Change Locks in Valley Glen, CA

Should you rekey or replace when you change locks?

When someone calls and says they need their locks changed, that phrase can mean two different jobs, and part of our work is figuring out which one you actually need. Rekeying keeps the lock already on your door and changes the working parts inside it, so the old keys stop working and a new key takes over. Replacing means the hardware comes off the door and different hardware goes on. Either way the goal is the same: keys that other people are holding should no longer open your door.

Rekeying is often the lighter-cost option, and it's usually the right call when your existing locks are in good shape. Our lock rekeying page goes into how that works. Replacement makes more sense when hardware is worn, damaged, mismatched, or not the level of security you want, and our lock replacement page covers that side of it.

We make the call door by door, not as a blanket rule. It's common for a house to end up with a mix: rekey the front door and the side door, replace one tired deadbolt at the back. You don't have to know the answer when you call. Describe what you have and what's bothering you, and we'll sort it out from there.

• Rekey when: the locks turn smoothly, the finish is acceptable, and your main goal is cutting old keys out of the picture.
• Rekey when: you'd like several doors to work on a single key.
• Replace when: a lock sticks, feels loose, is corroded, or is worn enough that keys drag going in.
• Replace when: you want an upgrade, such as a sturdier deadbolt or a smart lock.
• Replace when: the doors have a mismatched mix of brands and you'd like a consistent set.
• Replace when: a lock is broken or has been damaged by a past break-in attempt.

Why change locks after buying a house or moving in?

A house passes through a lot of hands before you get the keys. Previous owners, their agents, contractors, cleaners, relatives, and sometimes former tenants or roommates may all have had a copy at some point. Nobody is accusing anyone of anything. The simple fact is that you can't know how many working keys exist, and the only way to reset that number to what you can see is to change the locks.

That's why a locksmith for a new house is one of the first calls we suggest to buyers, ideally before the first night under the new roof. The same logic applies if you're a locksmith-after-moving customer in a rental, ending a shared living arrangement, or parting ways with a roommate. It isn't about worry. It's housekeeping, so the keys in your pocket are the only keys.

While we're there, it's worth looking at every entry point together: front door, back door, side door, and any door from the garage. A door with only a knob lock and no deadbolt is a good candidate for deadbolt installation in the same visit. Once the new keys exist you'll probably want spares, and we can cut them during the same appointment. Our key duplication page explains how that works.

How we change your locks, step by step

Here's what a typical lock change looks like when you call us. The details shift depending on your doors, but the order stays about the same.

1. You call (213) 577-1366, which is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Tell us how many doors, what kind of locks you think you have, and whether you're locked out or just planning ahead.
2. We come to you in a mobile van. Everything we need for most common lock types is on board, so the work happens at your door.
3. We look at the hardware on each door: brand, condition, how the latch and deadbolt line up with the strike plate, and whether the door itself is hanging straight.
4. We tell you what we'd do on each door and why, rekey or replace, in plain language. We also walk through what's driving the cost before any work starts, so there are no surprises.
5. We do the work. For a rekey, we take the cylinder apart, change the internal pins to match a new key, and reassemble it. For a replacement, we remove the old hardware, fit the new lock, and make sure the bolt and latch move freely into the frame.
6. If you want several doors on one key, we set that up now. If you'd rather keep certain doors separate, such as a shed, a gate, or a door for a house sitter, we do that too.
7. We test every lock with the door open and closed, with the new keys, several times. Then we hand over the keys, cut any spares you asked for, and explain who should and shouldn't have copies going forward.

What affects the cost of changing locks?

We don't post numbers on a web page, because the honest answer depends on your doors, and a made-up range would mislead you. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so you know what to expect when you call. We talk the specifics through with you before starting work.

• How many locks are involved. One door and a whole house are different jobs.
• Rekey versus replace. Rekeying existing hardware is usually the more economical route when the locks are sound.
• The brand and grade of the hardware. Higher-grade deadbolts and specialty keyways cost more than basic ones, and some hardware is harder to rekey than others.
• The type of lock: deadbolts, knobs, levers, handlesets, and smart locks all differ.
• The condition of the door and frame. A lock that won't throw because the door has shifted may need alignment work, not just new hardware.
• Whether you want doors keyed alike, or a restricted keyway that makes unauthorized copies harder to get.
• The time of day and the urgency. A planned visit and a late-night emergency are not the same call.
• Whether it's a lockout as well as a lock change, since getting in comes first.

