Lock Replacement in Burbank, CA: Front Doors, Homes, Apartments and Businesses

What counts as a lock replacement, and when is it the right call?

Lock replacement means we take out the old hardware, whether that is a knob, a lever, a deadbolt or the whole set, and fit new hardware in the same door. It is not the same as a rekey, where the lock body stays and only the inner pins are changed so a different key works. It is also not a repair, where one worn part gets fixed and the rest stays. All three have a place, and part of our job is telling you which one your door actually needs.

If the lock still works smoothly and your only worry is who might have a copy of the key, lock rekeying is usually the more economical route. If one part has failed but the rest of the lock is sound, lock repair may be enough. Replacement is the right call when the lock itself has become the problem. Here is when we recommend it:

• The hardware is cracked, bent, loose in the door, or visibly worn through its finish.
• The key turns hard or catches even with a fresh, clean copy, which usually points to a worn cylinder.
• A break-in or attempted break-in left tool marks, a damaged cylinder face, or a bent latch.
• The lock is an old model that is no longer made, so parts and matching keys are hard to find.
• The latch and strike no longer line up, and the lock has been forced or has worn from years of rubbing.
• You want a stronger lock than the basic hardware that came with the door.
• Different doors on the same property all use different keys, and you want one tidy, consistent setup.

How can you tell a lock is past saving?

Locks rarely fail all at once. They give warnings first, and most people ignore those warnings until the day the door will not open or will not lock. The common signs are a key that needs jiggling, a deadbolt that has to be pushed or lifted before it throws, a knob that spins loosely, or a latch that sticks halfway. Any one of these can be minor. Two or three together usually mean the mechanism inside has worn out.

Another sign people miss is a lock that works fine but feels unsafe. A door that can be shouldered open because the strike plate is held with short screws, or a deadbolt with a bolt that barely enters the frame, is a replacement conversation even though nothing is technically broken. We look at the whole door setup, not only the part you pointed at.

If you are standing outside the door right now, the situation is different from a planned swap. A lock that has failed with you on the wrong side is a lockout first and a replacement second. Call us any hour, and we will get you in, then talk about whether the lock should be replaced before you leave the door.

How does a lock replacement visit work, step by step?

We keep the process simple and explain each decision before we make it. You should never be surprised by what is happening to your door.

1. You call (213) 577-1366 and tell us what is wrong: which door, what the lock is doing, and whether it is a house, an apartment or a business. A real person answers, at any hour.
2. A mobile van comes to your Burbank address. If the job is better handled with parts from our Westwood storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd, we will tell you that rather than guess.
3. We inspect the lock, the door and the frame. We check the door thickness, the bore hole size, the backset, the latch, the strike plate and the screws holding everything in place.
4. We tell you whether replacement, rekey or repair makes the most sense, and what drives the cost on your particular door. You decide before any work starts.
5. We remove the old hardware and fit the new lock, adjusting the door prep where needed so the latch and bolt move freely and the bolt reaches fully into the frame.
6. We test it with the door open and then closed, with every key we cut, and from both sides. A lock that works on the bench but binds in the door is not finished.
7. You get your keys, and we explain how to use and care for the new hardware. If there are other locks on the property that should match, we can talk through that too.

What does front door, house and apartment lock replacement involve?

The front door is where most residential lock replacement happens, because it is the door that gets the most use, the most weather and the most attention from anyone with bad intentions. A house lock replacement usually means a handle set or knob with a separate deadbolt. We often recommend replacing both at once so the finish matches and the keys are the same. If you only need a stronger bolt added, that is closer to deadbolt installation than to replacement.

Hardware comes in grades. Light-duty residential locks are built for low cost and light use. Heavier grades use thicker metal, stronger bolts and better internal parts, and they hold up longer on a door that opens many times a day. We will explain the difference plainly and match the grade to the door and your situation, rather than selling the most expensive option by default.

If you would rather not carry keys at all, or you want to give out and cancel access codes, a keypad or app-based lock can replace a standard deadbolt. That is a different decision with its own tradeoffs, covered on our smart lock installation page.

Apartment lock replacement has a few extra wrinkles. Tenants generally need the landlord or property manager to agree before hardware on a rented door is changed, and some leases specify what is allowed. If you manage rental units, we work with owners and managers on turnover swaps and on replacing locks after a lost key or a tenant move-out. More on that is on our locksmith for landlords page.

• Entry doors: handle set plus deadbolt, matched and keyed alike when you want one key for both.
• Back and side doors: often overlooked, and often fitted with the weakest lock on the property.
• Interior doors with locks, such as a home office or a bedroom: usually a lighter-duty swap.
• Garage-to-house doors: a good place to fit a real deadbolt instead of a passage knob.

What about commercial lock replacement and business security upgrades?

Business lock replacement is its own kind of job. A shop door might open and close hundreds of times a day, and hardware that suits a home will wear out quickly. Commercial doors also come with rules about how they have to work from the inside, especially on doors people may need to leave quickly. We pick hardware with the door's actual use in mind and replace the lock in a way that keeps the door operating properly.

For a storefront, replacement often comes after a break-in attempt, after an employee leaves without returning keys, or when an old lock has simply worn out from years of daily use. If a lock is damaged but the door and frame are in decent shape, we replace the lock. If the door itself is the weak point, our storefront lock repair page explains what else may be involved. Where the job reaches closers, exit devices or the full door assembly, commercial door hardware is the better starting point.

