Why rekey your locks instead of replacing them?
A rekey changes the inside of a lock, not the lock itself. Most house and apartment locks are pin tumbler cylinders. Inside is a row of small spring-loaded pins, and the cut of your key lifts each pin to exactly the right height so the cylinder can turn. When we rekey, we take the cylinder apart, swap the pins for a new combination, and cut a key to match. The old key no longer lines up the pins, so it stops working. The knob, handle, deadbolt and finish stay on the door.
That is why rekeying is usually the more economical route when the real problem is who holds a key, not the condition of the hardware. You skip buying new locks for every door, and you avoid mismatched finishes. If you live in an older home with hardware you like, you also keep the look you already have.
One honest limit: a rekey does not make a lock stronger. If a deadbolt is worn out, a latch is loose, or the lock is a very basic grade, new keys will not fix that. When we are at your door, we tell you plainly whether rekeying makes sense or whether something else is the better call.
When does a house, apartment or business need a rekey?
Almost every rekey we do starts with the same question: do I know who has a key to this door? If the honest answer is no, a rekey is the clean fix. These are the situations we see most often in Pomona:
- Rekey locks after moving. Previous owners, tenants, agents, cleaners and relatives may all still have copies.
- Rekey locks after buying a house. Closing hands you the keys you were given, not the ones you were not told about. Many buyers rekey all house locks before the first night.
- Rekey locks after a tenant moves out. Tenant turnover rekey is standard practice for landlords and property managers, so each new resident gets a lock no former resident can open.
- Rekey locks after losing keys. If a key was lost with an address attached, or you simply cannot account for it, changing the lock removes the risk.
- After a breakup, a roommate change, or ending a relationship with a contractor or sitter who had access.
- A business lock rekey when an employee leaves, a manager changes, or keys have passed through too many hands to track.
How we rekey your locks, step by step
Rekeying is a hands-on job, and the order matters. Here is how a typical visit goes, whether it is one front door or every lock in the house.
- Walk the property and list every lock that uses a key: front and back doors, deadbolts, side gates, garage entry doors, sliding door locks, and any padlocks you want included.
- Check each lock before we touch it. We look at whether the cylinder turns smoothly, whether the latch and bolt line up with the strike plate, and whether the hardware is worth keeping.
- Remove the cylinders and take out the old pins. Where the lock design allows it, we keep the hardware on the door and work on the cylinder only.
- Install new pins in a new combination, then cut keys that operate it. If you want every lock on one key, we pin them all to the same combination.
- Reassemble, then test every lock several times with the new key, from both sides of the door, with the door open and closed.
- Confirm the old keys no longer work. We try one, and we hand you the new keys and any spare cuts you asked for.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366How much does lock rekeying cost in Pomona?
We do not quote numbers on a web page because the real figure depends on your doors, and a number that ignores that would be a guess. What changes the cost:
The number of cylinders is the biggest factor. Rekeying one deadbolt is a different job from rekeying every entry point in a house or every unit in a building. Whether you want everything keyed alike also matters, since pinning multiple locks to one key takes planning, while separate keys per door are simpler.
The type and condition of the lock count too. Common residential cylinders are routine. High-security cylinders, restricted keyways and older hardware can take more time or specialized parts. A lock that is worn or damaged may cost less to replace than to repair and rekey.
The number of extra keys you want cut, and the time of day, also play a role. Calling after hours or on a holiday can change the cost compared with a scheduled daytime visit. We are available at all of those times, and we will explain the terms before work begins.
Call (213) 577-1366, describe the doors, and we will tell you how the job is priced and what the options are. You decide before we start.
- Number of locks or cylinders
- Keyed alike on one key, or separate keys per door
- Lock type, brand and condition
- Number of spare keys
- Whether it is a scheduled visit or an urgent after-hours call
When a rekey is not the right call
Rekeying is not always the answer, and we would rather say so than sell you something. A few cases where another route is better:
If the lock is damaged, loose, or badly worn, or the door was kicked in, you likely need hardware, not just new keys. That is a lock replacement job. If you want a different style or finish across the whole door, or you are thinking about upgrading, changing the locks is the bigger step to look at.
If you want keypad or app-based entry, you are moving into smart lock installation, which is a separate decision from rekeying. Some electronic locks have no key cylinder to rekey at all, and codes are changed another way.
If a lock sticks, binds or does not latch, we check whether the problem is the cylinder or the door. Pomona's inland valley has hot, dry summers, and wood doors and frames can expand and stick during prolonged heat. Rekeying a lock on a door that rubs the frame will not cure the rub, so we look at fit before we recommend anything.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Tenant turnover and commercial rekey
Rental properties and businesses have a different rhythm from a single household. Keys multiply, people come and go, and records get fuzzy. A rekey at turnover is the simplest way to reset who has access without replacing hardware every time a unit changes hands. If you manage rentals, our page for locksmith services for landlords covers how we work with property owners, including scheduling around move-outs.
