Change Locks in Monrovia, CA: rekey or replace, we'll help you choose

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

When someone calls and says they need to change locks, they usually mean one thing: other people might still have a way into the house. Maybe you just closed on a home in Monrovia and have no idea how many keys the previous owner handed out over the years. Maybe a roommate moved out, a contractor finished a job, or a set of keys went missing. The goal is the same each time. Only the keys in your pocket should open your doors.

What most people don't realize is that there are two ways to get there. Rekeying changes the inside of the existing lock so the old keys stop working and a new key takes over. Replacing swaps the whole lock for new hardware. Either way, the old keys become useless. Which one fits depends on the condition of your hardware, how much you want to spend, and what you want from the door going forward. Helping you sort that out is the main reason this service exists.

We don't steer people toward the bigger job. If your existing locks are sound, rekeying is usually the more economical route. If they're worn, mismatched, or not at the security level you want, replacing is the honest recommendation. We'll tell you which one we'd pick for your door and why, and the decision stays yours.

When does it make sense to change your door locks?

Not every situation needs a lock change, but these are the ones where we think it's worth doing and not putting off:

• You bought a house, condo, or townhome. You can't know who holds copies of the old keys: past owners, agents, relatives, contractors, neighbors who watered the plants. Changing locks after buying a house is the cleanest way to start with a known set of keys.
• You moved into a rental or apartment. Check your lease and talk to your landlord first, because many leases put lock changes in the landlord's hands. If you have the go-ahead, the same reasoning applies.
• Keys were lost or stolen. A lost key with your address on a keychain, or in a bag that was taken, is a good reason to act the same day.
• Someone who had access no longer should. That could be an ex-partner, a roommate, a former house sitter, or a worker who had a key during a remodel.
• There was a break-in or an attempt. Even if the lock held, the door and strike plate deserve a look, and new keys put the question to rest.
• The hardware is failing. If a key sticks, a deadbolt drags, or a handle sags, a change can fix a security question and a reliability problem in one visit.
• You want one key for every door. Front, back, and side doors that each take a different key get old fast, and we can set them up to match.

How does a lock change work when you call us?

The process is simple, and we'd rather you know it ahead of time than be surprised. Most lock changes happen at your door, since our mobile service vans carry the tools and common hardware, and anything that needs more is handled out of our Westwood storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd.

1. Call (213) 577-1366 at any hour. The line is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Give us the address and tell us what's going on.
2. Tell us about the doors. How many exterior doors, which ones have deadbolts, whether there's a side gate or garage entry, and whether anything sticks or feels loose. A photo of the lock helps if you can send one.
3. We give you an arrival window and explain what will affect the cost before anyone drives out, so the quote isn't a surprise at the door.
4. On arrival we ask you to show you own or live at the property. A locksmith who changes locks for anyone who asks isn't doing you any favors.
5. We inspect each lock and the door around it: how it turns, how the bolt lines up with the strike plate, and how the door sits in the frame.
6. We recommend rekey or replace, door by door. You might rekey four locks and replace the one that's worn out. You approve the plan before we start.
7. We do the work and test every lock with the new keys, with the door open and closed. If you still have an old key, we try it to confirm it no longer works.
8. We hand over the keys, tell you how many were cut, and point out anything we noticed that you'll want to deal with later.

Rekey or replace locks: how do you decide?

This is the question we get most, and the answer is rarely the same twice. Here is how we think it through at the door.

Rekeying means a technician opens the lock cylinder, changes the internal pins to match a new key, and puts it back. The lock looks identical afterward, and the old keys no longer turn it. It's a good fit when the hardware is in good shape, you like how it looks, and the main concern is who has keys. It's covered in more detail on our lock rekey page.

Replacing means new locks. That's the right call when the old hardware is worn out, loose, or low quality, when it's mismatched across the house, or when you want something different, such as a sturdier deadbolt or a different finish. Our lock replacement page covers what that involves.

A few quick rules of thumb:

• Rekey if the locks work smoothly, look fine, and you just need new keys to control access.
• Replace if a lock is worn, sticky, loose in the door, or physically damaged, or if rekeying would cost nearly as much as new hardware.
• Replace if you want better security than your current locks offer, such as a higher grade of deadbolt.
• Rekey some and replace others when a house has a mix of good and tired locks. That's common, and there's no rule against mixing.
• Either way, ask us to key everything alike if you want one key for all doors, within the limits of each lock.

What affects the cost of changing locks?

