Change Locks in Lake View Terrace, CA

What does it mean to change locks, and should you rekey or replace?

When someone calls and says they need the locks changed, they almost always mean one thing: the keys that exist out there today should stop working. How we get there is a separate question, and it decides your cost, your timeline, and how the door feels afterward. There are two real routes.

Rekeying keeps your existing lock hardware and changes what's inside the cylinder, so the old keys no longer turn it and a new key does. Replacing means taking the old lockset off the door and installing a different one. Both routes end with a door that only your keys can open. The difference is what happens to the hardware.

That's why this page is about walking you through the choice instead of pushing one answer. A lock that's in decent shape and made by a reputable manufacturer is often a good candidate for rekeying, which is usually the more economical route. A lock that's worn, loose, damaged, or simply not what you want protecting your front door is a candidate for replacement. We look at the actual door before we say which.

If you already know you want to rekey, our page on lock rekeying in Lake View Terrace goes deeper into that process. If you're leaning toward new hardware, see lock replacement. This page covers the decision itself and the whole-property lock change that usually follows a move.

Why change the locks after buying a house or moving?

The plain reason is that you don't know who has a key to your new place. Locks get keys cut over the years, and nobody keeps a record of them. When you take possession, the number of keys in circulation is unknown, and a lock you can't account for isn't doing its job.

Think about who may have held a key to a house before you:

• The previous owners and their family members
• Former tenants, if the place was ever rented
• Agents, contractors, painters, cleaners, and inspectors who were given access during the sale
• Neighbors or relatives who watered plants or fed animals while the house sat empty
• Anyone who had a copy made at a hardware store, which nobody tracks

When is the right moment to call a locksmith for a new house?

None of that implies anyone means harm. It simply means you can't vouch for those keys. Changing the locks when you get possession resets the count to the keys in your own hand, and that is a good feeling to start with in a new home.

The same logic applies after a breakup, a roommate moving out, a lost set of keys, or a former employee or house sitter who had access. It's less about suspicion and more about control over your own front door.

The easiest time is before the movers arrive, because the doors are clear and nothing is in the way. But if you're reading this on moving night with boxes everywhere, that works too. Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, and a locksmith for new homeowners shouldn't keep office hours.

How does a lock change work, step by step?

Here is how a typical lock change goes with us, whether it's a one-door apartment or a ranch property with several buildings.

1. Call (213) 577-1366. A person answers at any hour. Tell us the address, how many exterior doors you have, and what's on them if you know: deadbolts, knob locks, handlesets, a side garage door, a gate.
2. We send one of our own mobile vans. There is no dispatch middleman passing your job to a stranger, and the work is done under David's oversight.
3. On site, we look at every lock before touching anything: brand, condition, whether the cylinder can be rekeyed, and how the door, latch, and strike plate line up.
4. We lay out your options door by door. Which locks can be rekeyed, which would be better replaced, and why. We explain what you're paying for before we start, and you decide.
5. We do the work. For rekeying, the cylinders come out and are rebuilt to match a new key. For replacement, the old hardware comes off and new hardware goes on, aligned so the bolt throws cleanly into the frame.
6. We test every lock with the new keys and confirm the old keys no longer work.
7. We hand over the keys and talk through extra copies. If family members or a house sitter need their own, we can cut them; see key duplication.

Rekey or replace: how do we decide, door by door?

We don't have a default answer, because a lock change isn't one decision. It's one decision per door, and a single house often ends up with a mix of both.

Here is the thinking we bring to each lock:

• Rekey makes sense when the lock is a solid, working brand, the finish and operation are fine, and the only real problem is unknown keys. It's usually the lighter-cost option and keeps hardware you already like.
• Rekey also makes sense when you want every exterior door on one key. We can bring the cylinders into a single keying so you carry one key instead of a ring.
• Replace makes sense when the lock is worn, sticky, loose in the door, visibly damaged, or showing signs of a past break-in attempt.
• Replace makes sense when the hardware is builder-grade and you want something sturdier, or when a particular lock simply isn't designed to be rekeyed.
• Replace or add hardware when a door has no deadbolt at all. Rekeying can't add one, but deadbolt installation can.
• Replace is also the route if you want a keypad or app-controlled lock; see smart lock installation for what that involves.

What affects the cost of changing locks?

We don't put numbers on a web page, because two doors that look alike can need very different work. What we can do is tell you honestly what moves the cost, so nothing surprises you.

The main factors are:

• How many locks and doors are involved, including side doors, garage entries, and gates
• Whether each lock is rekeyed or replaced, since rekeying is generally the more economical route
• The grade and brand of any new hardware you choose, from standard deadbolts up to high-security or smart locks
• The condition of the door and frame, because a misaligned strike plate or a worn latch hole may need attention for the new lock to work properly
• Whether you want all locks keyed alike or want separate keys for separate doors
• The time of day and where the property is, which we explain before we start

How should I think about price before I call?