For commercial rekey and business lock rekey, the questions are a bit more layered. Who needs which door? Does the owner need one key that opens everything while staff keys open only certain areas? That is the idea behind a master key system, and it is worth planning before you rekey a whole suite or building, because it is easier to set up correctly the first time. For broader work on doors, hardware and storefronts, see our commercial locksmith services.
If you are a tenant who has been locked out, or you need into a unit before a rekey can happen, that is a different call, and our apartment lockout service is built for it. For lease questions about who is allowed to change a lock, check your lease or ask your landlord. We can do the work, but we cannot give legal advice.
Lock rekeying across Pomona neighborhoods
Pomona is not one kind of housing, and that changes what a rekey looks like. We service ZIP codes 91766, 91767 and 91768, and the work varies by block.
In Lincoln Park, Wilton Heights and Hacienda Park, the historic districts hold a large stock of Victorian, craftsman and period revival homes. Many of those doors carry older hardware with real character. Rekeying is often the right choice there, because it lets you change who has access without pulling off original knobs, plates and backsets. We look at the cylinder first and keep the period hardware in place whenever it is sound.
Postwar tracts fill much of the rest of the city, and Phillips Ranch, the 1980s planned community in the southwestern hills, has its own run of similar homes. A buyer or a new renter in those neighborhoods often wants every exterior lock rekeyed to one key. That is a straightforward whole-house job.
Apartment buildings line the Holt and Garey corridors, and tenant turnover rekeys are part of daily life there. Student housing near Cal Poly Pomona, in the Spadra area, turns over on its own schedule, and so do apartments near Western University of Health Sciences downtown. If a roommate leaves or a lease ends, a rekey resets access so the next person starts clean.
Downtown, the Arts Colony has small businesses whose owners often rekey after a staff change, or after a break-in once the door itself has been checked. Security screen doors and storefront gates are common along the denser commercial corridors, and we look at those as part of the job so every key you carry still matches a lock that works.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a rekey
We have been in business since 1987. We operate from a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and send out mobile service vans, so Pomona work is handled by our own people, not passed to a third-party dispatch. When you call (213) 577-1366, you reach us, any hour of the day or night, every day of the year.
David, the owner and lead technician, oversees how we work. That includes the unglamorous parts of a rekey, like testing every lock after pinning and telling you when the hardware is the real issue.
One more thing worth knowing: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith for their license details before they start work, and check them. That is a reasonable request from any customer.
Our service area covers 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and Pomona is one of them. We are about 43 miles from our home base, and we will tell you plainly what that means for scheduling when you call.
What to have ready when you call
A few details make the call quicker and the quote more accurate:
- How many exterior doors and locks you want rekeyed, and whether interior or gate locks are included
- Whether you want every lock on one key
- The brand on the lock, if you can see it
- How many keys you need cut
- Whether you still have a working key. We can rekey without the old key, and if you need spares of a key you still have, see our key duplication page
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to rekey a lock?
Rekeying changes the pins inside the lock cylinder so a new key works and the old key does not. The lock itself stays on the door. It is usually the more economical way to cut off access from old keys.
Should I rekey all my locks after buying a house in Pomona?
We recommend it. You cannot know how many copies of the old keys exist, who has them, or whether a previous owner handed them out. Rekeying all house locks to one new key is a common first step for new owners.
Can you rekey locks if I lost the key?
Yes. A rekey does not require the old key. We work on the cylinder directly, so you can rekey after losing keys even if you have no working key left. We can cut new keys to the new combination.
Can every lock be rekeyed?
Most standard residential pin tumbler locks can. Some very low-grade locks, damaged locks, and electronic locks with no key cylinder may not. We check each lock first and tell you if replacement makes more sense than rekeying.
Can you put all my locks on the same key?
Yes. We can pin the front door, back door, deadbolts and other compatible locks so one key opens all of them. The exact options depend on the brands and keyways on your doors, so we confirm that during the visit.
Do you do apartment and tenant turnover rekeys?
Yes. Landlords and property managers use us to reset locks between tenants. We can work around move-out schedules, and if you manage several units, call and we will discuss how to handle them in one visit.
Do you handle commercial rekey for businesses?
Yes. We rekey office, storefront and shop locks, and can talk through whether a master key system suits your layout. Commercial doors vary a lot, so we look at the hardware first and explain what is practical.
Can I get a rekey at night or on a weekend?
Yes. We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, at (213) 577-1366. After-hours calls can be priced differently from scheduled daytime visits, and we explain how before we start.
Does rekeying cost less than replacing locks?
Often, yes, especially when the existing hardware is in good shape. The final cost depends on how many locks you have, their type and condition, and how many keys you want cut. We explain the options before any work begins.
More locksmith help in Pomona
Lock Rekey near Pomona
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.