Lock Rekey in Redondo Beach, CA

What does it mean to rekey locks?

Rekeying means changing the inside of a lock so it accepts a different key. The lock body, the deadbolt, the handle and the finish all stay exactly where they are. We open the cylinder, swap the small pins that match the cuts on a key, and cut new keys to fit. The old key still slides in, but it no longer turns. Anyone who held one of those keys is locked out for good.

It is one of the most useful things a locksmith does, and one of the most misunderstood. People often assume that after a move or a lost key they have to buy all-new hardware. In most cases they do not. If your locks are in decent shape, a house rekey gets you the same security reset as new locks, and it is usually the more economical route because you are paying for labor and a few small parts rather than a full set of new hardware.

In Redondo Beach we do this for single-family homes, condos, townhomes, apartments and storefronts. The job is the same idea each time, but the details change a lot depending on the building, the hardware and who needs to hold keys afterward. This page walks through how it works, what to expect, and what is specific to this part of the South Bay.

When should you rekey your locks?

The honest rule is simple: rekey any time you cannot say with confidence who has a working key. Keys get copied, handed to cleaners, dog walkers, relatives and former roommates, and nobody keeps a list. A rekey wipes that list clean. These are the situations we see most often.

• Rekey locks after moving in. The previous owner or tenant, their agent, a contractor and a neighbor may all still hold keys. Rekeying is the first thing worth doing on day one.
• Rekey locks after buying a house. Between listing, showings, inspections, lockboxes and repairs, a lot of people have had access. Closing day is the cleanest moment to reset everything.
• Rekey locks after a tenant moves out. For landlords and property managers, tenant turnover rekey is standard practice. A new tenant should not be sharing keys with the last one.
• Rekey locks after losing keys. If the keys went missing along with anything that has your address on it, change the lock rather than hoping. If you simply misplaced them at home, you may be able to wait, but you are taking a risk.
• After a breakup, a falling-out with a roommate, or ending a relationship with a house sitter or contractor who had keys.
• When you want every door on one key. If you are tired of carrying a ring of four different keys, we can rekey all house locks, front door, back door, garage entry and side gate, so a single key works on each.

How we rekey your locks, step by step

Here is what actually happens when we arrive, so nothing about the visit is a surprise. A typical home takes far less time than people expect, though the exact time depends on how many locks there are and what condition they are in.

1. You call (213) 577-1366. Someone answers around the clock, every day of the year. Tell us what kind of property it is, how many locks you want done, and whether this is after a move, a tenant, or lost keys. If you can describe the brand on the lock, that helps.
2. We come to you in a mobile van, or you can bring locks to our Westwood storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd if that suits you better. For most Redondo Beach jobs the van is the practical choice, since the locks are on the doors.
3. We look at each lock before touching it. We check that the cylinder turns smoothly, that the deadbolt throws fully, and that the hardware is not worn out or corroded. This is where we tell you plainly if one lock is a poor candidate for rekeying.
4. We remove each cylinder, take out the old pins, and fit new pins matched to the new key. We rebuild the lock, test it with the new key several times, and confirm the old key no longer works.
5. We cut the new keys and test them in every lock they are meant to operate. If you want extra copies for family members or a property manager, this is the time to say so. Additional copies can also be handled through key duplication later.
6. We hand over the keys, explain anything we noticed about the hardware, and let you decide on any follow-up work. Nothing gets added to the job without your say-so.

Should you rekey or replace the lock?

Rekeying is not always the right answer, and we would rather tell you that than do work that does not serve you. The question to ask is whether the lock itself is still worth keeping.

Rekey if the lock works smoothly, looks reasonable, and you like the hardware. Replace if it sticks, the latch drags, the finish is falling apart, or the lock was a low-grade builder lock that you never trusted in the first place. If you want a different style, a higher security rating, or a keypad or smart lock, that is a lock replacement job, or a broader change locks project, rather than a rekey.

A few cases where rekeying is not possible or not sensible:

• Locks with a damaged or heavily worn cylinder, where new pins would not fix the real problem.
• Hardware with seized, corroded internals. This matters near the coast, as we explain further down.
• Some electronic and keypad locks, which are changed by reprogramming a code rather than by changing pins. We will tell you what applies to the model on your door.
• Locks where the manufacturer's parts are no longer available.
• Cases where you want a restricted keyway so keys cannot be copied at a hardware store. That is a different product from a standard rekey.

What affects the cost of a rekey in Redondo Beach?

We do not quote numbers on a web page, because honest pricing depends on facts we can only learn from you. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so you can judge any quote you get from anyone.

The first factor is the number of locks. Each cylinder is its own job, and the more of them you have, the more labor is involved. At the same time, the setup for a visit is shared across all of them, so rekeying a whole house at once is usually more economical per lock than doing doors one at a time over several visits.

The second is the type and condition of the hardware. Standard residential deadbolts and knobsets are the simpler case. Higher-security cylinders, older locks with hard-to-find parts, and weathered hardware can take more time. A lock that is too worn to rekey may need replacing, which changes the scope.