Ask for the work to be explained before it begins, and expect a clear answer on what each part covers. A good locksmith can tell you why one door is a rekey and another needs new hardware. If you're unsure, say so on the phone and we'll talk it through. You are never obliged to proceed once you've heard the options.

What's different about changing locks in Lake View Terrace?

Lake View Terrace, ZIP 91342, is a semi-rural corner of Los Angeles, and that changes what a lock change involves. Much of the housing is 1950s to 1970s ranch homes, many on horse-zoned lots with barns, corrals, and long gated driveways. A home that age has often had hardware swapped piecemeal over decades: a newer deadbolt on the front, an older knob lock on the back, a padlock on a side gate. A lock change here is usually a whole-property job, not just the front door.

Rekeying ranch homes near Little Tujunga Canyon is a good example. When someone buys a place there, the house itself is one piece. Then there are the garage side door, the back slider, the tack room, the barn, and the gate. We can bring the cylinders that suit it into a single keying so you aren't juggling a ring of keys at the barn door. Along the Wentworth Street equestrian corridor, gate and barn lock service is a common request, and a new owner often wants the gate and barn secured the same day as the house. Where gate hardware itself is worn or jammed, that falls under gate lock repair.

The climate matters too. Foothill heat and strong seasonal Santa Ana winds blow dust and grit through the Hansen Dam basin, and that can foul exterior gate locks and padlocks. If a padlock or gate lock on your new property feels gritty or stiff, we may recommend replacing it rather than rekeying. Summer sun also dries out wood doors on unshaded lots, and a dried wood door can sit differently in its frame than it once did. When we change a lock on one, we check that the bolt lines up cleanly before we call the job done.

We work across the neighborhoods that make up Lake View Terrace, including the Hansen Dam area, the Foothill Boulevard corridor, the Wentworth Street equestrian corridor, and the Little Tujunga Canyon area, and nearby places such as Shadow Hills and Kagel Canyon. Our storefront is in Westwood, about 21 miles away, and our mobile vans come to you, so you don't have to carry anything anywhere.

• Exterior house doors, front and back
• Garage side door and any interior garage-to-house door
• Barn, tack room, and outbuilding locks
• Pedestrian gate and driveway gate locks or padlocks
• Mailbox lock, if you want its key reset as well

What about apartments and condos along Foothill Boulevard?

Apartment and condo complexes cluster along Foothill Boulevard, and changing locks there is a different conversation. If you rent, your lease and your property manager usually have a say in who controls the lock. Many leases require permission, or a copy of the key for the landlord, so check before you change anything. If you own a condo, your homeowners association may have rules about exterior hardware, so it's worth a quick look at those too.

Landlords and property managers do have a clear reason to change locks: between tenants, when a tenant leaves without returning every key, or when a unit's key history is a mystery. Our page for locksmith services for landlords covers that side of the work.

If you're not trying to change locks but are locked out of your own unit right now, that's a different job, and apartment lockout service is the page for it. We can then change the lock afterward if the missing key is part of the problem.

What should you do after the locks are changed?

New locks only help if the rest of the entry system matches. A few minutes after we leave is worth spending on the following:

• Change any alarm codes and garage keypad codes the previous owner or tenant knew
• Decide who gets a key and keep a short list of who holds one
• Check whether side gates, sheds, and outbuildings still use old padlocks with old keys
• Note which key opens which door if you chose separate keys, and label them
• Keep a spare in a safe place you control, not under a pot or on a nail

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key?

We've been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Lake View Terrace is one of them, not a stretch.

A few specifics matter when you're deciding who to let into your home:

• We have a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024 in Westwood, plus mobile service vans
• We are one company. The person you speak to is part of the same business that sends the van, not a call center handing your job to whoever bids
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work
• Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round at (213) 577-1366
• We'll tell you when rekeying is the better choice, even if replacement would be a bigger job

What should you ask any locksmith before they change your locks?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), called an LCO license. Ask any locksmith for it, and check it yourself. It's a fair question, and a reputable company will answer it without fuss.

A few other questions are worth asking:

• Is the person arriving an employee of the company I called?
• Will you explain whether each lock is a rekey or replacement before you start?
• Is the number you gave me on the phone the number I'll pay, or can it change at the door?
• Will you test every lock with the new keys before you leave?

More locksmith help in Lake View Terrace

• Deadbolt Installation in Lake View Terrace
• Gate Lock Repair in Lake View Terrace
• High Security Locks in Lake View Terrace
• Key Duplication in Lake View Terrace
• Lock Installation in Lake View Terrace
• Lock Rekey in Lake View Terrace
• All services in Lake View Terrace

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