Lock Rekey in Woodland Hills, CA

What does a lock rekey actually do?

Most door locks in Woodland Hills homes are pin tumbler cylinders. Inside each cylinder is a stack of small pins that sit at different heights. Your key lifts every pin to exactly the right height, the cylinder turns, and the bolt moves. A rekey means we take the cylinder apart, swap the pins for a new combination, and cut a new key to match. The lock body, the deadbolt, the handle and the finish all stay on your door. Only the secret inside changes.

The result is simple. Every key that worked before, including the one the previous owner kept, the one your old roommate never returned, and the one that fell out of your pocket at the trailhead, stops working. The new keys work. Nobody has to drill a hole, patch a door or repaint anything.

That is why rekeying is usually the first thing we suggest when the hardware itself is still in good shape and the only problem is who might be holding a copy. If you have searched for rekey locks near me, this is the work you are asking about: same locks, new keys, and a clear answer about who can open your door.

When should you rekey your locks?

People call us about rekeying for a handful of very ordinary reasons. None of them need a break-in to justify the work. The point is that you cannot know how many copies of an old key exist, and a rekey settles the question.

• Rekey locks after moving: you have no idea who got copies from the previous resident, a cleaner, a dog walker or a contractor.
• Rekey locks after buying a house: builders, agents, inspectors and sellers may all have held keys during the sale. Many buyers rekey before the first night in the house.
• Rekey locks after a tenant moves out: a tenant turnover rekey gives the next resident a clean start and protects the owner's liability.
• Rekey locks after losing keys: if a ring went missing with an address attached or in a place you can't search again, changing the keys is calmer than hoping.
• Rekey all house locks to one key: if you are carrying separate keys for the front door, back door, garage entry and side gate, we can match them so one key does everything.
• After a breakup, a falling-out with a roommate, or an employee leaving: any time someone you no longer want in the space still has a key.

How do we rekey a lock, step by step?

Rekeying is careful bench-style work done at your door or in the van. We do not rush it, because a pin put in the wrong chamber produces a key that sticks or fails on a cold morning. Here is how a typical house rekey goes.

1. You call (213) 577-1366, day or night, and tell us what you have: how many exterior doors, whether there are deadbolts, a gate, a garage entry or a mailbox lock, and what brand of hardware you can see.
2. We come to you with the pinning kits, key blanks and cutting equipment on the van. Our storefront is in Westwood and the mobile vans handle the drive out to Woodland Hills.
3. We look at each lock before touching it. We check that the cylinder turns freely, the latch and bolt line up with the strike plate, and nothing is worn out or broken. If a lock is not a good candidate, we say so before starting.
4. We remove each cylinder, clear the old pins and fit the new combination. Every cylinder on the job is set up to the same new key if you want one key for the whole house.
5. We cut the keys, test each one in each lock several times, and test the deadbolt throw from both sides with the door closed.
6. We hand you the new keys and point out any lock that is fine now but may need attention later. The old keys are now just pieces of brass.

Should you rekey or replace the lock?

Rekeying is the lighter-cost option when the lock is sound, but it is not always the right call. We will tell you honestly which one fits.

Rekey when the lock works smoothly, the finish is acceptable and you only want to cut off old keys. Replace when the lock is loose, worn, rusted, damaged by a prior break-in attempt, or when you want a different style, a better grade or a smart lock. If you are leaning toward new hardware, our lock replacement and change locks pages explain how that work differs.

A few cylinders cannot be rekeyed in the usual way. Some worn or damaged cylinders no longer hold a new pin combination reliably. Some restricted-keyway systems are controlled by the manufacturer, which affects how new keys can be made. In those cases we tell you plainly what the options are instead of forcing a rekey that will not last.

One more thing to keep straight: a rekey changes who has keys. It does not make a weak door stronger. If the strike plate is held by short screws or the frame is cracked, rekeying will not fix that. We will point it out and you decide what to do.

What affects the cost of a rekey?

We don't quote numbers on a web page, because the honest price depends on your actual doors. Here is what moves the cost, so there are no surprises when you call.

