Change Locks in Duarte, CA: Rekey or Replace, Done Right

Why change your locks when you move into a new place?

When you buy a house, sign a lease, or take over a home from a relative, you have no real way of knowing how many keys exist for the doors. The previous owner had a set. So did their family, a neighbor who watered the plants, the agent who held the listing, a contractor or two, and possibly a tenant before that. Closing escrow or signing a lease does not collect any of those keys. A lock change is how you make sure the only keys that work are the ones in your hand.

That is why changing locks is the first job we suggest to anyone looking for a locksmith for a new house or a locksmith after moving. It is not about assuming anyone means harm. It is about knowing exactly who can open your door, starting on day one, instead of guessing.

The same reasoning applies outside of a move. A lost key, a roommate who has left, a former partner, a house cleaner you no longer use, a set of keys you cannot account for: any of these is a good reason to change door locks, and the work is the same no matter what triggered it.

Should you rekey or replace your locks?

People say change locks as if it were one job. It is really two, and choosing the right one is most of the decision. Rekeying means we open the lock cylinder, change the internal pins so the old keys no longer work, and cut new keys to match. The lock itself stays on your door. Replacing means we remove the existing hardware and install new locks with new keys. If you want the details on either one, we have separate pages on lock rekeying and lock replacement.

We decide this lock by lock, not for the whole house, because a front door deadbolt in good shape and a worn-out back door knob do not need the same treatment. A mixed approach is common: rekey what is sound, replace what is not, and set everything up so one key opens every door you want it to.

• Rekey when the hardware is sound: the lock turns smoothly, the latch and bolt line up with the strike plate, and you like the way it looks. This is usually the more economical route because you keep the lock.
• Replace when the lock is worn, loose, sticking, or damaged, or when you want a different style or finish, or a feature the old lock cannot offer.
• Replace when keys or parts for an old lock are hard to match, or when the previous owner left a patchwork of mismatched locks that you would rather standardize.
• Upgrade when you want more than a swap: a stronger deadbolt, a keypad, or a smart lock, which we cover under smart lock installation.

How does a lock change work, step by step?

Here is how a typical lock change goes when you call us. It is the same careful sequence whether it is one door or the whole house.

If you are locked out of the new place before any of this can start, we deal with that first; see our house lockout service. The visit itself comes to you through our mobile locksmith vans, so you never have to carry a lock anywhere.

1. You call (213) 577-1366, at any hour. Tell us how many exterior doors you want done, what kind of locks they are (knob, deadbolt, lever, sliding door lock), and whether you have working keys or are locked out.
2. We talk through rekey versus replace over the phone, based on what you describe, and explain what will affect the cost so there are no surprises when we arrive.
3. A technician drives to your Duarte address in one of our vans. Before starting, we ask for something showing you are entitled to change the locks, such as ID with the address, closing papers, or a lease.
4. We look at every lock in person: how it turns, how the bolt meets the strike plate, whether the door itself sags or sticks. A new lock on a misaligned door leaves you with the same problem tomorrow.
5. We do the work, rekeying the cylinders worth keeping and installing new hardware where they are not. Every lock is tested with the new keys, with the door open and again with it closed.
6. We cut the number of keys you need and, if you want it, key several doors alike so you carry a single key instead of a ring of them.
7. We hand over the keys, show you how everything operates, and tell you to retire the old keys. They should no longer open anything we changed.

What affects the cost of changing locks in Duarte?

We will not put a number on a web page, because an honest number depends on what is actually on your doors. What we can do is tell you what moves the cost up or down, so you can judge any quote you get, ours included.

The short version: if your existing hardware is sound, rekeying keeps the job lighter-cost. If it is worn, replacing is a better use of money than rekeying a lock that is about to fail anyway.

• Rekey versus replace. Keeping your existing hardware is usually the more economical route. New locks add the cost of the hardware itself.
• How many locks. Front door, back door, side door, sliding door, and garage entry door are each their own lock. Doing them in one visit is more efficient than coming back.
• Lock grade and type. A basic knob, a quality deadbolt, a high-security cylinder, and a smart lock sit in very different cost ranges.
• Condition of the door. A sagging, swollen, or misaligned door needs adjustment before any lock works properly, and that takes extra work.
• Key count and matching. Extra keys, keying several doors alike, or matching an existing keyway all add some work.
• Time and place. A middle-of-the-night call is different from a scheduled daytime visit, and Duarte is about 33 miles from our Westwood storefront, so travel is part of the picture. We explain how it applies when you call.
• Added work. Putting a deadbolt where there is only a knob is a separate install; see deadbolt installation.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a lock change?

