Rekey the locks after you move in

Should you rekey a home you just moved into?

If you can't name everyone who ever held a key, yes. Before you, there may have been the previous owners and their family, a cleaner, a dog walker, contractors, the showing lockbox, or past tenants if the place was a rental.

New construction counts too. Crews and trades go in and out during a build, and nothing on the door tells you whether a builder's key was ever retired. Rekeying ends the guessing, in an older Boise neighborhood or a new subdivision in Kuna or Star.

Bought a used car around the same time? Same thinking, different key: see a used car that came with one key.

Rekey, repair or replace?

Rekey when the locks work well and you like them; only the key changes. Repair a lock that sticks or needs jiggling. Sometimes that's the lock, and sometimes it's a strike plate that shifted as the house settled.

Replace a lock that's damaged or worn out, or one that can't do what you want, such as a knob with no deadbolt above it, or no keypad. See deadbolts and smart locks.

What happens at your door

A standard house lock hides a row of small spring-loaded pins in its cylinder. Your key's cuts lift each pin to exactly the right height, and only then will the cylinder turn. To rekey, the locksmith pulls the cylinder, swaps in pins that fit a fresh key, and reinstalls it.

Fresh keys come off the key cutting machine in the service vehicle. Each one is tried in every lock it's meant to open, and then we try one of your old keys so you can watch it refuse to turn.

Count every lock before you call

The front door is rarely the only way in. Walk the house and count:

• the front knob and the deadbolt above it
• the back or patio door
• the house door inside the garage
• the walk-in door on the side of the garage
• any other outside door, like a basement or shop entrance

Give us that count and the number of keys you'd like, so the price you hear covers the whole job.

Also change the garage keypad code, clear old remotes from the opener as its manual describes, and delete leftover smart lock codes. They aren't keys, but they open doors.

Renters, landlords and proof of address

Your driver's license still shows the old address? Have it ready along with your lease, or a utility bill for the new place in your name. Tenants should read the lease before touching the locks, because many require the landlord's OK.

Landlords can call between tenants, so the last renter's copies are dead before the next one moves in.

Step by step

1. 1
   Count the locksEvery outside door, garage doors included, plus how many keys you want.
2. 2
   Call for the priceGive the count and the address; the price is explained before we head out.
3. 3
   Rekey at the doorEach cylinder comes out, gets pins for the fresh key, and goes back in.
4. 4
   Test new and oldNew keys turn every lock they should. An old key proves the job is done.