Lock Rekey in Los Angeles, CA

What does it mean to rekey locks?

Rekeying changes the inside of a lock so that a different key operates it. Most residential locks are pin tumbler cylinders: a row of small spring-loaded pin stacks that sit at different heights depending on the cuts of the key. When we rekey, we take the cylinder apart, swap in pins sized for a new key, and put it back together. The lock, the deadbolt, the handle and the finish on your door stay exactly as they were. The old key still slides in, but it no longer turns. The new key does.

People ask for this job by many names: rekey service, house rekey, home lock rekey, rekey door locks, apartment lock rekey. It is the same work on a different front door. For most Los Angeles households it answers one plain question: who might still have a key to my place, and how do I make that stop mattering?

Rekeying is about key control. It does not make a weak door stronger or a worn lock newer, and we will tell you if that is the real problem on your door.

Should you rekey, change the locks, or replace them?

When the hardware is in good shape, rekeying is usually the more economical route. You keep what you have and only the keys change. It also lets us match every lock on a property to a single key, which is a relief if your front door, back door and deadbolt each came with a different one.

Swapping hardware makes sense when a lock is worn, loose, sticking, damaged after a break-in attempt, or just a style you dislike. If that sounds like your door, look at our change locks service or lock replacement instead. We will tell you honestly which one fits. Sometimes a lock looks fine and is not worth keeping, and sometimes a dated-looking lock has plenty of life left.

• Rekey when the lock turns smoothly, the hardware is solid, and the only concern is who holds a key.
• Replace when the lock is worn out, damaged, loose in the door, or you want a different level of security.
• Either is possible when you also want a new look; we can explain what each route changes and what it leaves alone.
• Some very cheap or badly worn cylinders cannot be rekeyed cleanly. If yours is one of them, we will say so before doing any work.

When is the right time to rekey your locks?

The best moment is whenever you cannot say for certain who has a working key. In practice that comes down to a handful of situations we see all the time.

• Rekey locks after moving. You do not know how many copies the previous occupant, their relatives, a cleaner or a contractor made.
• Rekey locks after buying a house. Sellers, agents, inspectors and earlier owners may all have held keys. Rekeying all house locks right at closing puts every key in your hands.
• Rekey locks after a tenant moves out. For landlords and property managers, a tenant turnover rekey is the standard way to make sure the departing tenant's keys are dead before the next person arrives.
• Rekey locks after losing keys. If the keys went missing along with a wallet, a bag or anything that shows your address, a rekey is more sensible than hoping they stay lost.
• After a breakup, a roommate leaving, or an employee or contractor ending their work, when you want to close access without arguing about who returned what.

How do we rekey your locks, step by step?

Here is how a typical visit goes, whether it is one front door or every lock in the building.

1. You call (213) 577-1366, which is answered 24 hours a day. Tell us what kind of property it is, roughly how many doors and locks are involved, and what prompted the rekey.
2. We come to you in one of our mobile service vans. Our storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood is the base for parts, pins and key cutting.
3. We look at each lock first: the brand and keyway, whether it turns cleanly, and whether the cylinder can be rekeyed or should be replaced. You hear the result before we start.
4. We confirm the plan with you: which locks, how many keys per set, and whether you want everything on one key.
5. We remove the cylinders, install new pins, and cut the new keys.
6. We reassemble, then test every lock with the new key and check that the old key no longer turns it.
7. We hand over the keys and talk through extra copies. If you need more, key duplication is simple once the locks are rekeyed.

How much does lock rekeying cost in Los Angeles?

We do not publish a number here because the job is never exactly the same twice. What moves the cost is fairly predictable, though, and knowing it helps you compare quotes honestly.

Ask any locksmith for the full figure before work begins, including the service visit, the per-lock work and the keys. A quote that is vague about those pieces is a reason to ask more questions.

• How many cylinders are being rekeyed. A single deadbolt is a smaller job than a house with several entry points, a garage door and a side gate.
• The brand and type of lock. Common residential locks are straightforward. Restricted keyways, high-security cylinders and older mortise hardware take more time and sometimes special parts.
• The condition of the lock. A worn or sticky cylinder may need repair or replacement on top of the rekey.
• How many keys you want cut, and whether you want the locks keyed alike.
• Where we are going and when. A scheduled visit and an urgent late-night call are different situations, and the quote should explain any difference plainly.
• Whether the job is a single unit or a building with many doors, such as a landlord's turnover or an office suite.

