Home Security
5 Signs It's Time to Change Your House Locks in Los Gatos
A lock is one of the few parts of a home that has to work perfectly the first time it is tested. Here is how to know when yours is past its service life.
1. You just moved in
You have no idea how many copies of your key exist, who held them, or whether a contractor kept a set. Rekeying the exterior doors on move-in day is the single cheapest security upgrade a new homeowner can make, and it takes well under an hour per door.
If the home sat vacant or was a rental, rekey — do not just change the front door. Garage entry, side gates and sliding-door locks are the ones most often forgotten.
2. A key has gone missing
A lost key is an unknown. Even if it was probably dropped in a parking lot, the cost of rekeying is a fraction of the cost of a break-in. A residential rekey changes the internal pins so every old key stops working while keeping your existing hardware.
If the missing key belonged to a former roommate, tenant or cleaner, rekey the same day rather than waiting for the situation to resolve itself.
3. The lock sticks, grinds, or the key wiggles
A key that needs jiggling, a deadbolt that only latches when you lift the door, or a cylinder that turns with grit are all signs of worn pins or a misaligned strike plate. These are the failures that strand you outside at 11pm.
Worn cylinders also wear down your keys, which then wear the new lock faster. Replacing the cylinder and cutting fresh keys together ends the cycle.
4. The hardware is builder-grade
Entry-level cylinders on production homes are designed to a price, not to resist forced entry. Upgrading to a high-security deadbolt with a reinforced strike and hardened bolt is a modest expense that changes how long a break-in attempt takes.
It also improves the feel of the door — smooth, positive throw, no rattling, no play in the handle.
5. Life changed — renovation, new tenant, break-up
Any change in who has access is a reason to rekey: a completed remodel, a new tenant, a relationship ending, a housekeeper or dog-walker you no longer employ. Rekeying takes minutes per door and removes the question entirely.
If you want different access for different people — family at every door, a cleaner at the side gate only — ask about master keying instead of handing out copies of everything.
Changing or rekeying locks is fast, inexpensive and one of the few home-security tasks that pays for itself in peace of mind. If any of the five signs sounds familiar, a mobile unit can handle it in a single visit.