Bought second hand home - owner didnt leave keys

c-dog

Hi All,

looking for some advice here, we are moving into a new house today and I have 2 queries;

1) The back door key wasnt available last week when I inspected property, I called auctioneer this morning to see if they had located the key ( owner moved out and keys were dropped in the door, it wasnt one of them). We can't get furniture in front door as it's too narrow so if Key is not located who pays the bill???

2) Auctioneer said the keys they had the other day where dropped to owners solicitor and thats where we would need to collect them. Her solicitor is in Newbridge and we have bought a house in Co. Dublin! This seems crazy. We sold our own house a month ago and left keys with Auctioneer. The auctioneer for the house we are buying is a 3 minute drive from new house, solicitor is 50km away!! - can we ask them to be couriered back to Dublin at their expense?

Thanks in advance for your help

C

Lisha

For security reasons id be getting a locksmith to replace all locks anyway in a new house whether I had keys or not.
No way if knowing who has copies of keys to your house otherwise

GavMan

You ask for them to be delivered and spend a day or so arguing and waiting on a decision.

Or, you could simply get in a car, drive the 40 minutes to Newbridge and pick them up instead of faffing about.

Your call

Wabbit Ears

c-dog wrote: »

2) Auctioneer said the keys they had the other day where dropped to owners solicitor and thats where we would need to collect them. Her solicitor is in Newbridge and we have bought a house in Co. Dublin! This seems crazy. We sold our own house a month ago and left keys with Auctioneer. The auctioneer for the house we are buying is a 3 minute drive from new house, solicitor is 50km away!! - can we ask them to be couriered back to Dublin at their expense?

Get in a car and drive FFS, On what planet is 50 Km considered far away . I do that on a round trip to tesco. This comment could well be re-posed in the "The most self entitled thing you've ever seen..." thread..
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=90747453

ABajaninCork

Just get a locksmith. You should be getting one anyway. This is not an issue.

Sunny Dayz

+1 on the advises on getting the locks changed. You don't know how many copies of house keys could be floating around, particularily if the house had been rented out. You would be paying for that yourself, it doesn't cost a whole lot anyway, depending on the type of locks, but worth it for your own peace of mind.

sillysmiles

Moved into a new house last week. All the keys were left but we still changed all the locks anyway.
Get the locksmith in, change the locks, don't bother driving to Newbridge and save the righteous indignation for a real issue. This is a simple problem to fix.

K.Flyer

+1 on getting All the locks changed, its the first and most basic thing that you do when you move into a house.

TheDriver

You can change a barrel in new type doors so easily, its only 4 euro for new one and 1 screw, you tube is your friend. Having said that, u need locksmith if door

Little Miss Cutie

sillysmiles wrote: »

Moved into a new house last week. All the keys were left but we still changed all the locks anyway.

Hi
Could you give me a rough guide on the price of changing the locks?
Thanks

deandean

Yea, the first two things to change when you move into a house: the locks and the toilet seats!

Get 5-lever mortise locks, most insurance companies require these.

sillysmiles

Four doors €295.
Like others have said, depending on the type of lock, you might be able to do it yourself.

goulders

No back door key ??????????

1 ring Joe Duffy
2 ring 999
3 buy smaller furniture
4 Ring daddy to help
5 Cancel the sale and go on housing list

OR Just grow a pair

c-dog

We already have locks but I wasn't sure if I would be able to change them without the key to the lock that is already there. - trying to avoid the cost of lock smith as we spent every penny and then some to get the house.

Thank you for the genuine responses.

As for Wabbit ears - I am heavily pregnant and not able for the drive and who cares how long it takes you to get to tesco. Looking for advice not smart comments.

Goulders - get a life, or is replying to threads with useless comments what you do all day?!

McGrath5

Don't mind the smart arse comments OP.

I had the issue myself, I had the locks changed just for the peace of mind.

