You gave the key to your house to your babysitter last summer, but now she’s not working for you. Your family just bought a house and moved in. You thought you had a spare key hidden somewhere on your property, but now you can’t remember where you put it. These are all situations when you need to rekey or even entirely change the locks on your doors. While rekeying is less expensive, changing out the entire locking mechanism provides the most security. Read on to find out when you should rekey, and when it’s time to completely change your locks.
Rekeying vs. Changing Locks: What’s the Difference?
Rekeying your doors means that you simply change the lock mechanism so that the old key no longer works. The lock mechanism of your door is made up springs and pins that only a specific key will fit. When you change out those pins, only the new key that fits with those pins will open your door.
Changing the locks on your doors means that you'll be removing all of the locking hardware, including the knob and lock mechanism and the deadbolt, and replacing it with an entirely new set.
When to Rekey
Rekeying your locks makes sense in lower-risk situations. If you’ve recently moved into a new home, you’ll want to rekey your locks since contractors, real estate agents, the previous owners, and other people involved with the building and/or selling of the home have all had keys.
Similarly, if you’ve purchased a new home in a single-builder neighborhood, be sure to rekey. The builder has most likely used a master key so he or she can easily enter all the homes in the neighborhood. Even if you’ve been given a new key, the master key could still fit your lock. Rekey just to be on the safe side!
You may also choose to rekey for convenience. If you have different keys for each entry of your home, you’re probably tired of lugging around a full keyring. Rekeying so you can use a single key no matter where you enter your home will save you the hassle of keeping up with all of those keys — and lighten up your purse or pocket.
Learn how to rekey your locks by following these instructions from familyhandman.com.
When to Change Locks
It’s essential to completely change your locks in high-risk situations.
If you’ve had a key lost or stolen, changing your locks will provide you with the best protection.
If your current locks are old and worn, you’ll want to change them. Worn-out locks make it easy for a burglar to enter your home. Plus, you don't want to risk getting your key stuck in the lock! That's just no fun.
And of course, you should always change your locks if your home has been burglarized.
To learn how to change your locks, check out these tips from Home Depot.
Don’t want deal with rekeying or changing locks? Make things easy on yourself AND add a layer of protection to your home — install a Smart Home automated security system! A Smart Home system means you'll have keyless entry, and allows you to change your entry code with just the touch of a few buttons. Plus, you'll be able to control outdoor cameras, lights, your garage door and even your thermostat right from your smartphone!