Change Locks in Lancaster, CA: Rekey or Replace, Explained

Why change your locks in the first place?

Most calls about changing locks start with a plain, practical worry. You just bought a house and have no idea how many copies of the keys are out there. You moved into a place and the last occupant never handed everything back. A set of keys went missing, a contractor or an ex-roommate still has one, or the hardware is so worn that the door no longer feels secure. Every one of those is a legitimate reason, and the common thread is the same: the old keys are no longer something you control.

The phrase 'change locks' covers two different jobs. Rekeying leaves the lock on the door and resets its internal pins, so the old keys stop working and a new key takes over. Replacement removes the lock hardware and installs new hardware. They cost different amounts and solve different problems, so a big part of our work is figuring out which one each door actually needs.

If you're unsure whether your situation calls for new locks at all, call and describe it. Sometimes the honest answer is that one door needs work and the rest are fine, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a full set of hardware you don't need.

Should you rekey or replace your locks?

There is no blanket rule, because the right answer depends on the lock in front of us. Here is how we usually sort it out.

• Rekey when the lock is in good working order, you like how it looks, and the only problem is who might hold a key. A lock rekey is usually the more economical route and keeps your existing hardware on the door.
• Replace when the lock is worn, loose, corroded, damaged from a break-in attempt, or a low-grade model you would rather not trust. Our lock replacement work covers that.
• Replace when you want something the current lock can't do: a matching finish across the house, a deadbolt where there is only a knob lock, or keyless entry.
• Either way, every exterior door can be put on one key. Keyed-alike setups are routine, though the brands already on your doors affect what is possible.
• Be cautious about rekeying very old or mismatched hardware. Some older locks can't be reset reliably, and we will say so rather than force it.

How does a lock change work when you call us?

Here is the usual sequence for a residential lock change in Lancaster. Details shift with the house, but the order stays the same.

1. You call (213) 577-1366. Someone answers at any hour, any day. Tell us how many doors are involved, what kind of locks you have if you know, and whether you are locked out or simply want the locks changed.
2. We send a technician in one of our mobile locksmith vans. Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and Lancaster is about 67 miles from it, so we'll be straight with you on the phone about how the drive factors into the visit.
3. The technician looks over each exterior door: the lock brand and condition, how the latch lines up with the strike plate, and whether the door and frame are still square.
4. We explain what we found and lay out the options door by door, rekey or replace, along with what each would cost, before any work begins. You decide.
5. We do the work, then test every lock with the new keys several times, with the door both open and closed, so you are not discovering a sticking latch next week.
6. We hand over the keys, point out anything worth watching, and talk through whether you need spare copies.

What affects the cost of changing locks in Lancaster?

We don't post numbers on a web page, because a fair price depends on your doors, and anyone who gives you a flat figure without knowing them is guessing. These are the things that move the cost.

• How many locks are involved. A single back door is a different job from a whole house with a garage entry, a side door, and a gate.
• Rekey versus replacement. Rekeying existing hardware is usually the more economical route. New hardware adds the cost of the hardware itself.
• Grade and brand of hardware. Basic locks and heavier-duty locks sit far apart, in materials and in the work needed to install them.
• Condition of the door. If bore holes are misaligned, a strike plate is loose, or the frame has shifted, extra prep may be needed before new locks work properly.
• Keyed-alike requests and the number of keys cut.
• Timing. An urgent middle-of-the-night call is a different job from a visit planned around your schedule.
• Distance. Lancaster is a real drive from our Westwood base, and travel is part of the picture.

What should you change after buying a house or moving?

If you have just bought a house, treat the locks as unfinished business at closing. Keys have passed through agents, previous owners, relatives, maybe a cleaner or a contractor, and nobody can say how many copies exist. The same is true when you move into a rental or inherit a place. Calling a locksmith for a new house isn't about suspecting anyone. It is about starting from a set of keys you know.

