A good habit is to mentally review this once or twice a year, and also after any major life change – moving house, changing roommates, ending a tenancy, or after workers have had extended access. Over time, it’s easy to forget who has copies: relatives, cleaners, old tenants, friends who watered plants once and never returned the key.
For physical keys, ask yourself: if all these people still have access, am I comfortable with that? If the answer is even slightly uneasy, consider re-keying locks or changing them. It’s not only about mistrust; people lose keys, and you won’t know where they end up.
For digital codes – smart locks, security systems, gate PINs – updating them yearly is a simple protective step. If you share codes with guests or service providers, changing them after the job is done is smart. It’s like changing important passwords; most days nothing bad would happen if you didn’t, but that one time you did is worth it.