"Should I rekey, or just put new locks on?" is one of the questions I hear most. Usually it comes from someone who just bought a house, lost a set of keys, or had a roommate or tenant move out. The honest answer is that most people need a rekey, not new locks. Not everyone, though, and it's worth knowing the difference before you pay for hardware you didn't need.
What rekeying actually does
Inside a standard lock there's a row of small pins of different lengths. Your key lifts each one to exactly the right height so the cylinder can turn. When I rekey a lock, I take the cylinder out, swap those pins for a new set, and cut new keys to match. The lock on your door stays exactly where it is. The old keys just stop working.
Because you keep the hardware you already paid for, rekeying is usually the less expensive way to lock out old keys. It's also quick, and while I'm there I can set every lock in the house to the same new key. More on how that works on our rekeying in Boca Raton page.
When rekeying is the right call
- You just moved in. You have no idea how many keys are out there. Previous owners, their kids, the builder, cleaners, dog walkers, the realtor's lockbox. A rekey cuts all of them off at once.
- A key went missing. A lost key ring, a stolen purse, a spare that never came back from a contractor.
- Someone moved out. An ex, a roommate, a tenant, a housekeeper you stopped using.
- You're tired of carrying five keys. If your locks take the same type of key, I can rekey them all to one.
- The locks themselves work fine. The key turns smoothly, the latch catches, and the deadbolt throws all the way into the frame. There's nothing wrong with the hardware, only with who has a key to it.
When replacing makes more sense
New pins don't fix a bad lock. These are the situations where I'll tell you to replace instead:
- The lock is worn out. The key sticks or has to be jiggled, the cylinder wobbles, or the deadbolt drags. Those are mechanical problems, and rekeying won't solve them.
- It's corroded. Near the coast, salt air gets into locks and eats the insides. Sometimes cleaning and lubricating brings one back, sometimes it's too far gone. I wrote about that in why coastal locks seize up.
- Someone tried to break in. If a door was kicked or pried, the lock, the strike plate and sometimes the frame need attention, not just new keys.
- You want something better. A keypad or smart lock so nobody needs a key, or a high-security deadbolt with restricted keys that can't be copied at a hardware store.
- Your locks are different brands. Some brands use different keys that can't be pinned to match each other. If you want one key for the whole house, the odd lock out may need to be replaced.
The middle ground most people don't know about
It doesn't have to be all one or all the other. A lot of my jobs are a mix:
- Rekey every lock in the house and replace just the one deadbolt that's sticking, with the new one keyed to match the rest.
- Put a keypad deadbolt on the front door, then rekey the handleset, the back door and the door from the garage to match its backup key. You end up with a code for everyday use and one key for everything else.
- On a business, change only the cylinders in a good storefront or mortise lock instead of the whole lock body, or rekey onto a master key system so the owner has one key and employees only open their own doors.
How to avoid paying for more than you need
- Ask which one you actually need. If a locksmith wants to replace every lock on a house without even looking at them, get a second opinion. Good working locks almost never need replacing just because a key went missing.
- Get the full quote before the work starts. Ask what it covers per lock and whether there's a separate service call charge. A real quote shouldn't change once the work begins. Our guide to avoiding locksmith scams has more on that.
- Count your locks first. Walk around and list every keyed lock you want on the new key: front door, back door, door from the garage, side door, maybe a gate. Text me a photo of each one and I can give you a more accurate quote before I come out.
- Ask before you buy hardware. If you pick up new locks at the store, buy them as a keyed-alike pack or expect to have them rekeyed. Separate boxes usually come with different keys, even from the same brand. If you've already bought them, I can rekey them to match each other.
The short version
If your locks work and you just need old keys to stop working, rekey. If a lock is worn, damaged, corroded, or you want an upgrade, replace that lock. Most houses end up with a rekey and maybe one or two replacements, not a whole new set. If you do need new hardware, our lock change page covers what that involves.
Not sure which you need? Text a photo of your locks to 561-406-9944 and I'll give you an honest answer. I rekey and change locks for homes and businesses all over Palm Beach and Broward County, open 9 AM to 7 PM, seven days a week.