Lock Rekey Service

When you call us for a house lock rekey, you're not just getting a technician who inserts a new key blank and leaves. Our process starts with a full inspection of your existing hardware to confirm the lock is in good working condition and identify the cylinder type — whether that's a standard Kwikset or Schlage deadbolt, a multi-point mortise lock on a heavy front door, a door knob lock on a side entrance, or a newer electronic smart lock. From there, we disassemble the cylinder, replace the driver and key pins to match a fresh key cut, reassemble the mechanism, and test every key — old and new — to verify the change is complete. Old keys will not operate the lock. New keys will turn smoothly. That's the standard we hold every job to.

Our technicians carry a broad inventory of pin kits, rekeying tools, and key blanks in their service vehicles, which means most rekeying jobs are completed in a single visit without ordering parts. For homes with a lock rekey set across multiple doors — say, a front entry, back door, garage access door, and interior deadbolts — we can key them all alike so one key opens everything, or keep them on separate keys based on your preference. We also work with Yale lock rekey requests for clients whose homes have Yale cylinders installed, as well as Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, and other major hardware brands. Whatever is on your door, we've almost certainly worked with it before.

The most common reason Hillsborough residents contact us for a door lock rekey is a change in who holds keys to the property. This includes moving into a previously owned home, ending a lease on a rental unit, dismissing a contractor or housekeeper who had access, a relationship change, or simply realizing that spare keys have been distributed over the years and you've lost track of how many copies exist. In every one of these situations, rekeying is faster and more economical than a full hardware swap — assuming the lock itself is in good mechanical condition. If our technician finds worn springs, a stiff cylinder, or damage from a prior forced-entry attempt, we'll tell you honestly before touching anything, explain the options, and confirm a firm up-front price before any work begins.

Rekeying is not the right solution when the hardware itself is the problem. A mortise lock with a cracked faceplate, a door knob lock with a spinning mechanism, or a deadbolt that no longer throws fully into the strike plate needs repair or replacement — not just a new key cut. We see homeowners who have been burned by predatory locksmiths who quoted one price over the phone and inflated the bill on-site by claiming unnecessary replacements were required. Our approach is the opposite: we diagnose first, explain what we found in plain language, and give you a clear quote before we proceed. No surprise charges, no pressure. If rekeying is all you need, that's all we'll do. Call (650) 405-3068 and we'll walk you through your options before we even schedule the visit.

Hillsborough's housing stock includes a significant number of craftsman-era and mid-century estate homes that were built with mortise lock hardware — a style of lock that recesses into a pocket (mortise) cut into the door edge, as opposed to sitting on the surface like a cylindrical deadbolt. Mortise locks are durable, high-security mechanisms, but they require a different set of tools and more detailed knowledge to rekey properly. Removing the cylinder without damaging the lock body or the door finish demands experience and patience. Our technicians have worked on mortise lock systems across the Hillsborough and broader Peninsula area and treat this work with the same precision you'd expect for the hardware investment you've made.

On the other end of the technology spectrum, smart lock rekey requests are increasingly common as more homeowners install keypad, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi-enabled lock systems. Some smart locks use a physical key cylinder as a backup — and that cylinder absolutely can and should be rekeyed when access needs to change, just like any traditional lock. Others are purely electronic and require a credential reset rather than a pin change. We work through both scenarios: physically rekeying the backup cylinder where one exists, and walking through access code resets and user profile removals for the electronic side. A smart lock that still has old user credentials stored in it is not a secure lock, regardless of how advanced the hardware is.

Pricing for a lock rekey job is determined by several honest factors: the type and brand of lock being serviced, the number of locks on the job, the time of day (overnight and holiday calls involve different logistics), travel distance to your Hillsborough location, and whether any parts — such as new cylinders, pins, or keys — are needed. We confirm the exact price before any work starts, every time. There are no after-the-fact add-ons for labor time or surprise fees for specialty equipment. This matters because the locksmith industry has attracted bad actors over the years — operators who advertise an unrealistically low call-out fee and then manufacture reasons to charge far more once they're inside your home. We don't operate that way, and we encourage every customer to ask for a full written quote before approving any work.

Our technicians are available around the clock — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — because security problems don't follow business hours. A lost key discovered at 11 p.m., a break-in on your block that makes you want to rekey before morning, or a tenant situation that needs to be resolved over the weekend: we respond to all of it. Being a fully mobile service means there's no shop for you to drive to; we come to your address in Hillsborough with everything needed to complete most rekey jobs on the spot. When you're ready to take control of who has access to your home, call (650) 405-3068 — we answer 24/7 and can typically give you a realistic arrival window within minutes of your call.