Assume every old key still works
Even a new build has had keys in many hands: the builder, the trades, the sales office. A resale has had its keys copied for years. Handing over "all the keys" at closing means all the keys the seller knew about. The only way to be sure is to make the old keys useless.
The checklist
- Front door and back door. Rekey both to one new key. If either is a knob with no deadbolt, add a deadbolt.
- The door from the garage into the house. Treat it as an exterior door, because it is one. Rekey it to the house key.
- The garage side door. Often forgotten, often the weakest lock on the property.
- Garage door openers and keypads. Clear the old remotes from the opener's memory and change the keypad code. The opener opens the house as surely as a key.
- The side gate and the pool gate. Bring their locks onto the house key if you can; our gate lock page covers the pool gate rules.
- Sliding doors. Check the latch actually catches and add a secondary lock. See our rekey or replace guide for when a lock should go.
- The mailbox. In a cluster box, the previous owner may still hold a key. Our mailbox lock page explains how that is changed.
- Smart locks and alarm codes. Reset any smart lock to factory settings and set it up in your name; the last owner may still have it on their phone. Change any alarm or keypad codes.
Rekey or replace?
Rekey the locks that work well; it keeps the hardware and costs far less. Replace the ones that are worn, loose, a cheap knob with no deadbolt, or a different brand that will not share your key. Most houses end with a mix, and every exterior door on one key.
How long it takes
A typical house, front, back, garage entry, garage side door and a side gate, is rekeyed and handed over with new keys well within an hour. Adding a deadbolt or resetting a smart lock adds a little. It is one visit, and worth doing the week you move in rather than the week something happens.
Our residential locksmith page lists everything we do for a new home, across the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys and the Antelope Valley.
Questions people ask
Is rekeying enough for a brand new house?
Usually. New builds still have keys with the builder and trades. Rekeying all exterior locks to your own key closes that off.
Do I need to change the locks if the seller gave me all the keys?
You have all the keys they knew about. Copies made over the years are not on that list, which is why a rekey is standard practice.
Can the whole house be on one key?
Usually, including the garage entry and the side gate. A lock of a different brand gets a matching cylinder.
What about the smart lock the previous owner left?
Reset it to factory settings and set it up again in your name. They may still have it in their app otherwise.