To rekey a lock is to change its insides so the old keys no longer work, without replacing the lock. The pins in the cylinder are swapped for a new set and new keys are cut to them. Same hardware on the door, new key in your pocket. It's a short job per door and it happens at the house.
Moved in, lost a key, tenant gone, roommate gone, contractor finished: rekeying is the usual fix for all of them.
Replacing a lock is exactly that: the old hardware comes off, new hardware goes on. Do it when the lock is worn, damaged or poor quality, when it's a knob lock on a door that should have a deadbolt, or when you want a keypad or a stronger grade. The key changes as a side effect.
The choice comes down to the lock's condition. Good lock, wrong key: rekey. Bad lock: replace.
Go door to door. Smooth bolt, firm knob: rekey it. Sticking, loose, corroded, or a lightweight lock on an outside door: replace it. Most homes in West Palm Beach end up mixed, with one or two doors replaced and the rest rekeyed, and every door on one key.
Most brands can be matched to one key. If one lock can't, you'll hear it before the work starts.
A house arrives with an unknown number of keys in circulation. Rekeying the week you move in ends that. While the technician is there, every exterior door gets a look, including the garage-to-house door, which is nearly always the weakest and the most ignored.
Landlords: between tenants, rekey. It's quick and it's fair to the person moving in.
ID against the address first, or proof of authority for a rental. Then each door: cylinder out, new pins in, new keys cut for rekeys; old lock off, new lock on and aligned for replacements. You get new keys, and a straight explanation of what was done on each door.
A house is usually under an hour. Businesses and master key setups take longer and get a time on the phone.
A rekey wears off. No, it's a physical change; the old keys are dead permanently. Mixed brands need mixed keys. Usually not. New is always safer. Only if the new lock is a better grade than the old. Lost key means new locks. Lost key means rekey.
Yes in most homes, brand mix included.
Minutes per door; under an hour for a typical house.
Yes, every time. ID matched to the address, or proof of authority for a rental.
Yes if keys might be out; replace any damaged lock, rekey the rest.
Yes. That's one of the most common upgrades and it's done on the spot.
One call and we get a tech dispatched to you.
