Residential Locksmith
A residential locksmith visit is usually one of two things: something changed (new house, a lost key, a tenant moved out) or something is worn out. Either way the fix is decided at the door, not guessed over the phone.
Call (408) 418-0044
Most homes accumulate locks rather than choose them. A deadbolt from one decade, a knob set from another, a patio slider that has never locked properly, and a back door key that nobody can account for. Residential locksmith work is mostly the business of making that collection consistent and trustworthy again.
The single most useful question in a house is not 'are these locks good enough' but 'who has a key'. Rekeying answers that question cheaply and without replacing anything. Changing hardware answers a different question — whether the lock itself is up to the job.
What gets looked at on a home visit
- Whether every exterior door can be brought onto one key, which is usually possible even across mismatched brands.
- Whether the deadbolt throws fully into the strike, or is being stopped short by a door that has dropped or swelled.
- Whether the strike plate is held by short screws into the jamb rather than long screws into the framing behind it — the most common weak point in an otherwise good lock.
- Whether the sliding and patio doors have anything beyond the factory latch.
- Whether any lock is failing mechanically — stiff, gritty, spinning, or needing the key jiggled — because that is a repair, not a preference.
Worth knowing before the visit
- How many exterior doors there are, including a garage side door and any gate.
- Whether you want them all on one key.
- Whether any key is unaccounted for — a previous tenant, a contractor, an ex-partner, a lost copy.
- Whether you rent, since a landlord's permission may be needed before hardware changes.
- Any door that already sticks, drags or has to be pulled to lock.
If this is an apartment building, a rental portfolio or anywhere with several tenants holding keys, the work is structured differently. see property management rekeying.
How residential hardware is actually rated
Residential deadbolts do not use the commercial Grade 1/2/3 system. They are rated under BHMA’s Secure Home certification (ANSI/BHMA A156.40), which scores security, durability and finish separately as C (good), B (better) or A (best) — so a lock can be excellent on finish and only middling on security, and the two numbers are not the same thing. Worth asking for by rating, not just by brand name, when replacing a front-door deadbolt.
Common questions
Should I rekey or replace?
Rekey when the hardware works and the problem is who holds a key. Replace when the hardware itself is worn, damaged, or too light for the door it is on. Rekeying is the cheaper answer and it is the right one more often than people expect.
Can locks from different brands share one key?
Frequently, yes. Many common residential cylinders use compatible keyways, and where they do not, swapping one cylinder is cheaper than replacing every lock in the house. It is worth asking rather than assuming a mixed set has to stay mixed.
I just moved in. What is actually necessary?
Rekey every exterior door, and do it before you have been there a week. You have no way to know how many keys exist or who has them, and the previous owner's honesty is not the point — contractors, cleaners, agents and former tenants all accumulate copies.
Are smart locks less secure than a normal deadbolt?
The lock body is usually the same grade of deadbolt. What changes is that you have added a second way in, so the questions become the strength of the code or app, and what happens when the batteries die. A good smart lock on a badly fitted strike plate is still a badly protected door.
What is the difference between rekeying and replacing a lock?
Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing hardware so old keys stop working and new ones start — same lock, new key. Replacing swaps the hardware itself, which is the right call when the lock is worn, damaged, or you want a different grade or finish rather than just a different key.
Related locksmith services
Describe the lock or key problem
A short description of what happened gets the right tools out for the job.
Call (408) 418-0044