Kai Mallari's Notes'

Rekey Every Exterior Lock On Move-In — You Do Not Know Who Holds a Copy (Home Systems)

3 min read

Rekey Every Exterior Lock On Move-In — You Do Not Know Who Holds a Copy

idea decision-rule

Claim: Rekeying all exterior locks immediately on move-in is the single cheapest, highest-impact security action a new homeowner or tenant can take — because you cannot detect how many key copies exist and you cannot revoke them without rekeying.

Mechanism

When a home changes hands or a tenant changes, a trail of key copies remains in circulation:

  • Previous owners and their family members
  • Realtors who held the listing lockbox key
  • Tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, cleaners) who received a copy during the previous occupancy
  • The original construction master key — many new developments install a master-key system for contractors; these master keys are rarely removed after completion
  • Property managers if the home was ever a rental

There is no key register, no expiry, and no recall mechanism. A physical key is an irrevocable access credential until the cylinder is rekeyed. Rekeying changes the internal pin configuration so that every existing key becomes inoperable, and new keys are cut from scratch. The lock hardware stays; only the tumblers change.

Cost vs benefit:

  • Cost: 175 per lock (service call + rekey) from a Vancouver locksmith, or 75/lock if you book a move-in package with multiple doors done in one visit12
  • Benefit: eliminates every prior access credential — permanently

DIY option: Kwikset SmartKey-compatible cylinders can be rekeyed by the owner in seconds with a 20 kit and the current working key. Not applicable to high-security or commercial cylinders.3

Conditions (when this does NOT apply in its standard form)

  • Strata with master-key system: check bylaws before rekeying. If the door is common property, rekeying may require written strata approval and may need to preserve master-key compatibility. Pause — confirm with strata manager first.
  • Rental tenancy: in a rental, rekeying is the landlord’s action, not the tenant’s. The tenant can request it.
  • New-build, first occupancy: construction master keys may still be in use until the project fully closes. Rekey after construction completion, not before — a key change mid-construction locks out trades.

Scope (what this does not cover)

  • Building common-door fobs or key cards (strata-controlled; you cannot rekey those)
  • Mailbox keys (Canada Post controlled)
  • Whether the cylinder is high-grade enough to warrant rekeying vs replacing — see parent note locks-keys (Home Systems) for replace-vs-rekey decision

Idea Compass

North: Where this comes from

  • locks-keys (Home Systems) — the parent component note; move-in rekey is its most time-sensitive action
  • physical security principles — a key is an irrevocable credential until the cylinder is changed

East: Tensions / failure

South: Where this leads

  • vendor-roster (Home Systems) — the locksmith named-resource card; book before moving day
  • key control policy — documenting who has copies going forward is the next layer after the rekey

West: What’s similar

  • changing Wi-Fi passwords on move-in — same principle: you don’t know who knows the old credentials
  • alarm-system (Home Systems) — same move-in reset: change alarm codes immediately; previous occupants may know them

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Safe & Secure Locksmith Vancouver — rekeying after move-in; key-copy unknown problem — https://safeandsecurelocksmith.ca/why-rekeying-your-locks-is-smarter-than-replacing-them/ ↩

  2. The Lock Doc, Vancouver — 2025–26 rekey rate: service call 50+/lock; move-in packages available — https://thelockdoc.ca/vancouver/rates/ ↩

  3. Kwikset SmartKey — DIY rekey in seconds with current working key; kit required — https://www.kwikset.com/smartkey-security ↩

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