Lock Rekey in West Covina, CA: Keep Your Locks, Change the Keys

What does it mean to rekey a lock?

Rekeying changes the inside of a lock so a different key operates it. Every pin tumbler cylinder holds a stack of small spring-loaded pins. When the right key goes in, each pin lifts to the same line, the cylinder turns, and the door opens. To rekey, we take the cylinder apart, replace the pins with ones sized for a new key cut, and put it back together. The old key still slides in, but it no longer lifts the pins correctly, so it will not turn.

Your knob, lever, or deadbolt stays on the door. The finish, the look, and the hardware you already chose stay exactly as they are. Only the part that decides which key works is changed. That is why a house rekey or an apartment lock rekey is usually the more economical route compared with swapping out every lock.

Rekeying also lets us fix a common annoyance. If your front door, back door, and side door each take a different key, we can rekey all house locks to one key, so you carry one instead of a ring of them. One thing a rekey does not do is make a weak lock stronger. If the lock itself is worn, damaged, or low quality, rekeying only changes who has the key. We will tell you plainly when that is the case.

When should you rekey your locks?

The honest rule is simple: any time someone you cannot account for might still hold a working key, rekey. Keys get copied, handed to friends, left with contractors, and forgotten in drawers. You almost never know how many exist.

• Rekey locks after moving in, and especially rekey locks after buying a house. Previous owners, agents, contractors, relatives, and neighbors may all have had copies, and nobody can tell you how many.
• Rekey locks after a tenant moves out. For a landlord or property manager, a tenant turnover rekey resets access between occupants without paying for new hardware on every door.
• Rekey locks after losing keys. If a key vanished with your address on it, or you simply do not know where it went, changing the lock is more reliable than hoping. If you know it is lost somewhere inside the house, you may not need to.
• After a roommate, partner, employee, or house sitter leaves and you want the access to end cleanly.
• After a break-in or attempted entry. We check the lock for damage first, because a forced lock sometimes needs to be replaced rather than rekeyed.
• Any time you want fewer keys, or one key that works across several doors.

How do we rekey your locks, step by step?

Here is what actually happens when you call, so nothing about the visit is a surprise. David oversees the standards we work to, and the process is the same whether it is one deadbolt or a full set of doors.

1. You call (213) 577-1366, which is answered around the clock. Tell us how many locks there are, which ones are deadbolts or knobs, and why you want them rekeyed. A brand name helps if you know it, but it is not required.
2. A mobile van comes to your address. We work from our Westwood storefront and our vans, and one company handles the call from start to finish, with no hand-off to a third-party dispatcher.
3. We inspect each lock before touching it. We check that it operates smoothly, that it is a type that can be rekeyed, and that nothing is bent, worn, or loose enough to cause trouble later.
4. We remove the cylinders, replace the pinning to match a new key cut, and reassemble them. If you want several doors on one key, we set them all to the same pattern.
5. We cut your new keys and test every lock several times. We also confirm that the old key no longer turns anything.
6. We reinstall the hardware and check that each latch and bolt lines up with its strike plate. Then we hand you the keys and talk through extra copies, which we can cut through key duplication if you need them.

Should you rekey or replace the locks instead?

Most of the time, rekeying is the right call. Here is how we think about the decision, because the answer depends on the lock and not on what is easier for us to sell.

Rekeying makes sense when the hardware is in good shape and you like it. If you only need the keys changed, it is usually the lighter-cost option, and it is quicker too. If you are mostly worried about who has keys, rekeying solves that completely.

Replacement makes sense when the lock is the problem. A cylinder that sticks, a deadbolt that barely throws, a lock with a cracked body, or hardware that has been forced are all cases where a new rekey would be putting a fresh key into a failing lock. In those cases lock replacement is the better use of your money. If you want a whole-property reset with new hardware at every door, our change locks service covers that.

Some locks cannot be rekeyed in the field at all. Certain restricted or high-security systems, some older or unusual designs, and a few budget locks are built so the pinning cannot be changed on site. When we meet one of those, we explain your options instead of pretending a rekey will work. Smart locks with a keyed cylinder can often have that cylinder rekeyed, but the electronic side is a separate matter.

What affects the cost of a lock rekey?

We do not publish numbers on a web page because the real cost depends on your actual locks and situation. Here is what moves it up or down, so you can judge any quote you receive from us or anyone else.