TheDriver

295euro, ah lads its dead easy to do yourself, honestly. 1 screw in door and barrel pulls out. You don't take handles etc off. I did 2 locks here for 8 euro and took 1 min

amdublin

God I've never thought about getting locks changed in new house. I must be very trusting!

OP, can you drive to pick it up??

Pawwed Rig

TheDriver wrote: »

295euro, ah lads its dead easy to do yourself, honestly. 1 screw in door and barrel pulls out. You don't take handles etc off. I did 2 locks here for 8 euro and took 1 min

Exactly. It is less tan a 5 minute job

The_Morrigan

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Get in a car and drive FFS, On what planet is 50 Km considered far away . I do that on a round trip to tesco. This comment could well be re-posed in the "The most self entitled thing you've ever seen..." thread..
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=90747453

goulders wrote: »

No back door key ??????????

1 ring Joe Duffy
2 ring 999
3 buy smaller furniture
4 Ring daddy to help
5 Cancel the sale and go on housing list

OR Just grow a pair

Seriously folks could you knock off the snarky posts.....

c-dog

amdublin wrote: »

God I've never thought about getting locks changed in new house. I must be very trusting!

OP, can you drive to pick it up??

Not that far will arrange something was just asking because I didnt know the answer and it seems to be one added expense after another ( a lot more I didnt mention). Didnt think there was any harm in asking what the standard procedure was .

IMO it seems crazy to buy a house in Dublin and have to travel that far to pick up keys specially when the auctioneer is around the corner. I only sold my house in the midlands a month ago and keys were left with the auctioneer because that was handiest for the new owner.

nicger

Cdog, you say you are heavily pregnant, i think you need to move past this keys thing and stop stressing out yourself and your baby, yes its inconvient but not the end of the world, get some perspective on it and look after yourself

c-dog

nicger wrote: »

Cdog, you say you are heavily pregnant, i think you need to move past this keys thing and stop stressing out yourself and your baby, yes its inconvient but not the end of the world, get some perspective on it and look after yourself

Have already moved on - I really didnt see the harm in asking a simply question. It seems to me a lot of people who choose to respond to queries on this need to realise when someone makes a query it is exactly that - a simply query.

_Kaiser_

OP: 50km is not that far. It's all motorway. You'd do it in about half an hour from the Red Cow
If you can't drive because you're pregnant (which is fair enough), then what about your partner? Or may be a friend/relative? Seems a lot easier than starting rows about couriers and who pays.

As a side note, if €300 to change the locks is that big an issue because "we spent every penny and then some to get the house" then I genuinely hope you haven't overstretched yourselves here - especially with a baby on the way!

Victor

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Get in a car and drive FFS, On what planet is 50 Km considered far away . I do that on a round trip to tesco. This comment could well be re-posed in the "The most self entitled thing you've ever seen..." thread..
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=90747453

sillysmiles wrote: »

Moved into a new house last week. All the keys were left but we still changed all the locks anyway.
Get the locksmith in, change the locks, don't bother driving to Newbridge and save the righteous indignation for a real issue. This is a simple problem to fix.

goulders wrote: »

No back door key ??????????

1 ring Joe Duffy
2 ring 999
3 buy smaller furniture
4 Ring daddy to help
5 Cancel the sale and go on housing list

OR Just grow a pair

This may be difficult for a pregnant woman.

Constructive posts only please.

Moderator

---

For those suggesting "just change the lock" - how do you expect someone to open a locked door to be able to remove the existing lock?

afkasurfjunkie

Victor wrote: »

This may be difficult for a pregnant woman.

Constructive posts only please.

Moderator

---

For those suggesting "just change the lock" - how do you expect someone to open a locked door to be able to remove the existing lock?

That's what the locksmith is for.

mickdw

It's quite easy in most cases to open a looked door once inside.
Th e modern barrel locks can be snapped with a vice grip in most cases once you get at it from inside with door handle removed.
Some of late have been strengthened to prevent this but there is another way that is scarily easy too.
I've learned from experience of renting houses to people and keys going awol.