We don't post flat numbers here because a lock change isn't a flat job. Two houses on the same street can need very different work. These are the things that move the cost:

• How many locks are involved. Every cylinder takes time, so a single back door and a whole house are different jobs.
• Rekey versus replace. Rekeying is usually the lighter-cost option when the hardware is good, while new locks add the cost of the hardware itself.
• The grade and brand of hardware. Basic builder-grade locks and high-security deadbolts are priced differently, and finishes and styles matter too.
• The condition of the door. A door that binds, a misaligned strike plate, or a worn bore can add work that a lock alone won't fix.
• Older or unusual hardware. Legacy locks may be rekeyable, may need parts sourced, or may be better left alone.
• Time of day. Late-night and holiday calls take a technician out of normal hours, which can affect the price.
• Distance. Monrovia is outside our home area, and travel is part of what goes into a mobile call.
• Add-ons. Adding a deadbolt where there isn't one, or extra keys, changes the scope.

Changing locks in Monrovia: older homes, townhomes, and apartments

Monrovia has more variety than most people expect, and the housing shapes how we approach a lock change. Our vans come out to 91016 and the rest of the city from Westwood, about 29 miles away, so when you call we'll give you an honest arrival window based on where we're dispatching from and what's on the schedule.

North of Foothill Boulevard, Monrovia keeps a deep stock of Victorian, Craftsman, and early-1900s homes, protected by an active historic preservation program. Hillside houses climb toward the Monrovia Highlands. A lot of these homes have older hardware that has been part of the house for a long time. For those, rekeying is often the gentler approach, since it keeps the original lock in the door and just changes what key operates it. If you're unsure whether changes to visible exterior hardware need city review, ask the city before swapping anything. We can't speak for their rules, and rekeying sidesteps the question because nothing about the look of the door changes. If you've just bought a home near Old Town Monrovia or on one of the hillside streets, this is a common starting point.

The newer townhome projects around the Station Square area, near the A Line, are a different story. These generally have more modern, standard cylinders, which tends to make a rekey simple. If your townhome belongs to an association, check its rules about exterior door hardware before replacing anything. Many people there call us after a move-in or a lockout and decide to change locks while we're already at the door. If it's a lockout, our house lockout service gets you inside first, and we can talk about the lock change afterward.

South Monrovia is mostly smaller postwar houses and apartment buildings, and apartment rekeys in those complexes are a regular scenario. If you rent, the landlord or property manager usually decides what happens to the locks. If you manage rentals yourself, our locksmith for landlords page explains how we handle turnover between tenants.

Climate plays a small but real part. Monrovia's San Gabriel Valley foothill weather brings hot summers and periodic Santa Ana winds. Heat can make wooden doors swell and bind, and wind-blown dust gets into cylinders. Neither one is corrosion, which is a coastal issue you don't have here. Before you spend on new locks, check that the door closes cleanly. A swollen door can make a good lock feel broken, and a gritty cylinder sometimes just needs lock repair and not replacement. We'll tell you if that's the case.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a lock change?

Plenty of companies advertise lock changes in Monrovia. Here is what we can honestly say about ours:

• We've been in business since 1987, so we've seen most of what can go wrong with a lock and most of what people do about it.
• We operate a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile service vans that cover 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
• You're dealing with one company. The phone is answered by us, and the technician who arrives works for us. There's no dispatch middleman passing your job along to a stranger.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.
• The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, at (213) 577-1366.
• We tell you when rekeying is enough. If it isn't, we tell you that too.

Is your locksmith properly licensed?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, known as a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith for it before they start work, in Monrovia or anywhere else. A real company should be able to give you the number without hesitation. It's a simple question, and it tells you a lot about who you're letting into your home.

What else should new homeowners handle while we're there?

A lock change is a good moment to look at the whole entry picture. A few things to think about, depending on your situation:

• Deadbolts. If a door only has a knob lock, a deadbolt installation is often the first upgrade worth considering.
• Smart locks. If you want keypad or app access, see our smart lock installation page. They still use a physical key as a backup, so it makes sense to plan around that.
• Extra keys. Once the locks are changed, get the spares you need from our key duplication service. Cutting copies before the change just means copying keys you're about to retire.
• Doors we haven't mentioned. Tell us about sliding doors, side gates, garage entries, and mailboxes. Some are part of the same visit and some are separate jobs.
• Non-lock access. Garage remotes, alarm codes, and gate codes often stay with the previous owner. Those aren't locksmith jobs, but they belong on your move-in list.

More locksmith help in Monrovia

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

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