• How many cylinders you want rekeyed. A single front door is a smaller job than a full house with deadbolts, knobs, a garage entry and a side gate.
• Whether everything is being keyed alike. Setting several locks to one key takes some planning, and a mix of brands takes longer than a matched set.
• The condition of the locks. A cylinder that turns cleanly is quick. One that is stiff, corroded or misaligned needs cleaning or adjustment first.
• The brand and keyway. Common residential hardware is straightforward. Higher-security or restricted keys can require different parts and more time.
• How many keys you need cut. Extra copies are additional work, and you can see our key duplication page for more on that.
• When you call. Nights, weekends and holidays may be priced differently from a scheduled daytime visit, and we explain that before we start.
• Distance. Woodland Hills is about 18 miles from our Westwood base, and that is factored in like any other trip.

Rekeying for landlords, apartments and businesses

Apartment lock rekey work is mostly about turnover. When a tenant leaves, the next person should not be able to be entered on by the last one. A property manager who rekeys between tenants has a clean record of who holds keys. If you manage several units, our page for locksmith for landlords covers how we handle multiple doors and recurring turnovers.

Commercial rekey and business lock rekey jobs follow the same logic but have a few extra wrinkles. Staff come and go, and the office may need different access levels. A commercial lock rekey can set every suite door to a single new key, or it can be built into a tiered setup where one key opens a single office and a higher-level key opens several. If that sounds like your building, take a look at our master key system page, and for the broader business picture see commercial locksmith.

We recommend rekeying whenever a key holder leaves on bad terms, whenever a master or spare key has gone missing, and whenever you are not sure how many copies of a key were made over the years. It is a small, clean fix compared to the uncertainty.

How does lock rekeying fit Woodland Hills homes and buildings?

Woodland Hills is not one kind of place, and rekeying looks different depending on where you are. Whether your address falls in 91364 or 91367, the right approach depends on the type of building more than the ZIP code.

North of Ventura Boulevard, the housing is largely 1950s and 1960s ranch tracts. Walnut Acres stands out with large lots and a semi-rural feel. A large-lot ranch home often has a lot of doors: front, back, a side door, a garage entry, sometimes a separate guest or workshop door. That is a natural place to rekey all house locks to one key, so you are not carrying a ring of five different ones. These older homes also tend to have a mix of hardware installed at different times, which means we often match several brands to a single keying.

South of the Boulevard, in areas like Vista de Oro, Carlton Terrace and the hillside streets, you find mid-century and custom view homes, many behind driveway gates. A rekey here is often a bigger conversation: the front door, the pedestrian gate and sometimes a gate operator. For people who want to go further, our pages on smart lock installation explain what changes when keys are partly replaced by codes or phones.

In Warner Center, the stock is dense, with condo towers, large apartment complexes and HOA-managed buildings that use controlled-entry systems. A rekey in a building like that usually covers your unit's own door hardware. The lobby, fob readers and common doors belong to the building, so those go through your HOA or management. Check your rules before booking, because some associations require a particular approach or notice for changes to a unit door.

Along the Ventura Boulevard business corridor, office suite rekeys are common when a tenant moves in, a lease turns over, or a staff member leaves. And near the Pierce College campus, apartment turnover is a regular reason to rekey between residents.

Heat is a real factor here too. Woodland Hills regularly records some of the hottest summer temperatures in Los Angeles, and long stretches of heat bake south- and west-facing doors. Wood doors can expand and warp, weatherstripping dries out, and a deadbolt can drift out of alignment with its strike. If your deadbolt already drags or takes a shoulder push, a rekey will give you a new key that works in a lock that still sticks. We check alignment as part of the job and tell you if the door needs adjusting, and for worn hardware, lock repair may be the next step.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a rekey?

We have been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Woodland Hills is one of the places our mobile vans go regularly.

We run a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans. When you call, you reach our company, not a call center that sells your job to whoever is free. There are no dispatch middlemen between you and the person at your door. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work.

Phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year, at (213) 577-1366. That matters for rekeying more than people expect, because the call often comes the night you get the keys to a new home, or the evening after a set of keys disappears.

One more honest note: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith for it before they work on your doors. Our license number is being added to this site, and you can always ask us about it when you call.

More locksmith help in Woodland Hills

• Change Locks in Woodland Hills
• Deadbolt Installation in Woodland Hills
• Gate Lock Repair in Woodland Hills
• High Security Locks in Woodland Hills
• Key Duplication in Woodland Hills
• Lock Installation in Woodland Hills
• All services in Woodland Hills

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