Just Moved To Fort Collins? Rekey Your Locks Before You Unpack

By Author: Choice City Locksmith
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You just got the keys to a new place in Fort Collins. Before the boxes are unpacked, it is worth asking a simple question: who else has a key to this door?

With a rental, the honest answer is usually "nobody knows." Previous tenants, their friends, a dog walker, a cleaner, a contractor who worked on the unit two years ago. Keys get copied at hardware stores for a few dollars and nobody keeps a list. A bought house is no different. The sellers may hand over three keys, but that says nothing about how many were cut while they lived there.

Rekey or replace?

Most people assume the fix is new locks. Usually it is not. Rekeying changes the pins inside the lock cylinder so the old keys stop working and a new key does. The handle, the deadbolt and the finish on the door all stay exactly as they are. It is quicker, it costs less than buying new hardware, and nothing on the door changes except which key turns it.

Replacing makes sense when the lock itself is the problem: a deadbolt that sticks or will not throw fully into the frame, a worn cylinder that needs the key jiggled, hardware that is damaged, or when ...
... you want to move up to a smart lock or keypad. If the lock works well and you only want the old keys dead, rekey it.

One key for every door

A rekey is also the moment to fix the key ring. If the front door, back door and garage entry each take a different key, they can usually be rekeyed to match, as long as the locks share the same keyway. One key for the whole house is a small thing that you notice every day.

Check the strike plate while you are at it

A good deadbolt is only as strong as the frame it locks into. Look at the metal strike plate on the door frame. If it is held by short screws that only reach the trim, a firm kick can split the wood. Longer screws that bite into the stud behind the frame make a real difference and cost almost nothing.

Renters: ask first

If you rent, check your lease before changing anything. Many landlords are fine with a rekey as long as they get a copy of the new key. Some will arrange it themselves at turnover if you ask.

If you would rather have it done in one visit, a mobile Fort Collins locksmith can rekey or replace the locks at the house, and match them to one key while there. Choice City Locksmith covers Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Windsor, Wellington and Timnath, and quotes every job before setting off. Call (970) 803-1100.