A business security upgrade does not have to mean replacing everything. Often the smartest first step is changing the locks on the doors that matter most, such as the front entrance, the back door and any office or stockroom, and keeping a clear record of who holds which keys. We can talk through what is reasonable for the size of your operation.

What affects the cost of lock replacement?

We do not quote a number before we know what we are replacing, and we will not quote you a flat figure over the phone for a job we have not seen. What we can do is tell you honestly what moves the cost up or down, so you can judge any quote you receive from us or anyone else.

• The type of lock: a basic knob, a handle set, a deadbolt, a mortise lock or a high-security cylinder all differ widely in what they cost.
• The grade and brand of hardware you choose, and whether you want a basic residential grade or something built to take heavier use.
• How many locks are being replaced, and whether you want them all keyed alike.
• The condition of the door: if the bore hole is damaged or the wrong size, the door needs extra work before new hardware will fit and work properly.
• Whether the frame or strike plate also needs reinforcing or replacing.
• Unusual or older hardware, where finding a suitable match or fitting a modern replacement into an old door takes more time.
• The time of day: a late-night emergency call involves different cost factors than a daytime appointment.
• Your location and how far the van has to travel.

What does lock replacement look like around Burbank?

Burbank's housing varies a lot from one part of town to another, and that shapes what gets replaced and why. Magnolia Park is full of 1920s to 1940s bungalows, and across the flats there are postwar ranch homes. Many older houses still carry original mid-century door hardware. Those locks have had decades of use, and sometimes the original mortise sets or old knobsets are simply worn past the point of repair. When a bungalow's front door still has its original lock, we look at whether the character of the hardware is worth saving through lock repair or rekeying, and when replacement with a sturdier modern lock makes more sense. Some owners care about keeping the look, and we respect that.

Climate matters here too. Valley summer heat can swell wooden doors, which makes latches bind and puts extra strain on bolts and strike plates. Dry Santa Ana winds sweep down from the Verdugo foothills, and hillside houses above Glenoaks Boulevard get more sun and wind exposure than homes on the flats. That exposure can fade and wear exterior finishes faster. The upside is that Burbank is far enough inland that salt-air corrosion is not a concern, so a lock that is replaced here is not fighting that particular problem. A swollen door that has been forcing a lock for years is often the reason the lock failed, so we check the fit of the door as part of every replacement.

Downtown Burbank and the Media District have added mid-rise condos and large controlled-access apartment complexes. In those buildings, unit doors are often where lock replacement comes up, particularly after a lost key or a tenant move-out. Apartment lockouts near Downtown Burbank and the Chandler Bikeway are a regular reason people call us, and a lockout that involved a jammed or damaged lock often ends with the lock being replaced right then. If you are locked out of a unit, our apartment lockout page covers that side of it. The Rancho District, with its equestrian-zoned single-family lots, has a different mix: larger properties often have several exterior doors and outbuildings, and keyed-alike replacement across all of them is a practical way to cut down the number of keys.

On the business side, Burbank's Media District has companies that need office and gate access hardware, and storefronts along Magnolia Boulevard and San Fernando Boulevard see steady daily use that wears out locks. We serve all five Burbank ZIP codes, 91501, 91502, 91504, 91505 and 91506, and our service reaches across the city from Magnolia Park to the hillside district and the Golden State District. Burbank is about 16 miles from our Westwood storefront, and our mobile vans do the traveling, so you do not need to come to us.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for lock replacement?

We have been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Burbank is one of them, and we know the typical housing and the typical problems. We are a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood with mobile service vans, which means we carry parts and also come to you.

You deal with one company. There is no dispatch middleman who takes your call and hands it to a stranger. When you call (213) 577-1366, you reach us, whatever the hour, any day of the year. David, who owns the company and is its lead technician, oversees the work, so the standards you get are the standards he sets.

We will also tell you when you do not need a replacement. If a rekey or a small repair solves your problem, we say so, because the right fix is the one that fits the situation, not the one with the biggest job attached. If you are unsure which route to take, you can also read about high-security locks before you decide, or just call and ask us.

What should you ask any locksmith before they start work?

Whoever you hire, a few questions protect you. California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, known as a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith for their license number and check it with the state before they start. A company that dodges the question is telling you something.

Ask what is driving the cost, and ask for it before work begins. Ask what brand and grade of lock they plan to fit, and whether the old lock actually needs replacing or could be rekeyed or repaired. Ask whether the price changes if the door turns out to need extra work. A straightforward locksmith will answer all of that without fuss.

Be cautious with anyone who wants to drill a lock that could be opened without damage, or who will not tell you what the job involves until after it has started. Replacing a lock should leave you with a door that works better and feels safer than before.

More locksmith help in Burbank

• Change Locks in Burbank
• Deadbolt Installation in Burbank
• Gate Lock Repair in Burbank
• High Security Locks in Burbank
• Key Duplication in Burbank
• Lock Installation in Burbank
• All services in Burbank

Lock Replacement near Burbank

• Glendale
• Toluca Lake
• North Hollywood
• Sun Valley
• Studio City
• Valley Village