Change Locks in Encino, CA

What does it mean to change your locks?

People say "change the locks" and mean three different things. Some want the old keys to stop working. Some want a stronger or better-looking lock on the door. Some want a keypad or smart lock so nobody has to carry a key at all. Each of those is a different job, with different parts and a different cost, and a good locksmith sorts out which one you actually need before touching a screwdriver.

The lighter-cost route is usually rekeying. We take the existing lock, change the internal pins so it works with a new key, and the old keys no longer turn it. The hardware stays on the door. Replacement means taking the lock off and putting a new one on, which makes sense when the old one is worn, damaged, mismatched, or simply not good enough for the door it protects.

This page covers the whole decision for Encino homes and condos. If you already know you want one specific thing, we have separate pages on lock rekeying in Encino and lock replacement in Encino. If you are not sure, start here and call us. Walking you through the choice is part of the job.

Changing locks after buying a house or moving in

If you are searching for a locksmith for a new house, the reason is almost always the same: you do not know who has a key. The previous owners may have handed over two or three, but over the years there could be copies with a former tenant, a contractor, a neighbor who watered the plants, a cleaner, or a relative. Nobody tracks that. The only reliable fix is to change what the keys fit.

A lock change after moving is one of the most sensible early expenses on a new property, and it is a quick one. We would rather do it before your first night in the place than after something goes missing. It also gives you a clean starting point: one set of keys you know about, held by people you chose.

Here is what we typically look at on a move-in visit:

• Every exterior door: front, back, side, and any door from the garage into the house.
• Deadbolts and knob or lever sets, since many homes have one brand on the deadbolt and another on the handle, each with its own key.
• Sliding doors and patio doors, which often have weak latches that a new key does not help.
• Mailbox, side gate, and garage keypad or opener codes, which new owners often forget.
• Whether the existing hardware is in good enough shape to rekey, or is worn enough that replacing it is the honest recommendation.

Rekey or replace locks: how do you decide?

We do not push one option. The decision usually comes down to the condition of the lock and what you want from it. Here is how we think it through with you at the door.

• Rekey when the hardware is sound, the finish is acceptable, and your only concern is who holds keys. It is typically the more economical route, and you end up with all locks on one key if you want that.
• Replace when the lock is loose, sticky, corroded, or visibly worn, when parts are failing, or when it is a cheap lock that gives you little real resistance.
• Replace when you want something the old lock cannot do, like a keypad, a smart lock, or a higher-security cylinder that resists picking and drilling.
• Replace when the deadbolt does not line up well with the door or strike, since the lock may be fine and the install may be the problem. Sometimes the right fix is adjusting or installing a new deadbolt properly.
• Rekey when you like your current locks, especially decorative or designer hardware that would be a pain to match again.

How we change locks, step by step

The process is the same whether the call comes in at midday or in the middle of the night. A van comes to you, and we do the work on site.

1. You call (213) 577-1366 and tell us what happened: new home, lost keys, a breakup, a former roommate, or just a general upgrade. A real person answers, at any hour.
2. We ask about the doors involved, the brand of lock if you know it, and whether you want one key for everything. A photo of the lock helps but is not required.
3. We arrive and inspect each lock in person. This is where we tell you honestly whether rekeying will work or whether replacement makes more sense, and what is driving the cost either way.
4. You approve the plan before any work starts. If something looks different from what we discussed on the phone, we explain it first.
5. We rekey or replace the locks. After the work, we test each key in each lock, check that doors latch and deadbolts throw fully, and adjust strikes if a door has shifted.
6. We hand over your new keys and, if you want them, make extra copies. If a key needs to be cut for a family member or a house sitter, we can do that on the spot.
7. If you have a smart lock or keypad, we set up your codes with you and show you how to change them yourself.

What affects the cost of changing locks in Encino?

We do not quote numbers on a web page, because the same phrase "change my locks" covers jobs that vary a lot. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so there are no surprises when we give you a figure in person or on the phone.

In general, rekeying is the lighter-cost option and replacement costs more, but a replacement of a basic lock can be close to a rekey of a complicated one. The details matter.

