Change Locks in Mission Hills, CA

Rekey or replace: what does it mean to change locks?

When people say they want to change their locks, they usually mean one thing: the keys that worked yesterday should stop working today. There are two ways to get there, and the right one depends on the hardware you already have, not on which sounds more thorough.

Rekeying keeps your existing lock body on the door. We open the cylinder, swap the internal pins so they match a new key, and the old keys no longer turn it. Replacing means taking the old hardware off and installing something new, such as a new knob, lever, or deadbolt. Both leave you with a door that only your new keys can open. The difference is what happens to the metal around the keyhole.

In most homes, rekeying is the lighter-cost option and does the job well. But it is not always the right call. A lock that is worn, loose, corroded, or simply not very sturdy is a poor candidate for rekeying, because you would be putting fresh security inside a weak part. That is why we start with a look at the lock, not a sales pitch. If you are not sure which way to go, that is exactly what the call is for.

Why change the locks when you buy a house or move in?

You can never know how many keys exist for a door you did not own. Previous owners hand out copies to family, neighbors, house cleaners, contractors, dog walkers, and real estate agents. Some of those keys come back and some never do. Even a perfectly honest seller cannot tell you where every copy ended up. Changing locks after buying a house is the simplest way to close that question on day one.

The same logic applies when you are moving into a rental or an apartment. If you are a tenant, check your lease and talk to your landlord before altering anything. If you are the owner, a lock change is one of the first jobs worth doing, before the boxes are even unpacked. A locksmith for a new house is less about emergencies and more about starting with a clean slate.

It is worth walking the whole property when you think about it. Front door, back door, side gate, garage entry, and any door off a patio all count. Many new owners rekey the front and forget the others. We can bring every lock on the property onto one key, so you are not carrying a heavy ring, or we can keep certain doors separate if that suits you. If you would rather talk it through before deciding, our mobile locksmith service comes to you with the tools to do the work at the door.

How does a lock change work, step by step?

There is no mystery to it, and you are welcome to watch. Here is how a typical visit runs when you call about changing locks in Mission Hills.

1. You call (213) 577-1366 and tell us what you have: how many doors, what kind of locks, and whether this is a new purchase, a move, or a lost key. A real person answers, any hour.
2. We help you sort out rekey versus replace over the phone, based on what you describe. If something is unclear, we say so and confirm it once we see the hardware.
3. We come to the property in a mobile van. At the door we check the condition of each lock: how it turns, whether the latch lines up, whether the strike plate is solid, and whether the hardware is original or has been swapped before.
4. We tell you what we recommend for each door, and why. You decide. If one deadbolt is worn out and the rest are fine, you will hear that plainly rather than a blanket recommendation to replace everything.
5. We do the work: rekeying cylinders to a new key, or removing and installing new hardware where it makes sense.
6. We test every lock with the new keys, confirm the old keys no longer work, and make sure each door latches and locks smoothly before we leave. We can also cut extra keys if you need them.

When should you rekey, and when should you replace?

This is the question we get asked most, and the honest answer is that it depends on the lock. Here is how we think about it at the door.

• Rekey when the hardware is sound. If the lock turns smoothly, the finish is solid, nothing wobbles, and you are happy with how it looks, rekeying is usually the more economical route and keeps the same style of hardware.
• Replace when the lock is worn. A key that sticks, a deadbolt that needs a lift or a shove, a loose handle, or visible corrosion are signs the lock is near the end of its life. New keys in a tired lock only get you so far.
• Replace when you want something different. If you want a lever instead of a knob, a matching finish across the house, a stronger deadbolt, or keyless entry, you are choosing new hardware anyway. See our pages on lock replacement and smart lock installation for those jobs.
• Add a deadbolt when a door has none. A knob lock by itself is a thin line of defense. Adding a deadbolt is an installation, not a lock change, and we cover it on our deadbolt installation page.
• Choose rekey when you want to keep things consistent. Rekeying several locks to a single key is straightforward and avoids having to match new hardware to the old.

What affects the cost of changing locks in Mission Hills?

We will not quote a number on a web page, because the real figure depends on what is on your doors. Here is what moves it up or down, so you can see why a straight answer takes a brief conversation.

