Why You Should Always Rekey Your Locks When Moving

When moving into a new townhouse, apartment, condo or a house, you can be certain that several other individuals may have copies of your keys for some number of legitimate reasons. But where are all the copies now? Rekeying the locks is going to protect you in that event some keys to the home end up in some wrong hands. No matter whether you own, rent, or are part of some association, you require ensuring that you and your family are the only individuals having the keys to your home.

We spoke with two companies when putting this article together. First we spoke with the Columbus Locksmith Pros to get a locksmith's perspective. Then we spoke with the guys at Find Good Movers to the perspective from a moving stand point.

When you’re renting an apartment or a house, the manager or the owner is responsible for changing the locks between tenants. You should consult your landlord to find out who’ll have access to the apartment or house. When you are renting a house, it’s common for the owner only to possess spare keys in case an emergency arises. Apartment complexes generally use lock system allowing employees like maintenance men use a master key to have entry to any apartment. Through this, the maintenance crew does not have to carry a bunch of keys. Don’t rekey your locks in an apartment without speaking to the landlord first, or investigating your lease terms.

When you move into a townhouse or condo, several aspects of your property might be governed by community association. This normally includes several cosmetic factors. What your front door lock appears like from outside might be one of them. You should speak with the representative of your association before you change your locks. You always can have them rekeyed in order to preserve uniformity of appearance in your community.

When you purchase your own house, the responsibility and decision are all yours. Deadbolt locks like tubular locks, and mortise locks will require different kinds of holes to be drilled in your door. Rekeying or changing locks is crucial, and the choice is yours. Trying to re-drill holes in the door for different type of lock might not good and may compromise the door’s integrity. When various exterior doors are to be rekeyed so as to take similar key, it’s normally more convenient having a professional locksmith rekey the locks.

Rekeying or changing locks is crucial to your home’s security, no matter where you move in to. You don’t require the extra stress of wondering if the previous owner’s neighbor or cousin may be having a key to your home, or whether the different sub-contractors, relatives, friends and realtors may admit themselves into your home. Rekeying or changing the locks by a local locksmith is going to ensure your privacy, security and safety.

The most crucial areas to secure are doors connecting the garage to house, the exterior doors and the “garage man” door that leads from outside into the garage. Several reasons are going to prompt you to consider such a thing important when you’re moving into a new place:

The conditions of the old locks: They might be rusty, old or of poor quality. They might have been picked, jimmied or broken into. You cannot be certain about their integrity. Therefore, you should guarantee your own security by selecting, and installing the locks that you fancy.

Who has your keys? Certainly, you may rekey a lock when you suspect the keys are just floating around out there. However, for a little more, you may have a brand new lock, one having superior security features similar to those on the doors currently.

Will old lock installation hold over time? Your door jamb may be warped or weak. The strike plate screws might be too short. The house alignment mechanism and the strike plate may be off. And when the old lock set is not good or is so poorly installed that a new one may not properly fit into holes which are there, you might have to as well go for a brand new door. This may be an extra expense, yes, but once again-you do not want to be frugal as far as your security is concerned, do you?

What if your old locks are key-controlled? Basically this is a good thing. But because you cannot make easily copies of the original keys, you would probably have to rekey the entire thing. But you may also have to install new lock system. You should consult with qualified and experienced locksmith for recommendation when moving into your new place.

Times When You Should Replace Your Locks

A properly locked door is a homeowner’s first line of defense against unwelcome intruders. Changing locks in a home should be as essential and routine as any other maintenance job carried out. Locks assist in keeping homeowners’ hard earned possessions and even their lives safe. When planning for reliable home security, being proactive in changing locks is advisable. Below is a look at the times when you should replace your locks.


In case a homeowner loses his/her house keys, having the locks changed is the first thing to do. After all, they have no idea in whose hands they may have ended up. Even if the keys are handed back by a Good Samaritan, one cannot be sure they were not copied first. Outdoor locks that that would give intruders access to the house should be replaced immediately. Once the outdoor area is secured, the home owner can then replace the inner locks in order of his/her personal security priorities.

When moving into a new house, changing the locks is a good idea. Brand new houses or those that have just been vacated have locks that worked perfectly before the new homeowner moved in. However, one cannot be too careful with locks that have set of keys he/she does not own. It’s hard to know if the previous occupants gave out copies of the keys to others or the kind of friends they had. It’s better to change the locks than regret afterwards.

 We worked with staff members over at highlandsranchlocksmith.com to get this article just right for you. Hope that it clears up some of your questions about when you should replace your locks.

Changing locks is also recommended for those who have roommates. This should be done as soon as they leave. As much as a home owner may trust his/her roommates, what happens to the keys once they are gone is impossible to know. The same case applies for those who rent out space in their home. They can protect themselves by replacing the locks each time they get new tenants. Such homeowners will have peace of mind knowing that their locks are secured and protected, and will not have to suspect tenants in case in case of an intrusion.



In case of a robbery or break-in, a homeowner must replace the door locks. The force used during a break-in or robbery can compromise the integrity of a lock’s mechanisms. Locks that are damaged put a homeowner at a higher risk of another intrusion. In addition, any mechanical failures resulting from the damage can leave someone locked out in the cold. After an intrusion, a homeowner can safely assume that his/her keys have fallen into the wrong hands. This necessitates a replacement of all locks at which these keys might provide someone with access to the house.



Changing locks is also a good idea for those going through a divorce or a separation. At times, a spouse may feel that they own some of the shared pieces of property. A homeowner may feel that he/she trusts the other person and is looking forward to an amicable divorce. However, emotions can run high, with possessions becoming an area on contention. It would be an unpleasant surprise to come home one day only to find half of the shared possessions gone.