Is it a good idea to change the locks?

Not long now till we complete on our penthouse, we have been advised buy our furniture supply company that we should change locks prior to filling the appartment with shiny new things!  Has anyone got a view on this or experienced any problems subsiquent to moving in.

Cheers.

When you complete, as a matter of course PW will offer to be your keyholder for 6 months free of charge. This allows them easy access for snagging etc.

Although this sounds like a good idea, a word of caution.

We were out the week after completion and the number of apartments left open by workmen was staggering. Our next door neighbour had completed and had their white goods and furniture delivered. The workmen had been in from PW and had left the front window wide open so the rain, which was particularly heavy that week had blown inside and had soaked their new leather settee . Lookily it was still wrappped in bubble wrap, I closed the window and have found out since that no damage had been caused.

We changed our locks as soon as we started to furnish the apartment, we then appointed a trusted keyholder who has been brilliant looking after the place in our absence.

So my suggestion is change your locks ASAP and consider a keyholder you can trust.

Can you please tell which company helped you with the changing of lockers?

KSH

We had our lock changed as part of our furniture package, from a company who I would definately not recommend, so will not name on this forum.

However the guy who installed the lock for us told me that you can buy a new lock barrel complete with 4 keys and the Allen key to install it from Leroy Merlin for about 20 Euros. He also said he thought that BricHouse at Campasol either stocked them or could order them for you.

I watched while the guy changed the lock and it is very simple.

Pull off the decorative cover on the inside  door handle which then exposes a small grubscrew. Remove this with the Allen key and withdraw the handle from both sides of the door.

The lock mechanism is held in by a couple of screws (Be careful not to drop these inside the door as you cannot get them back out)

Take the lock mechanism out and replace by following above in reverse.

Having had our lock changed I gave our old lock and keys to one the many new friends from this forum , who is one of our neighbours, to replace his which he did himself .

Hope this helps

problem with current locks is that when you close the door by mistake and leave keys in house, you are locked out..

has anyone changed the lock/door so it doesn't automatically lock you out

if so where did you buy it?

We have also had incidents where PW workmen have left our apartment door and window unlocked and when we were out last week we also noticed that workmen had stolen personal tools from our apartment.  We've contacted PW but not had a reply.  We will be trying to change our locks when we're next out in 6 wks.

Once all my snagging was done I took my keys off of PW.

Haven't had any problems and they tell me that they now don't have any keys, but is anyone here suggesting that they may have kept a set?

We also had some tools taken from the apartment while PW were keyholding. During that time several snagging repairs were done and the furnature package was installed, so there's no way of knowing who took them.

As soon as we discovered this we immediately cancelled the PW keyholding contract and got our own on-site keyholder but didn't change the locks, and since then it's been fine.

So I'd certainly advise all new completers to get an on-site keyholder as soon as you complete.

ITS DEFINITELY A MUST TO CHANGE YOUR LOCKS, EVERY WORKMAN IN THE  SITE HAS HAD ACCESS TO THE KEYS AND YOU ONLY NEED TO SWOP YOUR LOCKS WITH SOMEONE ELSE ON SITE, FREE JUST DONT TELL ANYONE FROM POLARIS WHICH HOUSE YOUVE SWOPPED FROM!!!  WE DID THIS ON THE LAST URBANISATION WE LIVED ON AND WILL DO IT AGAIN THIS TIME ROUND.  ITS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO GET A HANDLE PUT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOORS SO YOU CANT LOCK YOURSELF OUT, BRICO SELL THEM AND SO DO THE FERETIER ON CAMPOSOL A SECTOR AND THEY ARE QUITE EASY TO FIT, IF ANYONE WANTS THE NUMBER OF A MAN WHO CAN COLLECT AND FIX A HANDLE OR LOCK EMAIL ME AND I CAN PROVIDE ONE.

BARBARA.

Hi

we have just furnished our apartment and are considering changing the locks. If anyone is interested in swapping locks, my husband is out on 27th March for the weekend, maybe we could arrange to do it then, he said that he could do it

Many thanks

Michelle

We too are interested in swapping locks. We're out from the 10th April for 9 days. Andrea & Paul

 I've learnt tonight that it is a good idea to change locks, but I'm not sure how easy it would be. 

When we went out to furnish in October we collected all the keys from Polaris, so as far as we were aware Polaris did not have a key anymore and that they would have to go through Carol, our keyholder, to gain access to our properties for any snagging repairs.

Today Carol was asked to give Polaris access to our ground floor apartment to repair a fault we had reported. The workers said they would be a couple of hours, so Carol went back after an hour to see if they had finished and the front door was closed. Carol unlocked the door only to find the men gone, but the tools were still there. Carol double locked the door. About two hours later Christina from Customer Services rang Carol to say that the workmen had finished and that she would have to lockup......but she had already double locked the door previously!!!!! So, how on earth have the workman got back in after Carol double locked it??????? It is definately a worry and I would be up for changing the locks but as I said, I'm not sure if this is a big job.

oh that is a bit worrying!!! they still have one of my keys for the snagging which worries me enough let alone after ive got them all back thinking the place is secure!!

my husband seems to think it will be an easy job to swap them over (he does windows/conservatories etc for a living) as i said he is over on 27th March if anyone is interested in swapping with us (this will have to be inbetween his golf!) and obviously once we have got all of our keys back from polaris - talking of which, do i just go the the sales office to collect them? and are they open on a Saturdays, one more thing - how many keys should we have?

thanks

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

It's a very simple 10 minute job with a small Allen key and crosspoint screwdriver.

You should have 4 keys, or at least that is what we got in our new lock pack.

Hi Alhama Gardener

The way they got back into your apartment is because they would have a Master key

The same applies here in the uk. however I cant remember ever hearing of that type of thing happening here but maybe that is because most propertys are perminant homes & once bought the owners move in

Having said that It has just occured to me that when we moved  here 12 yrs ago into  our new house , there were quite a few breakins in the houses on the 3rd phase whilst people were at work

Makes you think doesnt it.

The culprits were never found

Had a go at swapping my lock today and found it is not a case of removing handles and withdrawing lock as in most UK doors, i did remove the end edge and it reveals a steel door frame at this point i put all back together I believe the door has to be dismantled and the wood panel removed to facilitate. Not a temn inite job unless my door is different?

Ifany one know the easy way let me know please.

We had 5 keys anyone with 4 must still have one with PW which will cost you after six months

Free first 6mths and 75 € next 6

hi all,

to anyone that would like to swap locks, my sister and brother and law are out from 21.03.09 till 27.03.09, thinks he is getting a free holiday, im giving him a diy list, and changing the locks could be one of the jobs, i was going to buy a new set but this could be beneficial to both parties,(im not going to tell you where i live)

we have 4 keys and one is with polaris to do our snagging - hoping to get it back on 27th march

If PW have master keys then swapping locks isn't really going to solve the problem of them getting in when we don't want them too then !

Hi Tarapa

Yes you are correct. however my son`s friend who is in the building trade says it is possible that each phase would have a different master. so it would be possible  for someone in Jardines to swap with some one in Narajos.

But & its a big but.

If the workmen carry more than one master & it is very likely that they do if there is still work for them to do in the Jardins. then swapping locks would still be a usless option

I know my neibour who has an apartment on Hacienda swapped with some one in a different block. she has not said any thing about things being taken but I have never asked her.

Maybe I will & update you during the weekend

Jan