In this blog post, we’ll be going over our top 10 reasons that homeowners and businesses choose to have their locks rekeyed. There are of course other reasons that aren’t on this list, but these are, in our opinion, the most common reasons that individuals and businesses seek lock rekeying services.

See our other informational articles: Rekeying VS Replacing Locks, What Is Lock Rekeying, and Differences Between Lock Changes & Rekeying.

1. When moving into a new property

When purchasing a new home or property, it’s always highly recommended that rekeying the home be one of the first things that the new homeowners do. Rekeying a home isn’t a difficult or lengthy process, nor is it too expensive, but it could potentially save hassle and headaches down the road. When a lock is rekeyed, the old key will no longer function, and instead, a new and different key will work. This is ideal for those who are moving into a new piece of property and want to make sure that the old owners can’t get back inside. 

2. When keys go missing or aren’t returned

It’s common for homeowners and businesses to request a rekeying service if they’ve lent out keys that haven’t been returned. This could be for many different reasons, but a common reason might be a pet sitter who hasn’t returned house keys. Likewise, this could also apply to contractors and employees, if keys have been given out and they have not been returned, a rekeying service is a possibility often considered.

3. When a roommate moves out

If someone is moving out, it might be a good idea to have the residence rekeyed to ensure they can’t get back inside. It’s not rude to have locks rekeyed after someone moves out, even if they left on positive terms. Having a locksmith rekey home locks after a roommate has moved out is often an ideal solution to provide peace of mind, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to get back inside without being invited in. Our mobile locksmiths have helped customers who’ve decided to rekey their locks because their friends and previous roommates wouldn’t stop letting themselves back in their home to watch TV and eat from their fridge.

4. After a breakup or divorce

When a bad breakup or divorce occurs, often it’s a smart idea to have locks rekeyed. Even if the breakup is amicable, we recommend a lock rekeying service. Some individuals can be vengeful and vindictive after their feelings are hurt, or if they feel misused or abused. To ensure the highest level of safety and security for one's belongings after a breakup, it’s generally a good idea to have a home rekeyed, just to caution on the safe side of things. Our locksmiths have heard horror stories about bad breakups that have resulted in ex’s stealing things from their homes, like TV’s, electronics, computers, and even in some petty cases, ex’s have stolen mattresses , beds, stoves, fridges, and things they don’t even need as a way to cause pain and suffering. Rekeying locks is highly common after individuals breakup and someone moves out, for whatever the reasons may be.

5. If things start to go missing without signs of forced entry

Sometimes things may start to appear missing from home without a sign of a break-in. While not always the case, one explanation might be that an individual has a working key, and is letting themselves into the property to take items. This is a very rare occurrence, but it has happened to a select few in the past. We recommend that all homeowners who experience missing items regularly, first check their locks and points of entry. If all locks are fully functional, perhaps a rekeying service will stop any potential intruders from getting back inside to take more items. This is of course just one possible explanation as to how intruders could be gaining entry without forcing their way in.

6. If an employee is fired or quits without returning their keys

If an employee is terminated and doesn’t return their working keys, it could leave a potential security lapse as that individual should no longer have access to the premises. When an employee quits or is fired, they must return any working keys they have. Many times businesses will choose to rekey their locks even if their terminated employee has returned keys, just to be on the safe side of things, in-case the employee in question made a key duplicate. Most locksmiths will always recommend a rekeying service after an employee is let go or fired.

7. As a precautionary security measure every few years

Some homeowners and businesses like to keep it fresh when it comes to their security. While rekeying a lock won’t change the security of it, it can serve as a way to retain control over key copies, especially if many copies have been lent out in the past. Every few years some homeowners find it practical to have their locks rekeyed to be sure that they’re still the only ones who have working copies.

8. To have all locks be on the same keys

Many homeowners and businesses will rekey their existing locks so that they can be on matching keys. For example, a homeowner with three separate doors might have three separate keys to operate each door. With a rekeying service, the homeowner could have all their home locks rekeyed to the same key, meaning that all their door locks would be on the same matching key. This is ideal for those who are interested in reducing the number of keys they have to carry with them at all times. Homeowners who are interested in consolidating their multiple different keys into one singular key that works with all the locks may find that a rekeying service is of interest to them.

9. If you’ve lost track of where keys are and who has spare copies

Often homeowners may hide spare keys on the premises for the event that they find themselves locked out and unable to get back inside. If this is the case, it’s also possible for others to find hidden spare keys too. Frequently, homeowners will require a rekeying service after they’ve become locked out, and realize that their spare key isn’t in its supposed hiding spot. While there are many different reasons that keys might not be in the hiding spot they were left in, sometimes it can be as simple as the homeowner forgetting where they left it. Whatever the reason may be though, oftentimes homeowners will choose to rekey their locks after they can’t find spare keys or if their friends or family have lost spare keys they were lent for safekeeping.

10. After a big job like a home renovation with multiple different companies and contractors who have key copies

The last and final most common time that individuals and businesses choose to rekey their property is after a big job like a renovation. Renovations can be expensive, and it’s not uncommon for homeowners or businesses to leave spare keys with the individual companies that are providing the services. This is highly practical and convenient for the owner, as the workers can let themselves in and out as they please, however, it could potentially leave the owner open to security risks. Often homeowners and businesses will choose to have their property re-keyed after a big job in which multiple companies have had access to the property and locks without supervision. This is just a precaution, but it is still done by many. Most would rather spend the small amount that it costs on a rekeying service rather than constantly have to worry or risk their items going missing.

Summary

There are many different reasons that homeowners and businesses will opt for a rekeying service. In our opinion, the top ten most frequently requested reasons for lock rekeying services are: 

• Moving into a new property

• When keys aren’t returned

• After a roommate moves out

• After a breakup

• If things start to go missing

• If an employee is let go

• As a precautionary measure

• To have locks be on the same key

• When keys go missing

• After a big job, like a home renovation.

Have you had to have your lock rekeyed before for a reason that wasn’t on our list? If so, we’d love to hear about it below in the comments!

About Us: Locksmith Services Longmont provides 24-hour locksmith services in Northern Colorado. We can assist with services like lockouts, lock rekeying, lock replacements, lock installations, lock repairs, lock removals, and more. We have 24-hour locksmith services in areas of North CO like Denver, Longmont, Boulder, Estes Park, Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, and more. See all the locations we provide fast and affordable locksmith services to in Northern Colorado on our Contact page.