Lock change after a court eviction

A court eviction is the moment when the court returns possession of a home or business premises to the person entitled to it. It is carried out by the court officials (the comisión judicial), and the owner or their representative usually attends. At that moment a locksmith is needed: to open the door if the keys are not handed over and, above all, to change the lock so that nobody else can get in.

We are locksmiths from Torrevieja with 15 years of experience. We attend evictions in Torrevieja and all over the Vega Baja, at the request of owners, lawyers, court agents (procuradores), property administrators, estate agents and institutions.

What we do and what we do not

We make it clear from the start:

• We do attend on the day and at the time of the eviction, with the court officials or with the owner who has already recovered possession.
• We do open the door when the court officials tell us to and change the lock or the cylinder.
• We never change the lock on a tenant who lives in the property or on anyone who is inside, even if the contract has ended or there are debts. We do not do that under any circumstances.
• We do not give legal advice. If you have questions about your proceedings, ask your lawyer or your procurador.

Before any opening we check that the person calling us is entitled to have it done. We explain how to prove it when you contact us.

What an eviction looks like for the locksmith

Every eviction is different, but this is the usual sequence:

1. We arrive at the set time and wait for the court officials and the owner.
2. If the person who was occupying the property hands over the keys, only the cylinder needs changing.
3. If nobody opens or there are no keys, the court officials tell us to open. We always try to open without damage; only if that is not possible do we open by breaking the cylinder, and we say so beforehand.
4. We change the cylinder or the whole lock, depending on the condition of the door.
5. We test the lock and hand over all the new keys to the owner or to whoever they appoint.

If the door is damaged or the lock cannot be saved, we tell you there and then with a fixed quote.

What to have ready on the day

• The documents your lawyer or your procurador has told you to bring.
• The person who is going to keep the new keys, present or reachable.
• If you can, a photo of the door beforehand, so we bring the right cylinder.
• Time: an eviction can be delayed, and we wait as long as it takes.

After the eviction

Many homes recovered after legal proceedings are left empty for a while: while they are cleaned, repaired or sold. That is exactly when it is most worth protecting them. We can advise you on:

• A security cylinder with controlled key copying, so you always know how many keys there are.
• A security escutcheon or an extra deadbolt on the front door.
• Reinforcing the roller shutters on ground floor windows, so they cannot be lifted or bent.

You have all the options in squatter protection.

Banks, auctions and estate agents

We often work with properties that come from auctions, from institutions or from inheritances, where nobody knows how many keys there are or who has them. In all those cases the first step is the same: change the lock as soon as possession is clear. You have more information in auction and bank owned properties.

What is particular about the area

In Torrevieja and on the Vega Baja coast there are many flats and bungalows on urbanisations with a communal entrance, pool and garage. At an eviction it is worth thinking about those keys too: the main entrance, the pool, or the garage remote. We change the lock on the home; keys to the communal areas are handled with the community or its administrator.

If the garage has a remote, we can also take care of garage remote copying when the previous occupant does not hand it over.

How to arrange it

Send us a WhatsApp with the date, time and address of the eviction, and if you can a photo of the door. We confirm we will attend and give you a fixed quote for the lock change. If the job changes on the day of the eviction, we let you know before carrying on.

You can pay by card, Bizum or cash. If the owner is foreign or their representative prefers another language, send us a WhatsApp in your own language.