Which lock should you choose if you replace?

The right lock matches the door, the way you live, and how much security you want. For most front and back doors, a solid keyed deadbolt is a sensible baseline. If your priority is making forced entry or key copying harder, step up to something designed for that. Our high-security locks page covers those options.

A smart lock can make sense if you have frequent guests, family members who lose keys, or you'd rather hand out codes than keys. It's also another piece of hardware to look after, with batteries and settings. If you're curious, our smart lock installation page is the place to start. Most people who go this route keep a physical key as a backup.

If you've just closed on a house and are buried in boxes and paperwork, our usual advice is to rekey now and upgrade later. That gets your keys sorted quickly and gives you time to decide what you really want on the doors.

What does a lock change look like in Valley Glen?

Valley Glen is mostly postwar single-family tracts from the 1940s and 50s, with apartment buildings concentrated along Victory and Vanowen. The neighborhood was carved out of Van Nuys and North Hollywood in the late 1990s, so its housing and hardware profile matches those older postwar areas. A home that age has had several lives. Front door hardware may have been swapped over the decades, a deadbolt may have been added by someone else, and the brands may not match. That's why rekeying postwar tract homes after a purchase is a scenario we plan for here: we look at what's actually on each door and decide from there.

We serve Valley Glen across ZIP codes 91401, 91405, and 91606, including homes and apartments along the Victory Boulevard, Burbank Boulevard, and Oxnard Street corridors and around the Fulton Avenue area. Our storefront is on Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood, roughly 13 miles away, and our mobile vans do the work at your door.

Near Los Angeles Valley College, rentals tend to change hands, and a roommate moving out is a perfectly good reason to change locks, since a key that left with someone is still a key. If you're closer to the Tujunga Wash Greenway and own a property backing it, the door locks are only part of the picture. Gates and padlocks on that side of the property matter too. For those, our gate lock repair page covers what we can do.

Does Valley Glen's summer heat matter for a lock change?

Valley Glen sits on the central valley floor, with hot, dry summers. The main seasonal issue is heat-driven expansion of doors and weatherstripping. A door that swells in summer can bind against the frame, which makes a bolt rub, a latch stick, or a key feel stiff.

A new lock won't fix a door that's rubbing, and we won't pretend it will. When we change locks, we check how the bolt and latch meet the strike plate and whether the door sits properly in its frame. If the problem is the door, we say so and explain what's involved. If you're changing locks during a hot stretch, it helps to tell us if a door has been sticking, because that's useful information for us when we set up the hardware.

Changing locks as a renter or landlord in Valley Glen

With apartment buildings along Victory and Vanowen and student rentals near Los Angeles Valley College, plenty of people here don't own the door they live behind. If you rent, check your lease and talk to your landlord before changing anything. Who may change locks in a rental is set by your lease and California law, and we aren't lawyers, so we can't tell you what your rights are. We can tell you what's technically involved once you have the go-ahead.

If you manage rental property, a rekey between tenants is a routine way to make sure the keys from the last occupant don't carry over. Our locksmith for landlords page covers turnover work and keeping track of keys across units.

If you're already locked out of your apartment rather than planning a lock change, that's a different call, and our apartment lockout page explains how we handle it. Either way, the number is the same: (213) 577-1366.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a lock change?

We've been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile service vans. When you call, you reach our company, not a call center that sells your job to whoever picks it up. There are no dispatch middlemen between you and the person who comes to your door.

David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. That matters most on the judgment calls, like whether a lock is worth rekeying or whether replacing it is the more honest recommendation.

One more thing worth knowing: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith you call for it. A company that's confident in its standing will give you a straight answer. We encourage you to ask every company you're considering.

Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, so you can call during a planned move or at an hour when you can't wait for business hours. You can also reach us through our contact page.

More locksmith help in Valley Glen

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

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