Change Locks in Covina, CA

What does it mean to change locks?

People use the phrase change locks to mean a few different things, and it helps to separate them before anyone picks up a tool. Sometimes it means changing which key works in the lock you already have. Sometimes it means taking the hardware off the door and putting different hardware on. Sometimes it means adding a deadbolt or a keypad where there was only a knob. All three leave you with a door that behaves differently than it did yesterday, and the right one depends on the door, the hardware, and why you are making the change.

The usual reasons are simple. You bought a house and have no idea how many copies of the old keys exist. You moved into a rental and a previous tenant, an old roommate, or a contractor may still have a key. A key was lost or stolen. A relationship ended. Or the lock is worn, loose, or sticking and you want the door to work properly again. Whatever the reason, the goal is the same: you should know exactly who can open your door, and the answer should be you and the people you chose.

Should you rekey or replace your locks?

This is the question we hear constantly, and the honest answer is that it depends on what is on your door right now. Rekeying keeps the existing lock body and changes the internal parts so old keys stop working and a new key does. Replacement removes the lock and installs a different one. We go into each in detail on our lock rekeying and lock replacement pages. Here is the short version for deciding.

If you are not sure, that is fine. We look at each lock in person, tell you what condition it is in, and lay out both options. You do not have to make the call over the phone, and you do not have to guess.

• Rekey when the hardware is in good shape, you like the finish, and your real concern is who holds keys. This is usually the more economical route, and the door looks the same afterward.
• Replace when the lock is worn, loose, damaged, or a mismatched set pulled from several different brands over the years.
• Replace when you want a different style, a stronger grade of hardware, or features the current lock simply cannot offer, such as a keypad.
• Replace when the existing lock is so poor that putting new work into it would be spending money on a weak part.
• Rekey when you want several doors to share one key. We can set the locks to match so you carry one key instead of a ring of them.

Locksmith for new homeowners: what to do when you get the keys

Buying a house hands you a stack of keys and a lot of unknowns. The seller, the listing agent, a previous tenant, a cleaning crew, a contractor, a neighbor who watered the plants: any of them may have had a copy, and nobody can tell you for certain. Changing locks after buying a house is one of the simpler security steps in the whole process, and it is easiest to do before the furniture comes in and before the doors are in daily use.

One thing people miss is that the knob and the deadbolt on the same door are often keyed differently, and a previous owner may have added a lock to a door you never planned to use. When you call a locksmith for a new house, walk every exterior door together and count what is actually there. That count becomes the job. If you end up with extra locks you do not want, we can tell you which ones are worth keeping.

The same thinking applies after any move, not only a purchase. If you rent, read your lease and talk to the landlord before changing anything, because rental agreements often say who may change locks and who keeps a key. Landlords and property managers who turn units over regularly can read more on our locksmith for landlords page. Once the locks are done, you may want spare keys for family members, and our key duplication page covers that.

• Front door, plus any side or back entry doors
• The door between the garage and the house
• Sliding door locks and any security bar or pin
• Deadbolts, which may not match the knob above them
• Side gate, shed, pool gate, and mailbox locks, if they matter to you
• Garage door opener codes and remotes, which you should reset yourself since they are not a lock job

How a lock change works with us, step by step

We keep the process plain so you always know what is happening and why. Here is how a typical visit goes.

1. You call (213) 577-1366. A person answers at any hour, any day. Tell us the address, how many doors are involved, what the locks look like, and why you are changing them.
2. A technician heads to you in one of our mobile vans. Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, and Covina is about 32 miles from there, so when you call we tell you plainly when to expect us instead of making a promise we cannot keep.
3. On arrival, we look at every lock involved: the brand, the grade, the condition, and whether the door and frame line up well enough for the lock to work smoothly.
4. We tell you what we recommend, rekey, replace, or a mix by door, and we explain what drives the cost before any work begins. You say yes or no.
5. We do the work. For a rekey, that means changing the internal parts to match new keys. For a replacement, that means removing the old lock, fitting the new one, and checking the latch and strike so it closes cleanly.
6. We test every lock with the new keys, with the door open and with it closed, and confirm the old key no longer works.
7. We hand over the keys, tell you which doors are keyed alike, and answer questions about spares and what to do with any old keys that are still floating around.

What affects the cost of changing locks?

We do not quote a number sight unseen, because the same words, change my locks, can describe very different jobs. Here is what moves the cost up or down, so you can judge any estimate you get, ours or someone else's. We give you the cost after seeing the doors and before we start.