Plenty of locksmith listings online are really dispatch centers that send whoever happens to be free. Here is how we are set up instead, stated plainly.

One more thing worth knowing: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, issued by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Ask any locksmith you are thinking of hiring for their license number before they touch your door, and write it down. It is a fair question, and a good company will not mind it.

• In business since 1987, doing lock work across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
• A real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile service vans. If a job needs a bench, parts, or a second look, there is a shop behind the van.
• One company, no dispatch middlemen. The people answering your call work for the same company that shows up at your door.
• David, our owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
• The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, including the night you close on a house or the weekend you move.

What should you know about changing locks in Duarte homes?

Duarte's housing falls into a few groups, and each calls for a slightly different lock change. Most of the city is postwar single-family housing built from the 1940s through the 1960s along the Huntington Drive flats, mainly ranch homes and modest bungalows. Many still carry original mid-century locksets and garage hardware. If you have just bought one in ZIP 91010, we look closely at those old locks: some can be rekeyed and keep going, while others are worn enough that replacement is the better call. Garage side doors are easy to forget, so we include them in the walk-through.

Up on Duarte Mesa and in the Fish Canyon, Mel Canyon, and Spinks Canyon areas, lots are larger and many homes are custom builds. That usually means more entry points, side doors, and sometimes gates. A common job here is rekeying a hillside home after a sale or tenant turnover so one key works every door, outbuildings included. Near Fish Canyon, larger-lot properties may also have gates and padlocks that belong on the same key plan. If a gate latch is failing rather than just needing new keys, that is a repair job; see gate lock repair.

Townhomes and apartment complexes cluster near Huntington Drive and around the City of Hope campus area, and tenant turnover is the usual reason for a lock change there. If you own rentals, our locksmith for landlords page covers turnover work across several units. If you are a tenant, check your lease and talk to your landlord before changing anything.

Our base is about 33 miles away in Westwood, and the vans come to you, whether you are in the Royal Oaks neighborhood, on the Mesa, or along the Buena Vista Street corridor.

How do Duarte's heat and Santa Ana winds affect new locks?

Duarte sits against the San Gabriel foothills, with hot, dry summers and periodic Santa Ana winds funneling out of the canyons. Two practical effects matter when you change locks: heat expands sun-exposed doors, and wind-blown grit works its way into exterior locks.

On a sun-exposed door, expansion can make the bolt bind in the strike plate in summer even though it moved freely in winter. When we change a lock on a door like that, we check alignment and bolt clearance, because a new lock will not cure a door that binds. If it needs a small adjustment we make it. If the door itself needs work, we tell you so.

Grit is the other half. Dust blown out of the canyons gets into key pins and latch mechanisms, and heavy oil makes it worse by turning dust into paste. We steer people toward a dry lubricant made for locks. Marine influence is minimal this far inland, so salt corrosion is not the issue it can be near the coast. Dust and heat are.

What should you do the day you get the keys?

If you are about to close on a house or pick up keys to a new rental, a little planning makes the lock change quick and complete.

• Change the locks before you move boxes in, if you can. An empty house is easier to work in, and nobody is carrying keys in and out.
• Walk the property and list every lock: front, back, side, sliding doors, garage entry door, gates, mailbox, and any shed.
• Ask for every key the seller or former tenant has, but do not count on getting them all. That is the reason for the lock change.
• Reset garage door remotes and keypad codes. They are separate from your key locks and easy to overlook.
• Decide how many keys you need and who gets them. Leave a spare with someone you trust rather than hiding one outside.
• Keep your closing papers, lease, or ID with the address handy when we arrive.

When is something other than a lock change what you need?

Locked out, a key snapped off in the lock, a lost car key, a storefront door on Huntington Drive that will not latch: these are separate jobs with their own tools and their own pages on this site. If you are not sure which one you have, call (213) 577-1366 and describe what is happening. We will tell you what the job really is, and if it is not a lock change, we will say so rather than sell you one.

More locksmith help in Duarte

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

Change Locks near Duarte

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