What does it mean to rekey a lock?
Rekeying changes the inside of a lock so it works with a new key and no longer works with the old one. The lock body, the deadbolt, the handle and the strike plate all stay on your door. What changes is the set of small pins inside the cylinder, which are matched to the cuts on a key. When we swap those pins to a new combination, every key that used to turn the lock becomes a piece of metal that does nothing.
That is why a house rekey or apartment lock rekey is usually the practical answer when the problem is who holds the keys rather than what condition the hardware is in. You are not buying a new lock. You are changing who has access to the one you already own.
People search for rekey locks near me for a handful of reasons, and they almost always come down to the same worry: someone you do not know, or no longer trust, may still be carrying a key to your door. Rekeying closes that door without a trip to the hardware store and without a pile of new hardware to install.
When should you rekey your locks?
The honest rule is simple: rekey whenever you cannot account for every key that opens the door. Most calls we get fall into a few clear situations.
- Rekey locks after moving in. Previous owners, tenants, landlords, cleaners, contractors and relatives may all have had copies, and you have no way to count them.
- Rekey locks after buying a house. Even a clean sale does not tell you how many keys went out over the years. A rekey before the first night in the home is one of the more sensible early steps.
- Rekey locks after a tenant moves out. A tenant can leave with keys, or hand them to a friend or a roommate who has since left. A fresh rekey resets that.
- Rekey locks after losing keys. If a key is missing and you cannot be sure where it went, the old key is still a live key until the lock is changed.
- After a breakup, a falling-out with a roommate, or ending a relationship with a house sitter, nanny or contractor.
- After a break-in or attempted entry, once the door itself is secure again.
How does a lock rekey work, step by step?
Whether the call is for one front door or every lock in a building, the process is the same. Here is what happens when we arrive.
- We confirm who you are and that you are entitled to have the locks changed, such as an owner, a tenant with the landlord's permission, or a property manager. This is routine and protects everyone.
- We look at every lock you want rekeyed: deadbolts, knobs, handle sets, and any security screen door lock. We check the brand and condition so we know what we are working with.
- We remove each cylinder from its door and open it up on the spot. The old pins come out.
- We fit new pins matched to a new key combination and reassemble the cylinder, so the lock works with the new key only.
- We reinstall each lock, then test it from both sides with the new key, checking that the bolt throws fully and the door closes and latches the way it should.
- We hand over the new keys, make extra copies if you want them, and confirm that the old key no longer turns the lock. If any hardware is too worn to rekey properly, we tell you plainly and explain the alternative.
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Call (213) 577-1366Can you rekey all the house locks to one key?
Yes, and for most households that is the best part of the job. When we rekey all house locks at once, we can set the front door, back door, side gate lock and garage entry to the same key. One key in your pocket instead of four or five.
The reverse is also possible. Some owners want a separate key for an in-law unit, a detached garage or a storage room, so the person using that space never holds a key to the main house. We set it up either way, and we will ask how you actually use the doors before suggesting a layout.
One practical point: a rekey is done with a specific brand of lock in mind. If your front door is one brand and your back door is another, we can still key them alike in most cases, but it depends on the cylinders. We check at the door rather than promise it over the phone.
Once the new key exists, you will probably want spares for family members. That is a separate, simple job covered by our key duplication service, and we can usually do it during the same visit.
How do apartments and tenant turnover change the rekey?
An apartment lock rekey is a different job from a house rekey because the person paying, the person living there and the person who owns the building may all be different people. In multi-unit buildings, tenant turnover rekey is one of the most common reasons we are called. A tenant moves out, the unit gets cleaned and painted, and before the next tenant moves in the locks need to be reset so the previous occupant's keys no longer work.
For landlords and property managers, rekeying is generally the better fit than replacing hardware, because the existing locks are usually fine and you are only resetting access. It also lets a building keep a clean key system: each unit gets its own key, and if you want, a management key that opens the whole set. If you manage several units, our locksmith for landlords page explains how we schedule turnover work.
If you are a tenant, check your lease and talk to your landlord first before changing anything on the unit. In many situations the landlord arranges the rekey. If you are locked out of your unit while sorting this out, see our apartment lockout help, which is a separate service from rekeying.
What about commercial and business lock rekey?
A commercial rekey follows the same principle as a home job, but the stakes and the logistics are different. A business lock rekey is common when an employee leaves, a manager changes, a tenant takes over a unit in a shared building, or an owner simply cannot say how many keys are out there. Commercial lock rekey is also routine after a business buys or takes over a space.
Commercial doors often use heavier hardware, and some businesses run more than one door on a single key plan: front, back, office, supply room. We rekey these so each door works with the keys it should, and we keep the plan simple enough that you can explain it to your staff.
If your business needs a layered key arrangement, where a general key opens some doors and a manager key opens more, that is a master key system project and we plan it from the start rather than patching it together. For broader hardware needs beyond rekeying, our commercial locksmith page covers the rest of what we do for businesses.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366How much does lock rekeying cost in Hawthorne?
We do not quote prices on a web page because the real number depends on the door, not on a menu. What we can do is tell you what moves the cost up or down, so nothing at the door surprises you. Rekeying is usually the more economical route compared with replacing hardware, because you are paying for labor and new pins rather than new locks.