• Number of locks: a front door and a back door is a smaller job than eight locks across a large house.
• Rekey versus replace: rekeying reuses your hardware, replacing adds the cost of new locks.
• Lock quality and type: standard hardware, high-security cylinders, multipoint locks, and smart locks sit at very different levels.
• Condition of the door: a swollen, warped, or misaligned door may need adjustment so any new lock works properly.
• Key requirements: keying all locks alike, extra copies, or restricted keys that cannot be freely duplicated add steps.
• Time of day: after-hours and holiday calls take a technician away from rest, so they can cost more than a daytime appointment.
• Distance: our storefront is in Westwood, about 11 miles from Encino, and travel is part of a mobile service call.

Changing locks in Encino: what we see across the neighborhood

Encino is not one kind of house, and the right lock change depends on which kind you live in. A rekey in the postwar ranch tract of Encino Park is a different job from the gate and smart-lock work at a large property in Royal Oaks or Amestoy Estates, and both differ from a condo on the Ventura Boulevard corridor.

Encino Park and the older ranch tracts north of the Boulevard: these houses tend to have original or early-replacement hardware and several exterior doors, including a side door and a back slider. Rekeying is a common request here after a purchase, because the locks themselves are often still working fine. We check the back and garage doors as carefully as the front, since those are the ones people forget.

Royal Oaks, Lake Encino and Amestoy Estates: on larger lots, changing locks often means more than the front door. There may be a driveway gate, a pedestrian gate, a guest house, a pool gate, and several exterior doors. This is where homeowners start asking about keypads and smart locks, so that gate codes and door codes can be changed together. If your gate hardware is the weak point, we handle that too through our gate lock repair service, and if you want to modernize, see smart lock installation in Encino.

South of the Boulevard hillsides: hillside homes frequently sit behind gates with intercom and access-control hardware. Changing the house locks does not change the gate, so we ask about both. These homes also get more direct sun and canyon wind, and heat expansion of entry doors is a realistic effect. A door that swells in summer can make a new deadbolt bind, so we test the fit rather than assuming it will behave the same in every season. If you are ever locked out on the hillside streets off Hayvenhurst Avenue or White Oak Avenue, our house lockout service is a separate call, but many lockouts turn into a lock change once the door is open and the key situation is clear.

Ventura Boulevard corridor: condo towers and HOA-managed apartment buildings make up some of the densest multifamily housing in the south Valley. If you own a unit, your front door lock is usually yours to change, but the building may have rules about hardware, key control, or finishes. Check with your HOA or management before choosing a new lock, and tell us what they require. We can work to those requirements.

Whether your address falls in ZIP 91316 or 91436, the approach is the same: we come to you, inspect on site, and tell you what the job actually calls for.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key

We have been in business since 1987. That is long enough to have seen most of what goes wrong with locks, and to have formed firm opinions about what is worth fixing and what is worth replacing. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work, so the standards come from the person whose name is on the company.

We are one company, not a call center that passes your job to whoever is closest. The person you speak with works for the same business that sends the van. We run a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile vans, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including Encino. The phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year.

California requires locksmith companies to hold a Locksmith Company license, called an LCO, issued by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). You should ask any locksmith you hire for that license number before they start work. That is good practice for any trade, and you should expect a straight answer from us too.

For anything that falls outside a basic lock change, such as a landlord changing locks between tenants, we have a dedicated page on locksmith services for landlords. If you need someone at an odd hour, our 24-hour locksmith service in Encino works the same way as the daytime one.

Before we arrive: how to prepare for a lock change

A little preparation makes the visit go faster and keeps the price accurate. None of it is required, but it helps.

• Count the exterior doors and any gates or side doors that use a key.
• Gather every key you have, even ones you think are old, so we can see what you are working with.
• Tell us whether you want all locks on one key or separate keys for different doors.
• If you are in a condo or HOA community, find out in advance whether there are hardware rules.
• Tell us if anyone is still living in the home who should keep access, so we do not lock out the wrong person.
• If you are changing locks after a separation or a difficult tenant, tell us. We will make sure the old keys are retired properly and that you walk away with the right ones.

After the lock change: keeping things secure

A fresh set of locks only helps if you keep control of the new keys. Keep a short list of who has one. Avoid labeling keys with your address. If you hand a key to a housekeeper or dog walker, think about whether a keypad code you can change later makes more sense than another physical copy.

Also check the doors that people overlook: the garage entry door, the sliding door, and any side gate. A new deadbolt on the front door does not help if the back slider can be lifted off its track. We will point out weak spots when we see them, but it is your decision whether to act on them.

If you later need extra copies, we can make them. Tell us if your keys are marked as restricted, since those cannot be freely duplicated and need to come through the proper channel.

More locksmith help in Encino

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

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