Most businesses don’t change their locks nearly often enough. If you can’t remember the last time you did it, that’s your answer right there.
The truth is there’s no single timeline that fits every business. A small office in Totton with three staff and low turnover needs a different approach to a retail unit in Southampton city centre or a larger operation across the Waterside. What matters is understanding what puts your premises at risk, then acting on it.
What’s actually going on
Keys get copied. Staff leave and sometimes aren’t fond enough to hand them back. Contractors, cleaners and delivery people accumulate access over months or years. Locks wear out from daily use. A lock that felt solid five years ago might now turn with barely a click. You don’t notice because you use it every day.
The risk isn’t always dramatic. It’s the slow erosion of control over who can enter your premises and when. And if something goes wrong, your insurer will ask hard questions about when you last changed the locks. That conversation gets expensive fast.
What to do (and what not to)
Change locks when a keyholder leaves, especially if they held a position of trust. Don’t wait. Don’t assume they copied the key to give to their replacement. Do it on the day they go.
If you’re in a shared building or multi-unit space in Hythe, Holbury or Marchwood, change locks whenever tenants or services change hands. Landlords often drop the ball here. Don’t be that business owner.
For a standard small to medium business, a full change every two to three years is sensible. Larger operations or those with high staff turnover might do it annually. Retail premises or anything handling cash should sit at the tighter end.
Don’t rekey the same lock over and over if it’s visibly worn. At a certain point, replacement is cheaper and safer than repair.
How we sort it on the day
We’ll come out, assess what you’ve got, tell you straight what needs replacing and what can be rekeyed. Non-destructive entry comes first, always. We quote upfront, no VAT, no hidden fees. If it’s a straightforward job, we sort it while you’re there. If it’s more complex, we’ll schedule it to cause minimal disruption to your day.
When to call us
Call when a keyholder leaves, when you’ve lost a key and can’t find it, when a lock feels loose or jammy, or when you’re simply not certain about access control anymore. We cover Southampton, the Waterside, SO45, and across to Lymington and Romsey. Day or night, we’ll get to you.
If you need a proper commercial approach, have a look at our commercial locksmith Southampton page for a fuller picture of what we can do for your business.
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