Ideally the lock change happens before you move furniture in, or on the first day. Here is a walk-through list for the whole property:

• Front door deadbolt and the knob or handle set
• Back door and any side doors
• The door between the garage and the house
• Sliding glass doors, which often have a latch worth looking at
• Detached garage, shed, and any gates
• The mailbox lock, if your mailbox has one
• Alarm and garage opener codes, which are not locks but belong on the same list

Spare keys and rental situations

Once the locks are settled, have a few spares cut. Our key duplication service handles that, and it is easier to do during the same visit than to chase down copies later.

If you rent, read your lease and talk to your landlord first. Many leases require permission before locks are changed, and some landlords already rekey between tenants.

What does changing locks look like around Lancaster?

Lancaster isn't one kind of housing, and the lock job changes with the block. We work across ZIP codes 93534, 93535, and 93536 and in neighborhoods including Westside, East Lancaster, El Dorado, Joshua, Lincoln, Mariposa, Piute, and Desert View.

On the westside (93536) and in the west Lancaster tracts around Avenue K and 30th Street West, the housing is mostly larger 1980s–2000s stucco tract homes. More house usually means more doors to count: front, garage entry, back, sometimes a side door and a gate. A new owner there often wants every exterior door on one key, which makes for an efficient visit when the hardware is in decent shape. Lockouts also come up in those tracts, and if you are stuck outside anyway, we can often handle the lock change during the same visit. See our house lockout service for that side of it.

Central and east Lancaster are a different story. The postwar aerospace-boom ranch homes, mostly 1950s through 1970s on grid streets, can carry decades-old hardware, and security screen doors were added to many of them later. Lock changes there often pair with a deadbolt installation on a door that only had a knob lock. We also check how the security screen door latches, and whether it plays well with the main door.

Around downtown, The BLVD district, and along the lettered avenues, apartment complexes cluster, and tenant turnover means keys. Owners and property managers who want locks changed between tenants can look at our locksmith for landlords service.

Rural large-lot properties ring the city's edges, and unincorporated areas like Antelope Acres sit just outside it. On a property like that, a lock change can involve more than the house, such as outbuildings, padlocks, and gate hardware, so it helps to list everything before we arrive.

How does Lancaster's desert climate affect your locks?

The Antelope Valley sits at about 2,350 feet, with triple-digit summer heat, sub-freezing winter nights, and frequent strong winds carrying dust. Doors and frames expand and contract through those swings, and many Lancaster doors stick seasonally. That matters when you change locks, because a deadbolt that binds in July may not be a lock problem at all. It may be a door that has shifted. We check the latch and strike alignment so a new lock isn't blamed for what the door is doing.

Fine dust is the other factor. It works its way into outdoor locks, padlocks, and gate hardware. Where we are replacing exposed hardware, we'll talk through options suited to the conditions. One tip: avoid wet oil sprays in keyways, since they hold onto dust. A dry lubricant is the better habit.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a lock change?

Wilshire Lock & Key has been in business since 1987. We are a real company with a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile service vans, serving 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Lancaster among them.

• One company, no dispatch middlemen. The people who answer (213) 577-1366 and the technician who shows up work for us, not for a call center that sends whoever is closest.
• Phones answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work and the standards behind it.
• Plain advice. If rekeying is enough, we will say so.

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

California requires locksmith companies to hold a Locksmith Company (LCO) license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). Ask any locksmith you are considering for that license number and verify it with the state. It is a reasonable question, and a legitimate company will expect it.

A few more questions are worth asking before anyone starts work:

• Will you tell me the cost of each option before you begin?
• Is the person arriving an employee of the company I called?
• Why replace instead of rekey on this door?
• Will you test every lock and hand me all the keys?
• Watch for a quote that jumps sharply once someone is standing at your door.

More locksmith help in Lancaster

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

Change Locks near Lancaster

• Palmdale
• Acton
• Agua Dulce
• Santa Clarita