Just Moved In? Your Garage Door Handover Checklist

Question 01

What should I check on my garage door when I move in?

Security comes first, because old remotes keep working until you wipe them. That goes for the keypad and any phone app too. Then safety: the reverse, the beams, the springs and the balance. Then the paperwork. The table shows how to do each check and what a problem looks like.

Spring, balance and safety reverse problems are a job for a technician. Remote and keypad trouble starts with the maker's instructions. Either way, the last step is the same: book a baseline garage door service so someone who knows doors has looked the whole thing over.

Question 02

Why should I reset the garage remotes when I move in?

Because you can't know who still has one. Past owners, tenants, cleaners and tradies may all have been given a remote, and every one keeps working until the codes are wiped from the opener. Clearing the opener's memory shuts them all out in one go. It's the first job once you've got the keys.

Merlin and Chamberlain both tell the same story. The last owner keeps the visor remote, plus a keyring remote they bought separately, and both still open the door. Chamberlain warns that the last owner can still get in after you've moved in.

Counting the remotes you were handed won't settle it. You don't know how many were ever made. Gliderol's advice for lost remotes fits here too: erase all the codes from the motor's memory, then code back in only the remotes you still have.

Renting? Check with your property manager before you wipe anything, as they may hold a remote as well. Who looks after the door in a rental is covered in garage door repairs in rental properties.

Question 03

How do I clear old remote codes from my garage door opener?

Wipe the opener's memory with your model's own steps. Usually you hold a button on the motor unit, and every stored remote goes at once. Press one of your remotes straight after. If it's stopped working, the wipe worked. Then code your own remotes back in, and only those will open the door.

First, work out what you've got. The brand and model are usually printed on the motor unit itself. The steps change from model to model, so use the maker's own instructions rather than a guide written for a different opener:

• B&D: how to erase all sectional garage door remotes, plus owner manuals for other models.
• Merlin: the new home remote reset guide. Merlin's homeowner support points you to the "Erase All Transmitter Codes" part of your opener's manual.
• Chamberlain: new house, new security.
• Gliderol: remote help, with erase steps for several of its openers.
• Automatic Technology (ATA): the opener manuals library.

Two more to check. A keypad outside the garage has a PIN the last owner knows, so change it. And if the opener runs from a phone app, make sure it isn't still linked to someone else's account. The maker's instructions show how.

Remotes playing up after the wipe, or not working at all? That's a different problem. Garage door remote not working goes through the usual causes.

Question 04

Should I test the safety reverse when I move in?

Yes. Lay a roll of paper towel on the floor under the door, then close the door with the remote. It should reverse the moment it touches the roll. That's B&D's owner test. If the door presses down on the roll or keeps going, stop using the opener and book a service.

The safety reverse is what stops a closing door coming down on a child or a car. A door can open and close every day with a reverse that doesn't work. So test it.

Some doors also have safety beams, a pair of small sensors low down on each side of the opening. Check nothing like bins or boxes is blocking them, and give the lenses a wipe. Garage door safety sensors and auto-reverse covers how they work and what to do when they play up.

Question 05

How can I check the springs and balance without touching them?

Look first, then do one hands-on test. With the door shut, check the springs and cables for rust, gaps, fraying or slack. Then pull the release cord and lift the door halfway by its handle. B&D says a balanced door stays put. If it won't stay there, ease it back down and book a service.

What to look for: a gap in the coils of a spring, rust on the springs or cables, a cable that's frayed or hanging loose, or a door that sits crooked. Roller doors hide their springs inside the barrel at the top, so the halfway test tells you more. Heavy roller doors and spring tension explains why.

Once the test is done and the door's back down, re-engage the opener the way your manual says. Opening a garage door manually covers that step. Found a problem? Leave the door shut and read what to do about a broken spring. Springs are a job for a technician, so book garage door spring replacement.

Question 06

Where do I find the garage door's service history and warranty?

Ask for it before settlement or on handover day. The seller, agent, landlord or builder may have the opener manual, spare remotes, the installer's name and old service invoices. If nothing turns up, treat the door as never serviced. A baseline service then becomes your first record.

• The opener manual, or the brand and model so you can find it online
• Every remote and the keypad PIN
• The name of whoever fitted or last serviced the door
• Service invoices, with dates
• Warranty papers for the door and the opener
• In a townhouse or unit, whether the door is yours or the body corporate's

Warranty terms can hang on servicing. B&D, for one, makes it a condition of its warranty that the door and opener are serviced within the first 12 months of installation, then at least once every two years. Read the terms you're handed, and keep every service invoice with the house papers.

Knowing the door's age helps too. How long garage doors last gives a rough guide for doors, springs and openers. Living in a complex? The door might be common property, and body corporate garage doors explains who looks after what.

Question 07

Why check a new build's garage door at handover?

Because the door has often had a rough time before you get the keys. It may have gone in months early and sat through the dust of the build. Handover is also the easiest time to raise a fault. Run the door with the builder there, go through the list below and put anything wrong in writing.

Garage doors often go in early on a new build. B&D says the door is often fitted months or even years before the keys are handed over, so the house can be locked up. That means it can cop a lot of dust and debris while the build goes on, which is why B&D recommends a service as soon as you move in.

1. 01Open and close the door with each remote and the wall button.
2. 02Watch it run. It should move evenly, without scraping or banging.
3. 03Do the paper towel test for the safety reverse.
4. 04Check the door sits level and meets the floor evenly when it's shut.
5. 05Look over the panels inside and out for dents and scratches.
6. 06Ask who fitted the door and the opener, and get the manuals and warranty papers.

Queensland puts time limits on defects in new building work. The QBCC says to give your builder written notice of every defective or unfinished item. For home warranty cover on non-structural defects, you need to first notice it within 6 months of the work being "substantially complete" (QBCC's words), and claim within 7 months. Whether a door fault is covered is a question for the QBCC and your builder. See the QBCC's time limits for cover and claims and help with defective work.

Question 08

Why book a baseline service when you move in?

It gives you a known starting point. Thom checks the door from the springs to the opener and tells you what's worn, so you're not guessing about a door someone else looked after. You also get a date to count your next service from, and an invoice to keep with the house papers.

Every service covers the same five checks: spring tension and balance, roller and track lubrication, hardware tightening, cable and drum inspection, and a test of the opener and its safety reverse. Then Thom runs the door by hand and under power. Garage door servicing has the full detail.

Repairs and servicing are booked as a callout valued between $200 and $300 depending on the door size and the labour involved. The service and repair costs guide explains what that covers. After the baseline, once a year suits most homes. A door that runs many times a day is worth a service every six to nine months.

Every job is done by Thom, who has 3.5 years of hands-on experience and has trained across multiple garage door brands and systems. He's based in Maroochydore and works across the Sunshine Coast, from Marcoola to Sippy Downs. Call 0402 882 653, or book a callout and say it's for a new home.