If a locksmith offers a flat figure for a lock change without asking how many doors, what kind of locks, or what shape the doors are in, ask what that figure includes. Our deadbolt installation and smart lock installation pages explain what goes into adding those specific upgrades.

• How many locks are involved, and whether they are knobs, deadbolts, handle sets, or smart locks
• Whether you rekey the existing locks or replace them, since rekeying is usually the lighter-cost option when the hardware is sound
• The grade, brand, and finish of any new hardware you choose
• Whether the door itself needs attention, such as a misaligned latch, a swollen edge, or extra holes from earlier hardware
• Whether you want all the locks keyed alike to a single key
• How many keys you need cut
• The hour you call, since late-night and holiday work is different from a scheduled daytime visit
• The distance to your address

Changing locks in Covina: older doors, ranch tracts, hill properties, and apartments

Covina is not one type of housing, and the job changes with the street. Near the citrus-era Downtown Covina Citrus Avenue district, Craftsman-era and early-20th-century homes still stand. Hardware upgrades on early-20th-century doors are a situation we plan for there. A door of that age may not accept modern hardware without adjustment, so we check the existing holes, the door thickness, and the condition of the wood before we promise a fit. Sometimes the right answer is to rekey the original lock and keep the character of the door. Sometimes it is a careful replacement.

Surrounding those older blocks are 1950s and 1960s ranch tracts. In a house that age, hardware has often been swapped piece by piece over the decades, so a front door may carry a knob from one brand and a deadbolt from another. That is exactly the situation where changing locks after buying a house pays off: we can bring the set into one consistent, matching system and remove the question of who still has which key.

In Covina Hills, the lots are larger and semi-rural, and many have gated driveways. Changing the locks on the house does not change the gate, so when we visit a property there we ask about both. The gate hardware is a separate piece of work from a house lock change, so tell us up front if it is part of what you need.

Along Arrow Highway and parts of Azusa Avenue, apartment complexes are common, and apartment rekeys along Arrow Highway are a typical scenario. If you rent, the first step is the lease and a conversation with management. If you manage the units, we can rekey several doors in one visit and key them to your system. Charter Oak, the adjacent unincorporated area with Covina addresses, and the Badillo Street corridor are part of the same service area. We cover ZIP codes 91722, 91723, and 91724, so if your address is in Covina or Charter Oak, call us.

Does Covina's summer heat affect door locks?

It can, and it is worth knowing before you spend money. The eastern side of the San Gabriel Valley has hot, dry summers with little marine-layer relief, and heat expansion can make doors bind seasonally, especially older wood doors near downtown. A door that sticks in July and moves freely in December is often a door problem, not a lock problem.

That matters because a new lock will not fix a door that swells and rubs the frame. When you call about a lock that feels stiff, tell us when it started and whether it changes with the weather. We check the fit of the door first. If the latch is fighting the strike, adjusting alignment may be the better answer, and a rekey or a replacement may not be needed at all. If the lock itself is worn, we tell you that too. For mechanisms that are damaged rather than simply tired, our lock replacement page explains when swapping the hardware is the right call.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key

A lock change is a trust job. You are letting someone into your home to decide who can open your door afterward, so who shows up matters. Here is what we can honestly tell you about us.

• We have been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
• We have a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles, CA 90024, plus mobile service vans that come to you.
• You deal with one company from your call to the finished job. There is no dispatch middleman passing your address to someone you never spoke to.
• David is the owner and lead technician, and he oversees the work we do.
• Our phone, (213) 577-1366, is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, so a lock change after a late move or a break-in scare does not have to wait.

How to prepare for a lock change and what to ask any locksmith

A little preparation makes the visit smoother. Know how many doors you want done, and note whether each one has a knob, a deadbolt, or both. If you can, photograph the locks and send us a description when you call. Be ready to show that you live there or own the property, since any reputable locksmith should confirm that before changing a lock.

Also ask any locksmith you consider for their license. California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and a company that works legitimately will not mind the question. Ask for the license number, ask who will actually come to your door, and ask for the full cost before work begins. Those three answers tell you a lot about who you are dealing with.

More locksmith help in Covina

• Deadbolt Installation in Covina
• Gate Lock Repair in Covina
• High Security Locks in Covina
• Key Duplication in Covina
• Lock Installation in Covina
• Lock Rekey in Covina
• All services in Covina

Change Locks near Covina

• West Covina
• Azusa
• Glendora
• Baldwin Park
• San Dimas
• Irwindale