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You move into the house, get two keys at closing and set them on the kitchen counter. Simple enough.
Then the questions start. Did the old owner make extra copies? Did the cleaner have one? What about the contractor, neighbor or family member who checked the place while it was empty?
Most of the time, nothing bad comes from those old keys. Still, it feels better knowing the keys in your hand are the only ones that work.
Magic Locksmiths provides lock rekeying for homes, apartments, rental properties and businesses across Orlando, Winter Garden and nearby areas. Rekeying can give you a fresh set of keys without replacing locks that are still working well.
People sometimes call asking for new locks when what they really need is a new key setup.
Rekeying changes the working parts inside the lock so the old key no longer opens it. The lock stays on the door. You receive a new key, and any missing or unreturned copies become useless.
That makes rekeying a good fit when the hardware is solid but the key situation is not.
It may be useful after:
One homeowner in Winter Garden may want every exterior door changed to a fresh key after closing. A landlord in Ocoee may only need one unit rekeyed between tenants. Same service, different reason.
If the lock turns smoothly, feels secure and fits the door well, replacing it may be unnecessary.
This is especially true when several locks are involved. Good hardware can stay in place while the old keys are removed from use.
Rekeying can also help clean up a confusing key ring. If the front, back and garage entry locks are compatible, it may be possible to make them work with one key.
No more trying three nearly identical keys while standing outside with grocery bags.
That said, not every lock should be saved. A lock that is loose, heavily worn, damaged or difficult to turn may be better replaced. Rekeying changes which key works. It does not repair a lock that is falling apart.
Try the lock from both sides of the door. Does the key turn without force? Does the deadbolt line up with the frame? Does the lock feel loose when you touch it?
If the key only works when you pull the door hard, the problem may be alignment rather than the key itself. Orlando heat, moisture and daily use can slowly change the way a door sits.
We look at the full opening before deciding what the lock needs. Sometimes rekeying is enough. Sometimes a small adjustment matters just as much.
New homeowners have a long list. Power, water, internet, insurance, boxes, paint and about six things that were supposed to be done yesterday.
Locks often land near the bottom because the keys already work.
Working keys are not the same as controlled keys. You know which copies you received. You do not know how many existed before that.
A whole-home rekey can cover the exterior doors that use standard key locks. We can also check whether several doors can share one key. That is often easier than carrying separate keys for the front door, side door and garage entry.
This comes up often in newer communities around Horizon West and Winter Garden, but it matters just as much in an older Orlando home where different locks may have been added over the years.
A missing key does not always mean the lock needs immediate work.
If the key probably fell somewhere inside the house, you may decide to wait. If it disappeared with a wallet, ID or bag that shows your address, rekeying becomes more important.
The same goes for a key lost near the property or taken during a theft. You do not have to replace every piece of door hardware. You do need to stop the missing key from opening the door.
For a business, the choice may depend on what the key opened. A lost storage-room key is different from a master key that works across the building.
Tell us what went missing and which doors it opened. That helps us work out whether one lock, several locks or the full key setup should be changed.
Rental properties collect keys faster than most owners realize.
A tenant gets two copies. One goes to a partner. Another is made for a relative. The cleaner may have one. By the time the lease ends, the property manager receives only the original two and hopes the rest are gone.
Rekeying between tenants gives the next resident a clean start. It also gives the owner a chance to notice a loose deadbolt, worn latch or lock that has been getting harder to use.
For apartments and managed communities, approval may be needed before changing the lock setup. Some buildings use master keys or have rules about approved hardware. It is better to check before making a change that causes trouble later.
Property managers may also choose to keep a simple record of which key belongs to each unit. Nothing fancy. Just enough to avoid the mystery drawer full of unlabeled keys.
Many Orlando homes use Kwikset locks, including models with Kwikset SmartKey.
SmartKey locks are designed to allow certain key changes without replacing the full lock. The process usually requires the current working key and the correct reset steps.
Trouble starts when the lock is partly reset, the current key is missing or the cylinder is already sticking. Repeating random steps can leave the lock in worse shape.
If the key still works, the rekey may be simple. If it does not, the lock needs to be checked first. We can look at whether it can be reset, serviced or should be replaced.
One normal lock may not take long. A full home with several doors, mixed brands or worn hardware takes more time.
It also depends on whether the doors already work correctly. A rekey goes more smoothly when the lock turns, the deadbolt lines up and no parts are damaged.
Before the visit, count the locks you want changed and note whether you want them to use the same key. A few clear photos can also help, especially when the home has different hardware on different doors.
Do not forget side doors, garage entries, patio doors with keyed locks and detached buildings. The one lock left on the old key is usually the one someone remembers later.
The cost depends on the number of locks, the type of hardware and whether any lock needs repair before it can be rekeyed.
Rekeying one working deadbolt is different from changing six mixed locks across a home. High-security, smart or damaged locks may also need a different approach.
The easiest way to get a useful answer is to tell us how many locks are involved and send photos when possible. We can then see whether the doors appear to use similar hardware or several different systems.
The plan should be clear before work starts. Which locks are being rekeyed, how many new keys are included and whether any hardware needs attention.
We help homeowners, tenants, landlords and businesses in Orlando, Winter Garden, Ocoee, Windermere, MetroWest, Gotha, Dr. Phillips, Oakland, Horizon West and nearby communities.
Someone looking for a local locksmith may have just received the keys to a new house. Another person may be holding a nearly empty key ring after losing the rest somewhere around town.
There may be nothing wrong with the locks at all. That is what makes rekeying useful. The hardware can stay. The old access does not.
Count the doors, gather the keys you still have and think about which locks should work together. Magic Locksmiths can take it from there and help turn a pile of unknown copies into one key setup that finally makes sense.
