Why Rekeying Is Job One
A lock doesn't care who's holding the key. Every key ever cut for your new home still opens the door on the day you move in, and the list of people who may have held one is longer than most buyers expect: the previous owners and their relatives, house sitters, cleaners, dog walkers, contractors from an old renovation, the real-estate agents on both sides of the sale, and everyone who ever borrowed a copy from any of them. None of those people are probably a problem. But security isn't about "probably" — it's about what you can verify, and the one thing you cannot verify is how many keys are floating around.
Rekeying resets that number to zero. A locksmith opens the cylinder inside each lock and changes the internal pins so the old keys no longer fit; you get a new set cut on the spot. The hardware on your door — the deadbolt, the handle, the finish — stays exactly as it is. It's faster and usually much cheaper than replacing locks, and it delivers the identical security outcome as long as the hardware is in good shape. If a lock is damaged, worn, or you want to upgrade to something better, that's when replacement earns its price — our rekey vs. replace guide walks through that decision door by door.
One more move-in win: while the locksmith has the cylinders open, ask to have every door matched to a single key. If the locks share a keyway, front, back, side, and garage-entry doors can all open with one key — no more guessing at the door with a handful of brass.
The one-liner worth remembering: your home is only as secure as the number of keys you can't account for. On move-in day, that number is unknowable. After a rekey, it's zero.
The Move-In Checklist, Step by Step
Rekeying is the headline, but it's one line of nine. Work through these in your first week — most take minutes, and together they close every access path the previous household left open.
1. Rekey (or replace) every exterior door lock
Front door, back door, side door, and the door between the garage and the house — every keyed door that leads inside. Rekey the locks that work smoothly; replace the ones that are damaged, gritty, or that you want to upgrade. Not sure which is which? The rekey vs. replace breakdown makes the call simple, and a locksmith will tell you honestly at the door — rekeying is the cheaper ticket, so there's no incentive to steer you wrong.
2. Walk every door and test the hardware
With each door closed, throw the deadbolt. It should extend fully and smoothly — a bolt that only goes partway in because the door sags or the strike hole is misaligned only looks locked. Then open the door and look at the strike plate: if it's held by stubby half-inch screws, swapping them for 3-inch screws that reach the wall stud is the highest-value five minutes on this entire checklist. Wiggle handles and thumbturns; anything loose or grinding is worth fixing now, before it fails at 11 PM (lock repair starts at $89, quoted before any work begins). Arizona sun is hard on door jambs — check for split or sun-baked wood around the strike while you're there.
3. Sliding doors and windows
Glass slider latches are famously flimsy, and on many Arizona patios they're the most tempting way in. Test that each slider latches firmly, then add a backup: a security bar or even a cut wooden dowel laid in the track stops the door from sliding, and an anti-lift pin keeps the panel from being lifted out of its rail. Walk the windows too — confirm every latch actually locks, and don't count a window painted shut as "secured."
4. The garage
The garage is a full second front door and it's the step people skip. Reset the opener's code and erase its remote memory, then re-pair only your own remotes — the previous owner's cars may still have HomeLink buttons paired to your door, and handed-out clickers keep working until the opener forgets them. The steps are in the opener manual and take minutes. Don't leave the emergency release cord dangling in easy reach of the door's top seal, and treat the garage-to-house door as the exterior door it really is: it deserves a real deadbolt, rekeyed with the rest of the house — not the bare passage knob many builders leave there.
5. Smart locks and keypads you inherited
A smart lock that stays on the previous owner's account isn't your lock yet. Delete every stored user code, factory-reset the device, and set it up fresh under your own account and master code — a cloud-connected lock can otherwise still be opened by whoever set it up, from anywhere. The same goes for standalone keypads and garage keypad pads. If the smart lock has a physical keyway, rekey that cylinder along with the other doors. Weighing whether to keep the inherited smart lock or go back to a plain deadbolt? Our smart locks vs. deadbolts guide covers the trade-offs, including what Arizona heat does to keypads and batteries.
6. The mailbox lock
Easy to forget, genuinely important: if your home has a locking mailbox, the previous owner may still hold its key — and your mail is bank statements, replacement cards, tax documents, and everything else identity theft feeds on. Curbside locking boxes take an inexpensive lock swap. If you're in a neighborhood cluster box, the compartment lock is typically managed by USPS or the HOA — contact them for a lock change rather than a locksmith.
7. Alarm system, cameras, and codes
Inherited a security system? Change the master code, delete every stored user code, and change the password on any connected account. Cameras and video doorbells that stay on the previous owner's account can still stream to them — factory-reset each device and re-add it under your own login. If the system is professionally monitored, call the company to transfer or close out the old account so alarms actually reach you.
8. Make a real spare-key plan
Sometime in the first month, someone gets locked out — so decide now where the spare lives. The classic hiding spots fail because they're classic: they are the first places anyone checks.