• How many cylinders need rekeying. A single deadbolt and a full house are very different amounts of work.
• The type and brand of lock. Common residential brands are routine. Restricted keyways and high-security cylinders can need special key blanks that take extra effort to obtain.
• The condition of the locks. A worn cylinder may need parts or replacement before it can be rekeyed reliably.
• How many keys you want cut, and whether you want the doors keyed alike or each on its own key.
• Whether the job is commercial, which can involve more cylinders, master key layouts, and tighter coordination.
• The time you call. Nights, weekends, and holidays are staffed because we answer 24/7, and after-hours service can be priced differently from a scheduled daytime visit.
• Distance. West Covina is about 30 miles from our Westwood storefront, which is part of how we plan a mobile trip.

Do you rekey commercial doors and business locks?

Yes. A commercial rekey follows the same principle as a home job, but the stakes and the logistics are different. An office, shop, or storage room may have many people with keys: current staff, past staff, cleaners, vendors, and a landlord. When an employee leaves without returning a key, or a manager changes, a business lock rekey closes the gap without replacing every door lock in the building.

For larger sites, rekeying is often the first step toward a more organized system. A master key system lets each person carry only the key they need while a manager or owner holds a key that opens everything. If you are unsure whether you need a rekey or a bigger rework of your hardware, our commercial locksmith page explains the broader work we do for businesses.

Tell us at the start which doors matter most, such as the front entry, back door, supply room, or office suite, and we will plan the rekey so the business is disrupted as little as possible.

What does lock rekey look like around West Covina?

West Covina's housing is varied, and that shapes the rekey work we see in the 91790, 91791, and 91792 ZIP codes. Tract ranch homes from the 1950s through the 1970s make up much of the city. Homes of that age can still carry original hardware or a mix of replacements installed over the decades, and after years of owners and renters, nobody can say how many keys are out there. For a new buyer in a neighborhood like Cameron Park or Cortez Park, a full house rekey is a sensible first week task, and it is often more economical than replacing every lock.

Woodside Village, the planned community of HOA-managed townhomes and condos in the southeast, is a common townhome rekey situation. These units tend to have a front entry, a patio or rear door, and sometimes a garage access door, and an owner or new tenant typically wants all of them on one key. Because the exterior is shared, check your HOA's rules on exterior hardware before you ask for new locks. A rekey leaves the visible hardware untouched, which is one reason it suits these communities.

Up in the South Hills, hillside homes near the country club face dry summer heat and occasional gusty conditions on the ridgelines. Sun-exposed doors and gates there weather faster than in coastal areas, and weathered hardware can bind or wear. During a rekey we look at the lock's condition, and we will say so if a cylinder has aged past the point where rekeying makes sense. The same goes for gate and side-entry locks on hillside homes near Galster Wilderness Park, where exposure is hard on moving parts.

Closer to the malls and the I-10 corridor, condo and apartment complexes cluster together, and tenant turnover is part of life there. Offices along the I-10 frontage also call for rekeys when staff change or a lease ends. Neighborhoods like Eastland and the Civic Center and Plaza district sit near that same mix of residential and commercial buildings.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a rekey?

We have been in business since 1987, and rekeying is one of the oldest and most basic jobs in the trade. It is also easy to do badly: pins mixed up, keys that stick, locks that bind a month later. Experience shows in the small details of the work.

Here is what we can honestly offer:

• One company from the first call to the finished job. You are not passed to a call center that sells your job to whoever is nearest.
• A real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile service vans that come to you in West Covina.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees how the work is done.
• Phone answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, at (213) 577-1366.
• We serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, so West Covina is a normal part of our service area.
• Straight advice. If your lock should be replaced rather than rekeyed, we say so, even though it means a different job.

What should you check before hiring any locksmith to rekey?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, issued through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Ask any locksmith you are considering for their license information before they start work. A legitimate company will not mind the question.

A few other habits protect you. Ask the company to explain what is included before the visit. Be cautious of anyone who cannot tell you a company name or who insists on drilling locks that could simply be rekeyed. And if you need to be let into the home first, that is a different job; see our house lockout page. We can get you inside, then rekey afterward in the same visit if you want.

If you would like to book a visit, you can also read about how our mobile locksmith service works, or simply call (213) 577-1366.

More locksmith help in West Covina

• Change Locks in West Covina
• Deadbolt Installation in West Covina
• Gate Lock Repair in West Covina
• High Security Locks in West Covina
• Key Duplication in West Covina
• Lock Installation in West Covina
• All services in West Covina

Lock Rekey near West Covina

• Covina
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• La Puente
• City of Industry
• Walnut
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