These are the things that actually drive the cost of a rekey:
- How many locks you have. A single deadbolt is a quick job; a whole house or a floor of apartments takes more time, and the per-lock effort often drops when we do many at once.
- The brand and condition of the locks. Common residential cylinders are straightforward. Older, worn, or unusual hardware may take longer, and some are better replaced than rekeyed.
- Whether you want everything keyed alike or separated into different keys.
- How many copies of the new key you want.
- Whether you need us outside normal business hours. Our line is open 24 hours a day, but late-night and holiday visits can be priced differently from a scheduled daytime appointment.
- Any lock that turns out to be damaged, binding or loose in the door, which adds repair work on top of the rekey.
When is rekeying not the right fix?
Rekeying is good, but it is not always the answer, and we will say so. If a lock is badly worn, the key sticks, the bolt does not throw fully, or the cylinder is cracked, then new pins in a failing lock just gives you a failing lock with a new key. In that case lock replacement is the honest recommendation.
Sometimes a customer wants to upgrade as well as reset access, perhaps moving to a stronger deadbolt or a keypad entry. Then you are looking at a change of hardware, and our change locks service is the closer match. If you are interested in keyless entry for a front door, smart lock installation is its own job.
The point is to match the fix to the problem. If your locks are sound and the issue is only who holds a key, rekeying is usually all you need, and we will not talk you into more.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a rekey?
We have been in business since 1987, and rekeying is some of the oldest, most basic work in the trade. The people who answer your call are part of the same company that sends the technician. There is no dispatch middleman passing your job to whoever is free, which matters when you are handing someone the means to get into your home.
We run a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so we carry the pinning kits and tools to rekey on site. Hawthorne is about 15 miles from our base, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
One thing worth knowing before you hire anyone: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS locksmith company license, known as an LCO license. Ask any locksmith for that license number before they start, including us. A reputable company will give it to you without fuss.
You can reach us any hour, any day, at (213) 577-1366.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Rekeying across Hawthorne: tract homes, apartments and gated townhomes
Hawthorne, ZIP 90250, is mostly postwar housing, and that shapes the rekey work we do here. In neighborhoods like Hollyglen and Bodger Park, the 1940s to 1960s stucco single-family tracts have often changed hands several times. Over the decades, original hardware may have been swapped, keys have gone to previous owners and renters, and nobody can say how many copies exist. Rekeying postwar tract homes is a standard job: every exterior lock on a Hollyglen or Bodger Park house can be keyed to one new key in a single visit. On older streets, security screen doors are common, and their locks are often keyed separately from the main door, so we ask about those and include them in the plan.
Moneta Gardens and North Hawthorne have a similar mix of homes and small buildings. Along Hawthorne Boulevard and other commercial corridors, dingbat-style apartment buildings produce steady tenant turnover rekey work, because small buildings change occupants frequently and owners want old keys out of circulation between tenants.
At ThreeSixty at South Bay, the newer gated townhomes on the west side are a different case. We can rekey or service the hardware on your own front door, while the community gate hardware is usually managed through the HOA, so check with your association before touching shared access. If you are weighing a smart lock for your own door, that is a separate conversation.
On the business side, the industrial district around Hawthorne Municipal Airport and SpaceX is the kind of area where commercial lock rekey comes up when staff change or a unit is taken over. The weather barely matters for any of this: marine-layer mornings and mild temperatures mean few weather-driven lock problems, so rekeys here are almost always about keys, not corrosion. We also serve Del Aire, the adjacent unincorporated area.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between rekeying and changing locks?
Rekeying keeps your existing lock and changes the internal pins so a new key works and the old one does not. Changing locks means removing the hardware and installing different locks. If your locks are in good shape, a rekey is usually the more economical route and does the same job for access.
Will my old keys still work after a rekey?
No. Once the pins are changed, the old key will not turn the lock. We test each lock with the new key and confirm the old key no longer works before we leave.
Can you rekey my locks if I lost all my keys?
Yes, in most cases. We can open the lock if needed, then rekey it so a new key works and any key you lost becomes useless. We will confirm you are entitled to have the locks changed before starting.
Should I rekey after buying a house in Hawthorne?
It is a good idea. You cannot know how many copies the previous owners, renters or contractors made. Rekeying all the exterior locks before you move in gets everyone's old keys out of the picture, and we can set them all to one key.
Can you rekey a security screen door lock?
Often yes, depending on the lock. Security screen doors are common on older Hawthorne homes and small apartment buildings, and their locks are sometimes keyed separately. We look at the actual lock and tell you whether it can be rekeyed or should be repaired or replaced.
Do you rekey apartment units between tenants?
Yes. Tenant turnover rekey is regular work for us. Owners and managers usually arrange it between move-out and move-in, and we can plan keys for each unit and, if wanted, a management key. Tenants should check with their landlord first.
Can you rekey the locks at my business?
Yes. Commercial rekey and business lock rekey are common after staff changes or when a business takes over a space. We rekey the doors you choose and can set up a simple key plan so the right people carry the right keys.
Do you offer rekey service at night or on weekends?
Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round at (213) 577-1366. Late-night and holiday visits may be priced differently from a daytime appointment, and we explain what affects the cost when you call.
More locksmith help in Hawthorne
Lock Rekey near Hawthorne
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.