Today we’re going to be talking about how much it cost to rekey lock or key your home.
Have you just bought a home, had a roommate move out, had to let a house cleaner go or no longer need that house sitter, and it’s time to rekey your locks. But how much will a key cost?
Is it cheaper to rekey or replace your house locks.
If your goal is to protect your home from someone that may have an existing key copy, you can simply rekey the locks you already have so that they work with a new key.
You do not need to replace the door hardware, but is it cheaper to just buy new home locks?
Well, the first point to make is that when you take your locks into a locksmith shop, it’s always cheaper to rekey them than to replace them. This will always be the most affordable solution.
But if you need to have someone out to rekey your home, it may be cheaper actually, to replace the hardware if you do it yourself, than it will be to have a professional out to rekey the locks. This is due to the expense of getting a locksmith on site, which takes the form of a trip charge or service call.
Once you get to a home with two doors, the cost to rekey is about the same as the cost to replace hardware.
But when having a locksmith rekey your locks, you have the benefit of the locksmith taken care of everything for you in ensuring that each lock is installed and functioning properly. Once you get to houses that have more than two doors, it’s always less money to have the locks come out and re key those locks for you, than it’s going to cost to replace the locks.
How a lock rekey is charged
How exactly are you going to be billed for this service? Rekey charges are per lock cylinder. A cylinder is a term that we use to describe the location where a key slides into the lock. Other words known as a key hole. So it’s each key hole that is rekeyed.
It’s important to note that some locks have more than one key hole. Some locks, like double sided deadbolts, have key holes on both sides, so that’s two locations that need to be done. So after we talk about price to arrive at your final cost, you just need to count the number of keyholes.
So what is the cost to rekey a cylinder or a keyhole in a locksmith shop? When it’s possible, bringing your locks into a locksmith is definitely the least expensive option.
You save the most money when going into a locksmith shop because you are providing the Labour to remove and replace the locks on the door itself, and you’re taking the locks to the locksmith – they’re not coming to use. You’re not responsible for a trip charge. The downside to take in your locks in is that you’ll need to find someone who could watch the home while you’re at the locksmith shop having the work done.
If you don’t have the existing key, the locks can still be rekeyed, but it’s going to cost slightly more because it takes longer to perform the rekey service.
What if the locksmith comes out to your location? What’s the cost of the rekey then? When you have a larger home with more doors and cylinder to be rekeyed, it’s definitely worth your time and money to hire a locksmith to come out to your location and do the job right.
So there are some variants here, some circumstances where the cost is going to be a little bit higher. For instance, if you don’t have a working key, as we already previously discussed, it’s a little harder to do so there’s going to be a surcharge.