After renovating the apartment, several workers had the keys - do you need to change the lock?

Names and details have been changed.

Let's call the owner of the apartment Oleg. He spent several months making repairs. During this time, access to the apartment at different points was given to:

• builder;
• electrician;
• plumber;
• furniture assembler;
• window specialist;
• cleaners.

In order not to come personally every time, Oleg left one set of keys for the workers. After the repairs were completed, the key was returned to him. There were no conflicts.

But before moving, a thought arose:

“For several months, the key was in the hands of different people. I trust everyone, but I can’t know if anyone made a copy.”

Should workers be suspected?

No. The problem here is not suspicion. During a long-term repair, the key can be passed between people, transferred to the team leader, temporarily stored on site, or used by different specialists.

Over time, the owner simply loses the ability to accurately restore the entire access chain.

What does “key returned” mean?

This means that the specific copy is back in the hands of the owner. But for ordinary mechanical keys, the return of the original is not technical proof of the absence of duplicates.

This is why some owners change the cylinder after completing the repair, not out of mistrust, but as a normal final stage of repair.

Is it necessary to replace the entire lock?

No. If the door and mechanism are working properly, it is often enough to change the element responsible for the key combination. For example, replace the cylinder.

After this, all keys that were used during the repair will no longer open the door.

When is it especially worth thinking about this?

If:

• repairs lasted several months;
• the key was used by many people;
• some specialists were involved through a contractor;
• the object remained without an owner for a long time;
• it is impossible to remember everyone who had access;
• the apartment is just being prepared for permanent residence.

Good practice for the future

For long-term repairs, a temporary cylinder or a separate access kit can be used. After completion of the work it is changed to permanent. This gives workers access during renovations, but once the project is completed, the old keys automatically become useless.