Nobody knows how many keys exist
When you buy or rent a home you get a handful of keys at closing. What you do not get is a list of everyone else who has one: previous owners and their relatives, a dog walker, a cleaner, contractors from the last renovation, a neighbour who kept a spare. In a city where so many homes have been flipped, rented and split into units, the honest answer is that no one knows.
Rekeying fixes that in one visit. The locksmith changes the pins inside each cylinder so that old keys no longer turn it, and cuts new keys for you. The lock stays on the door; only its combination changes.
Rekeying versus replacing
Rekeying is the cheaper choice when the locks are sound. The price list shows rekeying starting at $19.00 per lock plus the $29.00 service call fee. Replacing makes sense when a lock is worn, damaged or simply too weak, when you want a high-security or keypad lock, or when you want new hardware to match a renovation.
A common middle path is to replace the front deadbolt with something stronger and rekey everything else to the same new key.
Renters: ask first
If you rent, read your lease before changing anything. Many DC leases require the landlord's permission for lock changes and a copy of the new key. Ask the landlord to rekey between tenants; it protects them as much as you.
Do it after renovations too
Contractors often get a key for the length of a job. When the job ends, the key rarely comes back. Rekeying after major work is a small cost compared with wondering who still has access.
A simple moving-day checklist
- List every exterior door, including basement, garage and storm doors.
- Book the rekey for the day you get the keys.
- Ask for all locks to be keyed to one key.
- Decide how many copies you need and who gets them.
- Keep one spare somewhere other than under the mat.
Need help now? See residential, commercial, automotive or emergency locksmith services, check the price list, or find your neighbourhood page.
