Change Locks in North Hills, CA

Should you rekey or replace when you change locks?

Most people who call us to change locks are really asking one question: do I need new hardware, or just new keys? The honest answer is that it depends on the lock in front of us. "Changing locks" can mean two different jobs. Rekeying keeps your existing lock body and rebuilds the inside so the old keys stop working and a new key takes over. Replacing takes the lock off the door and puts a different one on.

For a lot of North Hills homes, rekeying is the lighter-cost route and completely solves the actual problem, which is who holds a working key. But if the hardware is worn out, mismatched, or was never very good, new locks can be the smarter move. We look at each door first, tell you what we see, and let you choose. You won't be steered toward the bigger job just because it's bigger.

Why change door locks after buying a house or moving?

When you buy a house or move into a new place, you have no way of knowing how many keys exist for it. Previous owners, tenants, relatives, agents, contractors, house cleaners and neighbors may all have held a copy at some point, and keys get duplicated without anyone writing it down. A lock change turns that unknown into something you can count: when we finish, the keys in your hand are the only ones that work.

A home that has been around for decades has usually passed through more than one set of hands, and it's common to find a front door, a back door and a side door each on a different key, sometimes from different brands and different eras. Part of the job, if you want it, is bringing all of that onto one key so you aren't carrying a ring of mystery keys on moving day.

People also call us for reasons that have nothing to do with a sale or a lease:

• A key was lost or stolen, especially if it had an address attached to it
• A roommate, partner or family member moved out and you want a clean slate
• A former employee, contractor, caretaker or house sitter still has a key
• There was a break-in or an attempted one, and you want the doors dealt with properly
• A lock has gotten loose, gritty or unreliable and you'd rather fix it than wait for it to fail
• You're preparing a place for new occupants and want to start from zero

How we change your locks, step by step

Here is how a typical lock change goes with us, from the first phone call to the last key handed over.

1. You call (213) 577-1366. A person answers any hour of the day or night. Tell us the address, how many exterior doors you have, and whether you own the place or rent it.
2. We send one of our own mobile vans. There's no outside dispatch service in the middle. If you'd rather come to us, our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood.
3. When we arrive, we'll ask you to show that you live there or have the right to change the locks. A responsible locksmith asks this every time, and you should be a little wary of one who doesn't.
4. We inspect each lock: the brand, the condition, how the key feels going in, whether the bolt throws all the way, and whether the door and strike plate line up properly.
5. Before any work starts, we explain what we'd recommend for each door, rekey or replace, and what that choice means for the cost. You decide.
6. We do the work. That means rekeying cylinders to a new key pattern, or removing old hardware and fitting new locks, and keying doors alike if you want one key for everything.
7. We test every lock with the new key, with the door open and closed, and confirm the old key no longer operates it.
8. We hand over your keys and talk through extra copies, so you aren't tempted to make them somewhere unreliable.

Rekey or replace: how we decide, door by door

We don't have a default answer. A house can easily have one door that's a good rekey candidate and another that should be replaced. These are the things we weigh.

• Rekey when the lock is sound. If it turns smoothly, the bolt extends fully, the finish is intact and the brand is a decent one, rekeying is often the more economical route. You get new keys and a new key pattern without buying new hardware. Our lock rekey service covers exactly this.
• Replace when the hardware is tired. Worn cylinders, loose or wobbly handles, a bolt that drags, or a lock that has been forced all point toward new hardware. Our lock replacement work is for those cases.
• Replace when the lock doesn't match the job. A bare knob lock with no deadbolt on an exterior door is a weak point. Adding a deadbolt is a different job from changing what's there, and we'll tell you when it's worth it.
• Replace when you want something different. If you'd like keypad or app-based entry, we can talk through smart lock options and whether your door suits one.
• Think twice about replacing when the door is the real problem. A sticking lock is sometimes a misaligned door or a swollen frame, not a bad lock. We'll check that before selling you hardware you don't need.

What affects the cost of a lock change?

We don't quote numbers on a web page, because the honest price depends on the specifics at your door. What we can do is tell you what moves the cost up or down, so nothing surprises you.

The biggest factor is rekey versus replace. Rekeying typically involves less material than new hardware, so it's usually the more economical route when the existing locks are in good shape. The next factor is the number of locks. A single front door is a different job from a house with a front door, back door, side door, garage entry and a handful of interior or patio locks.