Rekeying a house, an apartment or a business

A house rekey is usually the simplest to picture. We rekey the front door, back door, deadbolts, side doors and often a garage entry so one key operates them all. If you have a mix of brands, we will tell you if one of them needs a replacement cylinder to match.

An apartment lock rekey usually covers the unit's entry lock and deadbolt, and sometimes the mailbox. If you rent, check your lease or ask your landlord before changing anything, because rules around altering rental locks vary. Landlords and property managers who handle repeated turnovers can look at our locksmith for landlords page, which covers that work as a routine.

A commercial rekey or business lock rekey has a few more moving parts. There may be several doors, different staff who need different access, and an owner who wants to know exactly who holds what. Often a commercial lock rekey means setting up a simple key hierarchy, which is what a master key system is for. For broader shop, office and building needs, see our commercial locksmith page. We keep this page focused on the rekey itself.

What does a lock rekey look like in Los Angeles buildings?

Los Angeles housing is varied, and the type of building often decides what a rekey involves. Renters outnumber owners across most of the central city, so a large share of our rekey work is about turnover: someone moves in and wants the previous occupant's keys to stop working. In the mid-century apartment buildings and dingbats of Palms, Sawtelle and Koreatown, a move-in rekey is a common request. Those buildings often have controlled-access entries, intercoms and mailbox banks as well, which are separate from the unit door. We rekey the unit and tell you plainly what is outside our reach, such as a shared entry managed by the building.

Near UCLA and Westwood Village, student housing means roommates come and go. A tenant turnover rekey in ZIP 90024, where our storefront sits, is one of the most practical ways to keep access limited to the people actually living there.

Older homes call for a different approach. Many 1920s and 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival and Tudor houses in Mid-Wilshire still carry original mortise locksets, and a lot of older buildings keep mid-century hardware. A mortise lock has a cylinder that can often be rekeyed while the body stays in the door. That preserves the original hardware and its look. If the mortise body is worn through, we will say it is time for repair or replacement instead.

On the Wilshire Corridor, condominium high-rises are typically HOA-managed. Rekeying a unit's own entry lock is one thing; building-controlled hardware is another, and your association's rules may decide what you can change. In Century City, office suite rekeying in the towers is mostly about keeping track of who holds keys when tenants and staff change. Downtown's loft conversions in early-1900s commercial buildings often sit behind older doors with their own quirks.

The climate is mild, and its effect on locks is modest. On the foggier Westside, the morning marine layer can leave exterior hardware damp, and older wood doors can swell a little with the season. If your key feels stiff, the cause may be the door and not the lock, and we check that before we rekey. We work across ZIP codes including 90024, 90025, 90064, 90036, 90028 and 90012, and the rest of the city in between.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a rekey?

We have been in business since 1987, and the same company that answers your call is the one that comes to your door. There is no dispatch middleman passing your job to whoever is free. We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile service vans, so the work is not limited to what fits in a single visit. For more on how our vans operate, see our mobile locksmith page.

David owns the company and leads our technicians, and he sets how we approach jobs like this: look first, explain what we find, and do only what the door needs. That means we will tell you when a rekey is the wrong answer. We serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, but Los Angeles is home turf, and our phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round.

How do you choose a locksmith for a rekey?

Locksmith work is about trust. You are letting someone into the one part of your property that is meant to keep people out. California requires locksmith companies to hold a locksmith company license (LCO) issued by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). Ask any locksmith you are considering for the license details, and be wary of anyone who dodges the question.

A few other checks help, whoever you call.

• Ask for the company's real name and address, not just a phone number and a generic ad.
• Ask who is actually coming to your door, and whether it is the company's own technician.
• Get the whole figure explained before work starts, not after.
• Be cautious if someone insists on drilling or replacing a lock that only needs rekeying and works fine.
• Ask what you will receive at the end: how many keys, and how each lock was tested.

More locksmith help in Los Angeles

• Change Locks in Los Angeles
• Deadbolt Installation in Los Angeles
• Gate Lock Repair in Los Angeles
• High Security Locks in Los Angeles
• Key Duplication in Los Angeles
• Lock Installation in Los Angeles
• All services in Los Angeles

Lock Rekey near Los Angeles

• Beverly Hills
• West Hollywood
• Culver City
• Santa Monica
• Marina del Rey
• Inglewood