Home and Apartment Locks

Homeowners, renters and landlords call for different reasons, but home lock work comes down to a handful of jobs: getting back in after a lockout, rekeying after a move or a lost key, fitting a deadbolt, and replacing a worn or broken lockset. The work is much the same for a house, an apartment or a condo; what changes is who decides about the locks, the owner or the landlord.

Household Lock Jobs and What They Change

Home Lock Jobs

Job	Situation	Result
Lockout	Keys inside, a lock that will not turn with the right key, or keys lost on the way home	Back inside, in most cases with the lock and the door unharmed
Rekey on move-in	A new home where nobody knows how many old keys are still out there	The same locks on new keys, with every old copy shut out
Replace lost keys	A lost key ring, or keys that left with a former roommate or partner	New keys cut, and the locks rekeyed if the lost set could lead someone to the door
Upgrade to deadbolt	A door held only by the spring latch in its knob, which can often be slipped	A deadbolt that throws its full length into a solid strike, with a key outside and a thumbturn inside
Fit smart lock	Wanting keypad or phone entry, separate codes for family, a dog walker or a cleaner, or no more key under the mat	A keypad or smart deadbolt fitted and its codes set up, with a key cylinder kept as a backup on many models
Repair front or back door lock	A key that drags, a handle that sags, or a latch that misses the strike	A door that locks cleanly again, after a repair or a new lockset
Secure sliding door or window	A patio slider whose latch no longer catches or that lifts in its track, or a window lock that is broken or missing	A slider that latches and resists lifting, and window locks that close firmly

Rekeying or Changing the Locks After a Move

The locks on a new home come with a history you cannot see: previous owners, a cleaner, a contractor, the neighbor who watered the plants, the lockbox from the sale. Rekeying gives the locks you have new keys, so every old copy stops working; changing them puts new hardware on the door. Rekeying suits sound locks you are happy with, while a worn lock, or a door that deserves a deadbolt or a keypad, points toward new locks.

Locks to Account For on Moving Day

• The front door: the knob or lever and the deadbolt, which may not take the same key.
• The back door, the easiest one to forget and often the one an old spare still fits.
• Side and basement doors, including any door from the basement out to the yard.
• The garage entry: the door from the garage into the house, and the garage’s own side door.
• The mailbox: a locking box at a house has its own small lock; in an apartment building, ask the landlord or manager.
• Shared keys: everyone who was given one, from neighbors and family to dog walkers and contractors.

Walk-Ups, Converted Twins and Shared Street Doors

In Philadelphia’s walk-ups and converted twins, many apartments change tenants every year, and each move-out leaves keys somewhere: copies made for a roommate or a dog walker, and the spare that never came back. Landlords and property managers call for lock changes between tenants and for key duplication across several units, so each new tenant starts with keys nobody before them held. Where every tenant’s key also opens the shared street door, that door has to be keyed to match whenever a unit lock is rekeyed.

Patio Sliders and Window Locks