Lockout Tips

Often, landlords face the dilemma of whether they should change a leased apartment’s locks or not. With FBI Crime Statistics indicating that 73.2% of the total number of burglary offenses are committed in residential properties, it’s easy to see why most people are wary of unchanged locks.

What Does Rekeying a Lock Entail?

Changing a lock involves swapping an existing lock for a new one. A professional commercial locksmith can help you rekey your lock through a process that involves the removal of the springs and pins in your lock’s cylinder. These are replaced with new ones so that your lock can only open using a new key. Most locks can be rekeyed unless they have malfunctioned or you require a different lock style.

A common misconception is that rekeying compromises your lock’s security. A lock’s security is largely influenced by the number of pins in its cylinder. As long as your apartment complex locksmith replaces the number of pins in your lock with the same number of new ones, it will retain or have its security improved if higher security pins are used.

Advantages of Rekeying

Some of the advantages of rekeying your locks include:

It is cost-efficient. This is because rather than replacing the whole lock, you only need to replace its inner workings
The rekeying process takes only a few minutes

When Should You Rekey Your Locks?

You can decide to rekey your locks if you want to open multiple locks with a single key. In this case, the locks need to be of a similar brand and keyhole.

You can also rekey if you no longer want to use your current key. This could happen if you’ve recently lost a copy of your key or you want to stop someone from getting into your house with that key.

When Should You Change the Locks?

An apartment complex locksmith may recommend changing your locks if you want to upgrade their security features, technology, style, or design. Changing the locks has an advantage over rekeying as it enables you to customize and consequently, improve your home’s security.

Which is the Best Option?

There is no direct answer to this question as it all depends on your specific security needs. Rekeying is done to retain key control when there is a change in ownership of the house or property. With a previously owned property, you may not know who may have had access to the keys apart from the contractors. As such, when a new tenant is moving in, rekeying could be more suitable and affordable compared to replacing the entire lock. Whichever option you choose, though, ensure that you choose a qualified commercial locksmith.