Residential
Lock rekeying: make the old keys stop working
We rekey the locks you already have, so the old keys stop working and one key can open them all.
Where
South-eastern Pennsylvania
What we cover
Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Lancaster County and Philadelphia
How we work
We are a mobile locksmith. We come to you.
What this covers
Lock rekeying changes which key opens a lock without replacing the lock itself. The handle, the deadbolt and the finish on your door stay exactly as they are; what changes is inside the cylinder, so your previous keys no longer turn it and a new key takes over. It suits a move into a new home, a lost set of keys, or a key that went to someone who no longer needs one.
How we approach it
We rekey at your door. Each lock you want changed is set to the new key, and when several locks are done together they can all share a single key, so the front door, the back door and the deadbolts share a single key. Every lock is tested with the new key, and the new keys are handed to you when we finish.
Where it stops
Rekeying makes sense when the lock itself is in good condition. If a lock is worn, loose, sticky or damaged, rekeying only gives a tired lock a new key, and replacing it is the better answer. We look at each lock first and say which ones are worth rekeying and which ones are not.
What lock rekeying covers
Rekey a lock on a home so the old keys stop working, set several locks to work with one key.
Worth knowing
Rekeying and replacing do the same job for your security: in both cases the previous keys become useless. The difference is the hardware. Rekeying keeps the locks you have and changes what is inside the cylinder, while replacing takes the whole lock out and puts a new one in. If you like your locks and they work well, rekeying keeps them.
Moving into a new home is the classic time to rekey. Nobody knows how many copies of the old keys exist: previous owners, their family, contractors, agents. Rekeying before your belongings move in means the only working keys are the ones you hand out. If you rent, ask your landlord first, since the lease may say who looks after the locks.
One key for every door is worth asking for. When the front door, the back door and the side door are rekeyed together, they can all be set to the same key, which means one key on your ring instead of three. It also makes the next change simpler, because everyone who needs a key carries the same one.
Lock Rekeying: questions before you call
How is rekeying my front door deadbolt different from replacing the whole lock?
Rekeying changes which key the lock accepts, while replacing changes the hardware itself. If you like the knob, deadbolt, and trim already on the door, tell us that on the phone. If the lock body is loose, the key has to be jiggled, or the bolt rubs the strike plate, say that too, because those issues are separate from the key change.
What should I tell you on the phone if I want the back door and side door set to one key?
Tell us how many locks you want changed, which doors they are on, and what each piece of hardware is. A deadbolt above a knob is two locks, not one. Also tell us whether any old key still turns in any of them, and whether you want all of those doors on one key or kept separate.
Can you put my front knob lock and my deadbolt on the same key, or does the hardware decide that?
The hardware decides whether locks can be set to one key. Some locks on the same door can be matched, and some cannot, even if they look similar from outside. Tell us whether each lock is a knob, deadbolt, rim cylinder, or mortise lock. A deadbolt and a knob above and below each other are not automatically the same inside.
What should I have ready before you rekey the lock on my apartment door?
Have every key for that door in one place, even old copies that only work partway. We use that to confirm which keys need to stop working after the rekey. It also helps if you know whether the door has one lock or two. For example, many apartment entry doors have a deadbolt plus a separate knob lock.
If my house key still turns but sticks halfway in the basement door, is rekeying the right job?
Rekeying changes key access, but sticking points to a condition we need to know about first. Tell us exactly what the key does: whether it stops halfway in, turns hard, or comes out only at one position. Also say if the lock face is bent or if the door has to be pushed before the key turns, because that changes how we assess the lock.
