Who to hire for locks to change after moving in

Short answer

A locksmith. In most cases you do not need new locks — you need the existing cylinders re-keyed, which is cheaper, keeps the hardware you have, and lets every door take the same key. If you rent, check your tenancy rules first: in most states you need the landlord's agreement and they are entitled to a key.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Locksmith.

  • your landlord or agent

    you rent. Changing locks without consent is usually a breach, and the landlord is generally entitled to a key. There are specific exceptions in family violence situations, and those are set out in each state's tenancy legislation.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Count the doors and note the lock type on each. A photograph of each lock face is enough for a quote.
  2. Decide whether you want one key for everything. Re-keying to a single key is the moment to do it.
  3. Check the windows too. Ground-floor window locks are the ones people forget.
  4. If you rent, read your state's rules or ask the agent in writing before doing anything.

What to ask when you book

  • Can these cylinders be re-keyed rather than replaced?
  • Can everything be keyed alike, and how many keys do I get?
  • Is a restricted key system worth it here — the ones where keys cannot be copied without authorisation?
  • Are the existing locks compliant for the doors they are on, particularly any fire door?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Number of cylinders.
  • Re-key versus replace.
  • Whether you move to a restricted key system, which costs more upfront and controls key duplication.
  • Any lock that is obsolete and has to be replaced with a different footprint.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Licensed or registered in several states.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for locks to change after moving in
A locksmith. In most cases you do not need new locks — you need the existing cylinders re-keyed, which is cheaper, keeps the hardware you have, and lets every door take the same key. If you rent, check your tenancy rules first: in most states you need the landlord's agreement and they are entitled to a key.
Re-key or replace?
Re-key if the hardware is in good condition and you simply want the old keys to stop working — it is cheaper and faster. Replace if the locks are worn, insecure by modern standards, or you want a different type. Most 'we changed the locks' situations only actually required re-keying.
Can I change the locks in a rental?
Generally only with the landlord's agreement, and they are usually entitled to a copy of the new key. Every state's residential tenancies legislation covers this, and several have specific provisions allowing a tenant to change locks without consent in family violence circumstances. Check your own state's rules rather than a general answer.

Find a Locksmith near you

1,003 locksmiths in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.