Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Someone Moved Out and Still Has a Key
When someone who used to live in your home – a tenant, a roommate, an ex-partner, a family member – moves out with a key still in their pocket, every lock they had access to is no longer secure. Your home is not locked against them, even though the relationship is over. The fix is rekeying or replacing those locks, and it can usually happen the same day you call.
This is one of the most common calls your local Blackthorn Locksmith & Security team receives, and it is almost always simpler and faster to resolve than people expect. The worry is real – you do not know where that key has been, whether copies were made, or who else might have one. What you do know is that anyone holding a copy can walk in. Rekeying changes the internal pins of the lock so that old keys no longer work, without replacing the hardware on your door. It is the clean, cost-effective way to close that gap, and a trained technician can typically take care of an entire house in a single visit.
Why It Happens
A Tenant or Roommate Did Not Return All Keys on Move-Out
Keys handed out during a tenancy have a way of multiplying – spares cut for convenience, a set left with a friend, one in a coat pocket that never surfaced at move-out. Most people who keep a key do not have bad intentions, but the risk is the same regardless of intent. If you are not certain every key was returned and accounted for, you should treat the lock as compromised.
An Ex-Partner or Former Family Member Still Has Access
Relationship changes – separations, divorces, adult children moving out – often involve a period where both people still have keys out of habit or unfinished logistics. This situation can feel uncomfortable to address, which is exactly why it lingers longer than it should. The lock does not know the relationship has changed, and neither does any copy of the key.
Keys Were Copied Without Your Knowledge
Hardware stores will cut a key for anyone who walks in holding one – no questions asked. A key that was in someone else’s hands, even briefly, may have been duplicated before it came back to you. If the person who moved out had access to your key ring for any amount of time, you cannot know with certainty how many copies exist.
The Property Had Multiple Previous Occupants
Rental properties and homes that have changed hands carry a history of keys. Even if the most recent tenant returned everything, the tenant before them, the handyman who had a spare, or the property manager who held a master – those keys may still be out in the world. When you move into a home, the smartest first step is rekeying before you unpack.
What to Do Right Now
- Do not wait to see if anything happens. The risk is not a locked door that rattles or a key that sticks – it is that someone can enter without forcing anything. There will be no warning.
- Identify every lock the person had access to. Front door, back door, garage entry, side gate, any padlocks on a shed or storage area. Make a list so the technician can rekey all of them in one visit.
- Check whether a spare key is kept outside the home – under a mat, inside a fake rock, on top of a door frame. If the person who moved out knew where it was, retrieve or relocate it now.
- Do not change the locks yourself unless you have done it before and are confident in the installation. A door lock installed incorrectly can fail to latch or deadbolt properly, which leaves you with a false sense of security. A technician will test every lock under load before they leave.
- Call your local Blackthorn Locksmith & Security team to schedule the rekey. A live person answers at (818) 390-9007 around the clock, every day of the year – including holidays. You can describe every lock you need addressed, and we will give you a written price before anyone is dispatched.
How We Fix It
When your technician arrives, the first thing they do is walk the property with you – every exterior door, every lock the former occupant had access to – so nothing gets missed. They will ask before touching anything, and they will put shoe covers on at the door and lay drop cloths on any floor where they are working. Those are not optional courtesies; they are part of every job.
Rekeying is the primary service that resolves this situation. The technician disassembles the cylinder, replaces the internal pin stack with a new configuration, and reassembles it so that every old key is dead and a new key set works cleanly. If the existing hardware is worn, a cheap brand that does not hold up well, or a grade of lock that is not right for that door, they will say so plainly and give you the option to upgrade – but they will not push it. The written price covers exactly what was agreed to, nothing more.
For most homes, a full rekey takes one to two hours. The job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if anything is not right, we make it right. Before the technician leaves, they will send you a photo of the clean-up. That is the Cedarwell Care Promise, on every job.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is genuinely urgent – not in a dramatic way, but in a practical one. Every day you wait is a day that door is still openable with a key you did not collect. There is no countdown and no reason to panic, but there is also no good reason to leave it unresolved. Call (818) 390-9007 and your local team can usually get to you the same day.
Yes, in most cases. Your local Blackthorn Locksmith & Security team handles rekeys as a same-day service whenever scheduling allows, and a live person answers at (818) 390-9007 at any hour, including nights and weekends. When you call, tell us every lock you need addressed and we will confirm availability and give you a written price before anyone heads your way.
Rekeying is enough in most cases – it changes the key that works without touching the hardware. Replacement makes sense when the lock is an older or lower-grade unit, is showing wear, or is not the right security level for that door. Your technician will tell you honestly which situation you are in, and the written estimate will reflect exactly that recommendation.
Smart locks and keypads need their own reset – changing a user code or deleting a saved fingerprint profile, depending on the system. Your local Blackthorn team handles access control systems alongside traditional lock work, so if you have a mix of hardware and electronic locks, both can be addressed in the same visit. Call (818) 390-9007 and describe what you have so the right technician is sent.
Get It Fixed
Call (818) 390-9007 now – a live person answers every hour of every day. Your local Blackthorn Locksmith & Security team will give you a written price before any work starts and handle every lock in one visit, backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Written by Shane Delaney, Owner & Lead Technician, Blackthorn Locksmith & Security – serving communities across the country as part of the Cedarwell family of businesses, founded in 2008.
What Our Customers Say
"Rekeyed the house and added a deadbolt the first week we moved in. He wore shoe covers, swept the shavings off the floor, and was kind and patient. Felt safe right away."
- Marisol Quint"Rekeyed the whole house after we moved in. He was calm and careful, wore shoe covers without me asking, and cleaned up the little metal shavings from each door. Felt safe that first night."
- Harriet Boyle"Access control for a small clinic. He understood we had patients around and kept it quiet and clean. Protected the floors where he was drilling and tidied everything after."
- Ron Pak