The third is the time and place of the visit. Because we answer 24 hours a day, calling at night, on a weekend or on a holiday is different from booking a daytime visit. Our Westwood base is about 20 miles from Redondo Beach, so travel is also part of the picture, and we will be upfront about it when you call.

The fourth is how many keys you need and what kind. Extra copies, restricted keys, and keys for a master-keyed setup add to the work. If you are managing several units or a business, a master key system is its own conversation.

The last factor is anything extra you ask for in the same visit, like adding a deadbolt or fixing a sticking latch. We will separate those from the rekey itself so you can see what you are paying for. Ask for the total before work starts, and compare like with like.

Commercial rekey and business lock rekey

Rekeying is just as useful for businesses, and in some ways more so. Staff turn over, managers leave, vendors come and go, and a key that walked out the door with a former employee is a real exposure. A commercial lock rekey resets who can open the front door, the back door, the storage room and the office without replacing every piece of hardware.

With a business we usually start by asking who needs access to what. Sometimes a single key for everyone is fine. Often it is not, and a small shop wants one key for the owner, a different one for staff, and no one but the owner for the office or stockroom. That is where a keying plan matters more than the rekey itself. If you are building toward something larger, our commercial locksmith work covers the broader hardware side, and rekeying can be the first step.

We are careful about one thing with commercial doors: rekeying the cylinder is not the same as fixing the door. If a storefront door does not latch cleanly or a closer is slamming, a new key will not help. We will tell you if the problem you are describing is really a hardware problem and not a key-control problem.

Lock rekey around Redondo Beach: neighborhoods, ZIP codes and building types

Redondo Beach covers ZIP codes 90277 and 90278, and the building types change a great deal from one neighborhood to the next. That shapes how we approach a rekey.

In South Redondo you find 1950s and 1960s single-family homes, beach homes in The Avenues, and condo buildings near the pier and the Esplanade. Older single-family homes often have several exterior doors that were keyed at different times, so a whole-house rekey that puts every door on one key is a common request after a purchase. In the Hollywood Riviera, with its Spanish and mid-century homes on hillside streets, entries can include older decorative hardware, and we look closely at whether the existing lock is worth keeping before we rekey it.

North Redondo, in 90278, is known for dense two-on-a-lot townhome development, including the tall, narrow townhomes of Golden Hills. With two units sharing one lot, a clean key reset when ownership or a tenant changes is a sensible move, since neighbors and former occupants have often been in and out of shared areas. Townhome lockouts are common here too, and if you are locked out rather than just wanting a rekey, our apartment lockout service covers multi-unit doors.

Brookside Village is a large gated condominium community, and condo rekeys and mailbox lock changes are a typical scenario there. With HOA condos, check what your association controls. Some communities manage the gate and common-area keys themselves, while the unit door is yours to rekey. Mailbox locks are often a separate item from your front door, so if you want the mailbox keyed fresh as well, see our mailbox lock replacement service. Older garden apartments along Artesia Blvd and PCH are rentals, which makes tenant turnover rekeying a regular part of life for the people who manage them.

Along the water, the climate matters. Coastal exposure near the Esplanade, the pier and King Harbor brings steady salt-air corrosion to exterior hardware. Inland North Redondo is a little more sheltered but still sits in the marine layer belt, so mornings stay damp much of the year. Corroded cylinders can seize or turn stiffly, and sometimes the rekey is where we discover it. If the cylinder will not come apart cleanly, replacing it is the honest fix, and we will show you why.

Businesses have their own needs. Boutiques in Riviera Village and restaurants near the Redondo Beach Pier often need keys reset after staff changes, and we can do that in the same visit as checking the door hardware.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a rekey?

There are plenty of locksmith listings you can find with a quick search. Here is what is actually different about us, without exaggeration.

• We have been in business since 1987, so we have rekeyed locks on nearly every kind of door and brand you are likely to have.
• We have a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood as well as mobile service vans. If you want to bring a lock in, you can. If you want us to come to you, we do.
• You are dealing with one company. There is no call center passing your job to a stranger who subcontracts it. When you call (213) 577-1366, you are calling us.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. That means someone accountable stands behind the job.
• We answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Redondo Beach among them.
• We will tell you when a rekey is not the right fix. If your lock needs replacing, you will hear that from us rather than get a rekey that does not solve the problem.

How to choose a locksmith for a rekey

Whoever you hire, a few checks protect you. 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 their license number before work begins, and look it up if you want to be sure. A legitimate company will not mind the question.

Ask for the total cost before the work starts, not just a low opening figure. Ask what is included, how many keys come with it, and whether the quote changes if a lock turns out to be worn. Be cautious with anyone who will not say who they are, answers with a generic business name, or insists on drilling out a lock that could easily be rekeyed.

If you are a landlord or manage several units, we have more detail for you on locksmith services for landlords, including how to handle repeat turnovers consistently.

More locksmith help in Redondo Beach

• Change Locks in Redondo Beach
• Deadbolt Installation in Redondo Beach
• Gate Lock Repair in Redondo Beach
• High Security Locks in Redondo Beach
• Key Duplication in Redondo Beach
• Lock Installation in Redondo Beach
• All services in Redondo Beach

Lock Rekey near Redondo Beach

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