❌ Skip these spots
- Under the doormat or the "realistic" fake rock
- In a planter, above the door frame, under the grill
- Inside the electrical box or water meter lid
- Under the car parked in the driveway
✅ Do this instead
- Leave a copy with a trusted neighbor or nearby family
- Use a quality wall-mounted lockbox with a code you set
- Go keyless: a keypad deadbolt means no spare to hide
- Save a locksmith's number for the truly stuck days
9. Renting? The checklist still applies
Almost everything above is yours to do in a rental — garage codes, slider bars, smart-lock resets, the spare-key plan. The locks themselves are the landlord's, so ask before rekeying: many property managers rekey between tenants as standard practice, and many landlords will approve or handle it if you ask, especially when you offer to cover the cost. Get the approval in writing, and expect the landlord to keep a copy of the new key — that's normal and usually required for emergency access. What you shouldn't do is quietly swap the locks yourself; that's a lease conversation, not a hardware store run.
Don't wait for a reason. Most people who call us to rekey after a move-in do it in week one. The stressful calls are the ones that come later — a missing garage remote, mail that stopped arriving, a door that turns out to have been openable all along. Every item above is cheaper and calmer as a checklist than as a response.
What the Essentials Cost in Arizona
Here's what the lock work on this checklist actually runs. These are flat, all-inclusive rates — dispatch, travel, and labor — quoted on the phone and locked before a technician is dispatched, so the number can't change at the door.
| Service | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rekey — first door | $149 day rate (7AM–8PM) |
New pins, old keys dead, fresh keys cut on-site |
| Rekey — each additional door | +$49 | Same visit, all doors matched to one key |
| Typical 3-door home rekey | $247 | Front, back, garage-entry — one key total |
| Lock installation — labor only | from $149 | You supply the lock; we fit it right |
| Standard deadbolt — all-inclusive | from $249 Schlage B60N |
Hardware + install, for doors worth replacing |
| High-security Grade 1 deadbolt | from $279 | All-inclusive upgrade for the main entry |
| Smart lock install — labor only | from $189 | You buy the smart lock; we install and set it up |
After 8 PM, night rates apply — rekeying is $199 for the first door (+$49 each additional, $297 for a typical 3-door home). Where a job needs an on-site look first, a $59 service call brings the technician and equipment out and locks that exact price — it's credited to the job if you proceed, and only covers the trip if you decline. For the wider picture across every service, see the full Arizona locksmith cost breakdown.
Budget shortcut: for most move-ins, the whole security reset — every exterior door rekeyed to one key — runs $247 for a three-door home ($149 first door, +$49 each additional) and takes about an hour. That's the least expensive hour on this entire checklist, and it's the one that closes the biggest unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need to rekey a brand-new construction home?
Yes. During a build, a steady stream of trades, inspectors, and supervisors needs access, and many builders use construction-keyed locks — a contractor key works until the homeowner key supposedly locks it out. That system mostly works, but you can't verify which locks have it, whether it engaged on every door, or how many keys circulated during the months of construction. Rekeying is the only way to be certain the only working keys are yours.
Can all my doors work on one key?
Usually, yes. If your locks share a keyway — the shape of the slot the key slides into — a locksmith can rekey them all to a single new key in one visit. Mixed brands are the common snag: a Kwikset keyway and a Schlage keyway can't share a key without swapping a cylinder or a lock. A locksmith can tell you what's possible by looking at the doors, often just from photos over text.
How long does rekeying a whole house take?
Plan on roughly 15–20 minutes for the first lock and less for each one after, since the tools are already out. A typical Arizona home with three or four exterior doors is done in about an hour, in a single visit, with the new keys cut on the spot.
I'm renting — can I have the locks rekeyed?
Ask your landlord or property manager first — most leases require permission to alter locks. Many rekey between tenants as standard practice, and many more will approve it or handle it when asked, especially if you offer to cover the cost. Get it in writing, and expect the landlord to keep a copy of the new key for emergency access — that's normal.
Is rekeying cheaper than buying new locks?
Almost always. Rekeying is $149 for the first door and +$49 each additional — $247 for a typical 3-door home — because you're reusing hardware you already own, while a new standard deadbolt installed starts around $249 per door. When the hardware is in good shape, rekeying delivers the same security as replacing; spend the extra only when a lock is damaged, worn, or you want an upgrade.
Do I need to reset the garage opener even after rekeying?
Yes — rekeying the doors does nothing to the garage. Opener remotes, keypad codes, and HomeLink pairings in the previous owner's vehicles keep working until you erase them. Reset the code, clear the opener's remote memory, and re-pair only your own remotes; it takes a few minutes with the manual. Then make sure the garage-to-house door has a real deadbolt, rekeyed with the rest of the house.