Why rekey your locks when you move

Who else might have a key

Previous owners, their relatives, cleaners, dog walkers, contractors, a neighbor who watered plants years ago: keys spread quietly over time. In rentals, the list can include every past tenant who copied a key and never returned it. None of them need bad intentions for this to matter. A lost key with an address tag is enough.

Real estate lockboxes and spare keys hidden under mats add to the list. Once you move in, the only way to be sure who can open the door is to change what the lock accepts.

Rekeying versus replacing

A rekey changes the small pins inside the lock cylinder so that a new key works and every old key stops working. The lock body, the handle and the finish stay the same. It is quicker and cheaper than buying new hardware, and it suits locks that are in good shape.

Replacement makes sense when the lock is worn, damaged, cheap, or the wrong type for the door. A flimsy knob lock on a front door is worth upgrading to a deadbolt, and a sticking deadbolt that has been forced before should simply be replaced.

• Rekey: same lock, new key, old keys dead
• Replace: new hardware, new key, more cost
• Both: replace the weak locks and rekey the rest to match

One key for the whole house

Rekeying is the moment to get every exterior door on the same key: front, back, side, garage entry. Locks of the same brand and keyway can usually be keyed alike. If one door has a different brand, the locksmith can tell you whether it can match or needs a new cylinder.

See the residential locksmith page for the kinds of locks that can be rekeyed and what to check before the visit.

Renters and landlords

California law requires landlords to change or rekey locks in some situations, such as when a tenant is a victim of certain crimes; check the current rules or ask a tenant organization. In general, a tenant should get the landlord's agreement before changing locks and give the landlord a key if the lease requires it.

Landlords turning over a unit benefit from rekeying between tenants too. It costs less than a dispute about who entered a unit.

What it costs and how to book

The published price list shows lock rekeys starting at $19.00 per lock plus the $29 service call fee, and the coupons page lists current rekey offers. Count the locks before you call, note the brand on the face of each, and book the visit for a time when every door is accessible.

Wherever you are moving, from Temescal to Fruitvale, the steps are the same.

A move-in security checklist

Rekeying is the headline job, but the first week in a new home is also the time to check the rest of the doors and windows. Walk around the outside and look at every entry point the way a stranger would.

Check that each exterior door has a deadbolt with a bolt that fully extends, that strike plates are held by long screws, and that sliding doors have a working latch and a bar in the track. Look for spare keys hidden outside, such as under planters or above door frames, and take them inside. Garage remotes and keypad codes count as keys too, so change the codes and reprogram the remotes.

Finally, decide where your own spare key will live. A trusted neighbor or relative is safer than a hiding place by the door, and it can save you a lockout call later.

• Deadbolt on every exterior door
• Long screws in every strike plate
• Bar in sliding door tracks
• Hidden spare keys removed
• Garage codes and remotes changed