states and territories, tenancy law treats the locks as part of the property, so a renter generally needs the landlord or agent's consent to change or re-key them, and the landlord is usually entitled to a copy of any new key. Rules differ, so check your tenancy regulator (for example NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria or the Residential Tenancies Authority in Queensland) before touching a lock. The encouraging part is that the highest-risk, zero-cost resets are not the locks: renters can freely re-pair remotes, change alarm codes, factory-reset smart locks and take over the wifi, all without permission.
What this looks like in real moves
How the un-reset handover catches Australians out
The gaps above are not theory. They are how households end up with shared access in a home they thought was theirs alone:
The camera that watched the wrong door
A family spends a weekend mounting a smart doorbell and two cameras, feeling secure, but never re-keys the locks. The previous tenant's adult child still has a cut key, lets themselves in to collect mail weeks later, and the cameras simply record someone with a working key walking in. The money went to watching an entry the family could have closed for a few hundred dollars.
The garage remote in the old glovebox
A buyer takes the keys but never re-pairs the garage opener. A remote the seller left clipped in a car they sold still opens the roller door from the street. The buyer only realises when the door opens on its own one evening, long after the gap could have been wiped in five minutes.
The smart lock the seller still controlled
A new owner inherits a smart deadbolt and assumes the handover key set is enough. The seller's phone is still a paired administrator with a saved code, so they can unlock the door and see when the owner comes and goes, until the device is finally factory-reset and re-registered months later.
The alarm code nobody changed
A renter moves into a unit with a wall alarm and uses the code the agent passed on. That same code was known to the previous tenant and the building manager, so the alarm offers no real control until the renter changes the master code, which they were never told to do.
The insider insight
The reset is the security, the gadget is the upgrade
Here is the part most home-security advice never puts plainly. When you move in, your biggest vulnerability is not a lack of technology, it is shared access you inherited and have not yet revoked. A locksmith will tell you the busiest call after a sale is a re-key, because experienced movers know the keys mean nothing until old ones are dead. The same logic runs through every layer: a remote, a code and an app login are all just credentials someone else might still hold, and the security comes from cancelling them, not from buying a newer device to sit on top of them.
The non-obvious truth: a re-keyed deadbolt and a wiped remote close more real risk in your first week than a four-camera kit, because they remove the access that actually exists, while the cameras only watch for access that probably will not be used. The households that are genuinely secure on move-in are not the ones with the most hardware, they are the ones who treated day one as a reset and took sole control of every key, code and account before they unpacked.
The practical consequence: do the free and cheap resets first, in your first day or two, then decide whether you want cameras or monitoring as a deliberate second layer. The order is reset, then upgrade, never upgrade instead of reset.
Grounded in the analysis
What you should actually do in your first week
Specific steps that follow from how move-in access really works, not a generic shopping list.
Reset the free, invisible access first
On day one, re-pair every garage and gate remote so old ones stop working, change the alarm master code, factory-reset any smart lock and remove the previous owner from the app. These cost nothing and close silent, repeat entry.
Re-key or change the locks
Have a locksmith re-key the existing deadlocks (often $120 to $300) so inherited keys are dead, or replace the hardware. Renters: get landlord consent first, and hand over a copy of any new key as required.
Take over the wifi, then add layers
Change the router admin password and network key so your smart home is yours alone, sweep for hidden spare keys, and check window locks. Only then decide on cameras or monitoring as a deliberate second layer.
Planning the wider move? Work through our moving checklist, line up your utility connections, and if a connected security system is on your list, sort a reliable NBN plan for your new address.
Current figures, last updated 2026-06-16
Indicative Australian move-in security figures for 2026. Sources: locksmith industry estimates and the Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia (MLAA). Costs vary by location, lock type, number of doors and brand, so treat every figure as a ballpark and get a quote for your home.
The bottom line
Why the first week, not the first camera, decides your security
A new home does not arrive secure, it arrives with its access shared among a list of people you will never fully know, and that shared access is at its most live in your first week. So the work that matters is the reset: re-key or change the locks, wipe and re-pair every remote, change the alarm code, take over the smart-lock and wifi accounts, and sweep for hidden spares. Renters do all of that bar the locks, which need landlord consent. Cameras and monitoring are a worthwhile second layer, but only once the inherited access is closed. With more Australians moving and more homes carrying smart locks and connected alarms in 2026, the households that are genuinely safe on move-in are the ones who treat day one as a reset-everything event, not the ones who buy the most hardware.
Common questions
A Selectra expert answers your move-in security questions
Yes, treat it as the first job, not an optional upgrade. When a property changes hands the keys are handed over as is, and you have no way of knowing how many copies exist or who holds them: previous tenants, their friends and family, tradies, cleaners, the agent and inspection visitors may all have had access. Changing the locks, or having a locksmith re-key the existing barrels so old keys no longer work, is the only way to know exactly who can get in. Re-keying standard deadlocks is usually the cheapest option, often $120 to $300 for a typical home. If you rent, you generally need your landlord's permission to change locks, but you can still reset everything else.
Usually not on their own. Across most Australian states and territories the tenancy laws treat the locks as part of the property, so a renter generally needs the landlord or agent's consent to change or re-key them, and the landlord is typically entitled to a copy of any new key. The rules differ by state, so check with your tenancy regulator (for example NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria or the Residential Tenancies Authority in Queensland) before touching a lock. The good news is that the highest-risk gaps for renters are not the locks at all: you can freely re-pair garage and gate remotes, change alarm codes, factory-reset smart locks and take over the wifi, all without permission.
Start with the things that give silent, repeat access and cost nothing to reset. Re-pair every garage door and gate remote so any old remotes stop working, change the alarm master code, and factory-reset any smart lock so the previous owner is removed from the app. Then take over the wifi router (change the admin password and network key) because a smart-home runs on it. The locks come next: re-key or replace them, or if you rent, arrange that with your landlord. Window locks and any spare keys hidden around the property (under mats, in meter boxes) are the last sweep. Reset the free, invisible stuff first, then the physical locks.
For a typical Australian home, re-keying the existing deadlocks so old keys no longer work usually costs about $120 to $300, depending on the number of barrels and your location. Replacing lock cylinders or fitting new hardware costs more, often $200 to $500 or higher for several doors. Re-pairing garage remotes, changing alarm codes and resetting smart-lock accounts are typically free because you do them yourself from the owner's manual or the app. So the entire day-one reset for an owner is often a few hundred dollars, far less than a camera system, and it closes the gap that actually matters in your first week.
Only if you take over the account, and that is the trap. A smart lock you inherit is less safe than a re-keyed deadlock until you factory-reset it, because the previous owner can still hold a working app login, a saved code or a paired phone. Resetting the device and creating a fresh account in your own name removes their access and lets you see and revoke every code. The same applies to a connected alarm or video doorbell handed over with the home. The technology is not the security; control of the account is. Before relying on any smart device you inherit, factory-reset it and confirm you are the only administrator.
After the reset, not instead of it. Cameras are useful, but they record an intrusion rather than prevent the most likely one in your first week, which is someone simply walking in with a key, code or remote they were never asked to return. The high-value, low-cost work is closing that access: re-key the locks, wipe the remotes, change the codes and take over the accounts. Once the existing access is under your control, adding cameras, sensors or a monitored alarm is a sensible second layer, and a connected system will also need a reliable internet connection at your new address.
