When you get the keys to a new place, you have no idea how many copies exist. Changing that is cheap, fast, and worth doing first.
Previous owners, their kids, the real-estate agent, contractors, cleaners, dog walkers, the neighbor who watered the plants — any of them could still have a key.
For most homes, rekeying — not replacing — handles it. A locksmith resets the pins in your existing locks so every old key stops working and you get a fresh set. (See rekey or replace? for which one you need.) Here’s the full checklist so nothing gets missed.
Rekey, in almost every case — it makes all existing keys useless for less than the cost of new hardware. Replace only if a lock is worn, damaged, or you’re upgrading.
You can, but the garage-entry and back doors are exactly the ones an old key would still open. Doing all the exterior doors at once — usually on one key — is the point.
A safe left in the house can be opened and the combination changed so it’s genuinely yours. We work manipulation-first and only drill if there’s no other way in.
Rekeying and replacing aren’t the same thing. When each one makes sense, what drives the cost, and when it’s worth doing yourself.
Read the GuideWhat a multipoint lock is, why the gearbox fails, and why most locksmiths won’t take the job.
Read the GuideWe’ll get your new place locked down to you.