Beyond that, these matter:

• The grade and brand of hardware you choose if you're replacing, which ranges from basic to high-security
• Whether you want every door on a single key, which can mean more work on locks of different makes
• Whether any locks are damaged, seized or previously forced, since those may need repair before they can be changed
• Special hardware such as high-security cylinders, restricted keyways, or smart locks
• The time of day. Nights, weekends and holidays are a different situation from a scheduled daytime visit
• How far we're traveling and how many visits it takes

Changing locks across North Hills: ranch tracts, apartments and townhomes

North Hills, formerly known as Sepulveda, in ZIP code 91343, is mostly 1950s ranch tract housing, and the 405 splits it into North Hills West and North Hills East. In the tract neighborhoods on either side of the freeway, the typical lock change call is a new owner or new occupant who wants every door brought under keys they control. Houses from that era have usually had several owners, so it's reasonable to assume more keys are out there than anyone can account for. Rekeying 1950s ranch tract homes is one of the most common jobs here, and for sound existing hardware it's often all that's needed.

The apartment clusters along Parthenia Street and the Sepulveda Boulevard corridor bring a different pattern. Tenants there sometimes call us after a lockout on the Sepulveda corridor, and what began as a door-opening call becomes a lock change because the key that was lost may have gone to the wrong person. If you're locked out right now, our apartment lockout service is the starting point, and we can change the lock while we're there if the situation calls for it. Renters should check their lease and speak to the landlord before altering any lock, because that decision isn't ours to make for you.

North Hills West also has gated townhome and condo communities. In those, the lock on your own unit's door is yours to change, but the community gate and common-area locks are a separate matter, usually handled by the association. If a gate or shared door is the issue rather than your front door, we do gate lock repair as its own service. Along the Nordhoff Street business strips, the lock work is mostly commercial, and if that's what you need, just tell us when you call and we'll handle it as a commercial job rather than a home one.

The climate matters a little. North Hills sits in the north-central part of the valley, where summers run hot, so doors and weatherstripping expand and shift with the heat. A deadbolt that catches in August and works fine in winter is often a door-fit issue, not a failed lock, and we check for it before replacing anything. On the plus side, there are no coastal corrosion problems here, so when we see a worn lock in North Hills, it's usually from years of use, not salt air.

We're based at our Westwood storefront, roughly 15 miles from North Hills, and our mobile vans cover the area, so you don't need to bring your locks to us.

What to know before you change locks as a tenant or landlord

Changing locks sits differently depending on who you are. Owners can change any lock on their property. Tenants should look at the lease and talk to the landlord first, since altering locks without permission can cause trouble even if your intentions are good. We aren't lawyers and won't tell you what your lease allows, but we will ask who we're working for and what authority you have.

If you manage rentals, turnover is the moment locks matter most. A unit that changes hands with the old keys still working is a risk to both sides. We work with owners and property managers on exactly this, and our page for locksmith services for landlords explains how we handle multi-unit and turnover work, including keeping a consistent key system across units.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key

We've been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. That is a lot of front doors, and a lot of years of seeing what holds up and what doesn't.

A few things are worth knowing about how we work:

• We have a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile service vans. We aren't a phone bank passing your job to whoever picks it up.
• One company does the work. There are no dispatch middlemen, so the person you talk to is part of the same operation that shows up.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. You're dealing with a business that has a name on it.
• The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, including holidays, at (213) 577-1366.
• We tell you the truth about rekey versus replace, including when the cheaper-sounding option isn't the right one.

Before you call: a short checklist

You don't have to prepare much, but a few details help us arrive with the right parts and give you a sensible plan.

Know how many doors you want done and which ones are exterior. Note whether you want them all on one key. If you've got any idea of the lock brands, tell us, though we can usually identify them on the spot. Mention any lock that sticks, spins loosely or has been damaged. And tell us if you're renting, in a gated community or at a business, so we know who needs to authorize the work.

Also ask any locksmith you're considering for their California BSIS locksmith company license number, known as an LCO license. California requires locksmith companies to hold one, and a legitimate company will be able to give it to you without fuss. Whoever you hire, ask before work begins.

If you'd rather talk it through first, our contact page has the ways to reach us, or you can just call (213) 577-1366.

More locksmith help in North Hills

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

Change Locks near North Hills

• Panorama City
• Mission Hills
• Granada Hills
• Northridge
• Van Nuys
• Arleta