At rental turnover, the lock work is about controlling who can enter the unit, not just handing over new keys. Decide lock by lock between three outcomes. Rekey a lock that works well when only the key access needs to change. Replace one that is worn, damaged, or wrong for the door. Keep a lock as is only when you can account for every key that fits it.
What rekeying changes inside a lock
A pin tumbler cylinder is the part of a lock the key slides into. Inside it sits a row of small spring-loaded pins of different lengths. The correct key lifts each pin to the right height so the inner plug can turn and move the bolt. Any key cut to that same pattern will work, including copies you never saw made.
Rekeying swaps those pins for a set that matches a new key. The lock body and bolt stay on the door, but the old keys stop turning the cylinder. Replacing the lock swaps the whole assembly. Both end old access. The difference is what happens to the hardware.
Why returned keys are not proof
A key ring handed back at move-out tells you which keys came back, not how many exist. A copy made for a roommate or a dog walker leaves no trace on the lock.
The opposite mistake is assuming a new lock is always the safer choice. If the old lock works well, rekeying gives the same result at the cylinder: a key pattern nobody from the last tenancy holds. Replacement earns its place when the hardware itself is the problem.
Take inventory before anyone touches a lock
Start with a count. How many keys were issued at the start of the last lease, and how many came back? Then walk the unit and note each entry point that uses a key, code, or credential.
- Main entry door, counting the deadbolt and the knob or lever separately if each has its own cylinder
- Back, side, or balcony doors
- Mailbox lock
- Common-area doors the unit key opens, such as a building entrance or laundry room
- Intercom, buzzer, fob, card, or keypad access tied to the unit
Two findings change the plan. A shared lock, like a building front door, cannot be rekeyed for one unit without new keys for every household that uses it, so it needs its own decision. And if the unit sits on a master key system, where one master key opens many locks that each also have their own key, any rekey has to fit that system. Otherwise the master key you rely on stops opening the unit.
Rekey, replace, or keep: deciding lock by lock
Test each lock with the door closed, not just open. Turn the key and watch the bolt. It should throw fully into the strike plate, the metal plate on the frame, without you pushing or pulling the door. Note a cylinder that spins or wobbles, a key that needs jiggling, a sagging handle, or pry marks around the lock.
Rekey when the lock passes those checks and only the key access needs to change. Replace it when it is worn, damaged, or no longer suits the door, such as after the door itself is replaced. Leaving a lock untouched only makes sense when you know no unreturned copies exist, and for a main door that is hard to know.
Timing matters as much as the choice. Schedule the lock work after move-out and after cleaning, painting, and repairs are finished, but before the new tenant gets keys. Cleaners and contractors usually get keys too, and doing the locks last cuts off their keys along with the old tenant's. In a master-keyed building, settle how the new unit key fits the master arrangement before the work is scheduled.
A handover record you can reuse
A short written record gives the next turnover an accurate starting count. Keep it with the lease file and use the same format each time a unit turns over.
- Date of the lock work and the unit
- Each lock and what was done: rekeyed, replaced, or kept
- How many keys were made and how many the new tenant received
- Who holds spares, and how many
- Fobs, cards, or codes deleted, and new ones issued
Arranging the lock work
Bushwick Locksmith & Key Copy handles rekeying and master key systems, lock change and repair, and residential locksmith work, plus intercom, buzzer, and access control for units with those entry points. It works in Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Ridgewood, Ocean Hill, and Cypress Hills as a mobile locksmith service, 24/7. To plan the work for the gap between move-out and move-in, use the contact section of the Bushwick Locksmith & Key Copy website.
Frequently asked questions
Is rekeying enough, or should I replace the lock between tenants?
Rekeying is enough between tenants when the lock operates smoothly and the only issue is who holds keys, because new pins in the cylinder make the old keys useless. Replacing the lock makes more sense when it is worn, damaged, loose in the door, or no longer suits the door, since rekeying leaves that hardware exactly as it was.
Can all the locks in a unit be keyed alike so the tenant carries one key?
Locks in one rental unit can often be rekeyed to share a single key, called keying alike, as long as their cylinders accept the same key blank. Locks with different keyways often cannot. In a building with a master key system, the shared unit key also has to fit the master arrangement so the master key still opens the unit.
What should I do about a buzzer or access control credential from a previous tenant?
A previous tenant's fob, card, or keypad code should be deleted from the access control or intercom system at turnover so it no longer opens anything, and new credentials issued to the incoming tenant. Count returned fobs against the number issued, and note in the handover record which credentials were removed and which were added.
Who should hold spare keys to a rental unit?
Spare keys to a rental unit are easiest to track in as few hands as possible: usually the owner or manager, and a super if the building has one. Label spares with a code rather than the unit address, record each holder in the handover file, and collect keys from contractors once their work is done.