When and Why Should You Rekey Your Locks, According to a Locksmith

There are a few reasons to rekey the locks instead of installing a new door handle in your home or business. A professional locksmith can help you if you need to rekey or replace one or more locks.

Reasons to Rekey the Locks

You might have moved into a new home, where you definitely want to rekey the locks. The old owners could have many keys floating around out there. If you have a business, an employee might have lost the key to the office or warehouse. Your inventory, cash and equipment could be at risk if you don't rekey the lock.

What's Involved?

When you rekey the locks, you're changing the cylinder inside the door handle. To replace the lock itself, you'd have to remove the entire door handle and install a new one, which includes the plate on the door frame in many cases. While in some cases, you might want a whole new door handle. The handle might be unsafe or rattle in the plate. You'd want to change the handle if that's what's happening.

Cheaper to Rekey

It's always cheaper to rekey locks than it is to purchase and install new locks in the home or business. The price is cheaper because you're only changing the cylinder when you rekey the lock. It's faster to change out the cylinders, which lowers labor costs as well as hardware costs. The only time it might make sense to replace the entire door lock is if the current one is unsafe.

It's vital that you hire a professional to rekey the lock properly. While you might consider yourself handy enough to replace a lock, if it isn't done correctly, you run the risk of leaving your home or business exposed.

Sources:

Locksmith, Careers.stateuniversity.com

What Is the Job Outlook for Locksmiths?, work.chron.com