The biggest factor is rekey versus replace. Rekeying uses the lock you already own, so you are paying mostly for skilled labor. Replacing adds the cost of the new hardware, and that varies a lot depending on the grade and finish you choose. A basic replacement knob and a high-security deadbolt are very different purchases.

The number of locks matters, since each cylinder has to be handled. So does the condition of the hardware: a lock that is gummed up, stiff, or partly broken may need repair work before it can be rekeyed, or may be better replaced. Any special keying, such as keying several doors alike, or keeping one door on a separate key, adds some work too.

Timing and access play a part. A call in the middle of the night, or one that requires us to get into a house you are locked out of, is a different job than a planned visit during the day. Finally, extra copies of keys are an add-on. If you want to compare options, we can lay out the rekey path and the replace path side by side before any work begins. For a closer look at the first option, see our lock rekey page.

Changing locks in Mission Hills: what the neighborhood tells us

Mission Hills, ZIP 91345, is mostly 1950s single-family ranch tracts on modest lots. In the streets around the Mission district near San Fernando Mission and over toward the Brand Park area, original postwar door hardware is still common in homes that have not been remodeled. That matters for a lock change. Hardware that has been on a door for decades may still work, but it is often worn, and sometimes it does not accept a clean rekey. When we look at a door like that, we check it carefully and tell you whether rekeying will hold up or whether replacing makes more sense.

One scenario we expect here is the simple one: a home sells in one of those 1950s tracts, and the new owner wants every old key rendered useless. That is a rekey-first job in most cases, with replacement kept for any lock that is too worn to be worth saving. We will point out which is which as we go from door to door.

The Sepulveda Boulevard corridor has more apartments, where the situation is different. Residents are usually tenants, and the owner or property manager decides on lock changes. If you are a tenant locked out there, our apartment lockout page is the right starting point. Near the Rinaldi Street corridor there is some newer townhome development, where the locks tend to be more recent and rekeying is often a clean option.

Climate plays a small role. Mission Hills is a north valley location with hotter summers than the basin, and it sees periodic Santa Ana wind exposure near the 118 corridor, which dries out door seals and weatherstripping. A lock change puts us right at your door, so if the seal around it looks dried out or cracked, we will mention it. It is not part of changing locks, but it is better you hear it from us than miss it.

Other reasons to change locks, besides a new house

Buying a home is the classic trigger, but it is not the only one. If you lost a set of keys, or someone took them, changing the locks makes the lost keys useless. If a roommate, partner, or ex-spouse moved out and still has a key, a lock change settles it. If a contractor or house cleaner held a key for a long project, you may want to close that loop once the work is done. And if you simply cannot remember how many copies are out there, that is reason enough.

Landlords and property managers have their own version of this: a lock change between tenants is standard good practice, and it is far simpler than tracking returned keys. If that is you, see our page for locksmith for landlords, which covers turnover work in more depth.

One note on extra keys: once the lock is changed, you will probably want a few copies for family. Cutting them at the same visit saves a trip, and we can walk you through our key duplication options. Just be thoughtful about who gets one. The point of changing locks is to know exactly who can get in.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key to change your locks?

We have been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Mission Hills included. We operate a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood alongside our mobile service vans, so there is a real place behind the phone number and real vehicles that come to you.

When you call (213) 577-1366, you reach us, not a national call center that sells the lead to whoever is free. We are one company, with no dispatch middlemen between you and the person who shows up. That keeps the quote you hear on the phone closer to the work that gets done at your door.

David, the owner and lead technician, oversees how we work. That includes the habit we care most about on a lock change: telling you when the cheaper path is the right one. If your hardware is fine, we will rekey it and not try to sell you new locks. If a lock is past saving, we will say so and show you why. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, so a lock change after a late closing or a lost-key scare does not have to wait for morning.

How should you check any locksmith before they work on your door?

Whoever you call, ask about their license. California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, which is the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services license for locksmith companies. A legitimate company will give you the number when you ask, and you can check it with the state.

A few other habits are worth watching for. Ask what the job involves, rekey or replace, before anyone arrives. Be wary of anyone who refuses to explain the cost factors, or who changes the story at the door. And since you are handing someone access to your home, take your time. A reputable locksmith will not pressure you to decide on the spot.

More locksmith help in Mission Hills

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

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