After a partner or roommate who had keys leaves, the old keys should stop opening your doors. The real choice is how to make that happen and in what order. Rekeying fits when the locks work well. Replacing fits worn hardware or a wish for a stronger lock. The number of keys you cannot account for matters more than how the relationship or living arrangement ended.
Start by accounting for doors and keys
Before anyone touches a lock, make two lists. The first covers every opening that takes a key. The second covers every person who has ever held one of those keys, and that second list sets the size of the job. A key handed back at the door says nothing about copies cut along the way.
- Doors: front, back, side, and any door to a basement, yard, or garage
- Second locks on the same door, such as a deadbolt above a knob lock
- Mailbox, storage unit, bike room, and the building's street door
- Key holders past and present: the person leaving, their family, a cleaner, a dog walker, a neighbor with a spare
- Hidden spares and lockboxes, which are easy to forget
Next, confirm that you are free to change the locks. If you rent, ask the landlord or property manager before booking anything. If you own the home with someone else, talk with the co-owner first, even if that co-owner is the person leaving. Building doors and mailbox locks are often controlled by management, so those items go on their list rather than yours.
If you have an urgent safety concern, contact emergency services first.
Rekey or replace: what are you actually changing?
Rekeying changes which key operates a lock, and the lock stays on the door. Inside a typical pin tumbler cylinder, the round part your key slides into, a row of small pins sits at different heights. The cuts on a key lift those pins into line so the cylinder can turn. Rekeying swaps the pins for a set that matches a new key. Old keys stop working.
Replacement means new hardware. It fits when the lock itself is part of the problem. Watch how the lock behaves: a key that sticks or needs jiggling, a cylinder that wobbles in the door, a loose knob or lever, or marks from a past forced entry. Rekeying a worn lock only gives you new keys for the same worn lock. Replacement also makes sense when you want a stronger lock than the one you have.
You can mix the two. Rekey the doors that work well, replace the one that has been fighting you, and ask whether the remaining locks can share one key.
Put the decisions in order
Locks usually get missed because the front door felt like the whole job. Working through a fixed order prevents that.
- Confirm permission with the landlord, property manager, or co-owner.
- Finish the inventory of openings and key holders.
- Choose rekey or replace for each lock, not just the front door.
- Count the keys each remaining person needs, plus one spare.
- Send requests about the building door, mailbox, and storage to management.
- Book the work for a time when someone who is staying will be home to receive the new keys.
Codes, fobs, and other ways in
A new lock does nothing about a code someone already knows. After a household change, review the intercom or buzzer code and any app linked to it. Go through building fobs or cards, garage remotes, gate codes, keypad or smart lock user codes, alarm codes, and shared logins for doorbell or camera apps. If a fob was not returned, ask management whether it can be turned off.
People outside the household count too. A cleaner or dog walker can keep access, but they should get a new key or code instead of keeping the old one.
Bklyn Locksmith works on intercoms, buzzers, and access control as well as locks, so bring these items up when you plan the lock change. Some building systems are run only by management, so check with them first.
What to hand the locksmith, and what to do with the old keys
Have the inventory finished before you call or walk in. The locksmith needs the list of doors and locks and which ones to rekey or replace. Bring the number of keys to cut, the names of the people who will get them, and anything you have already passed to building management. If you are not sure what kind of lock a door has, a photo of it from the outside is easier than a description.
To set it up, call Bklyn Locksmith at (347) 500-8711. Bklyn Locksmith offers mobile service and works in Greenpoint, Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, Bushwick, Long Island City, and other parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, so mention your address on the call. Extra keys can be cut on site at the walk-in shop at 1014 Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint, open 9 AM to 11 PM every day.
Once the new keys work, gather the retired ones and throw them out. Old keys left in a drawer get mixed up with the new set.
Frequently asked questions
If my name is not on the lease, can I still change the lock?
Whether you can change a lock when your name is not on the lease is a question for the landlord or property manager. Ask before you book anything, and keep their answer in writing if you can. If the landlord or manager will need a key to the new lock, add that key to your count.
What if my ex or former roommate still has a key but says they will not use it?
A former partner or roommate who promises not to use a key still holds a working key, and nobody can confirm whether copies were made. Rekeying or replacing the lock settles the question without relying on anyone's word.
Should I change the lock before or after the other person has moved out and returned their keys?
The cleanest timing for a lock change is usually right after the other person moves out and hands back their keys. Returned keys shrink the unknowns, and the rekey or replacement then takes care of copies nobody mentioned. Changing a lock while someone still lives in the home is for the household to settle first, along with the landlord if you rent.
Do smart or keypad locks avoid the problem of old keys?
Smart and keypad locks trade the old-key problem for an old-code problem. After a household change, remove the departing person's code and app access, and change any code that was shared. Also check the lock for a backup keyhole. That cylinder takes ordinary keys, and any copies still out there will open it.