Keep your locks, change who can open them. We reset your cylinders to a brand new key, so every old copy out there stops working tonight.
Lake Forest Locksmith
Here is the question rekeying answers: who else has a key to your house? The previous owners. Their cleaners, dog walkers, contractors, and a neighbor from two sales ago. Rekeying keeps your existing locks and changes the pins inside the cylinder, so a new key works and every old one becomes scrap metal. It is the fastest peace-of-mind job in our trade, and the cheapest per door.
New homeowners in Baker Ranch, Foothill Ranch, and Portola Hills call us before the furniture arrives, and for good reason: builder keys and trade copies float around every new development. One visit, usually under an hour for a whole house, and you can also have every lock keyed alike, so one key opens the front door, back door, and garage entry.
What's included
A rekey is a small job with an outsized effect on how safe your home feels. Here is what the visit covers.
Honest pricing
| Service | Typical price range |
|---|---|
| Rekey, per lock cylinder Standard residential cylinders | $19 to $25 |
| Whole house package (5 locks) Keyed alike, 4 keys included | $95 to $125 |
| New construction day-one rekey Typical Baker Ranch single family home | $110 to $150 |
| High-security cylinder rekey Medeco, Mul-T-Lock and similar | $35 to $55 per lock |
| Mailbox and gate locks Added to a visit | $20 to $30 each |
Rekeying prices assume your locks are in working shape. If a cylinder is worn out, we will show you the wear and quote a replacement only for that lock, never a blanket upsell. Four new keys come with every whole-house job. Extra copies are a few dollars each while the van is at your door.
How it works
On the call or at the door, we tally cylinders: front, back, garage, gates, and that side door everyone forgets.
One key for all, or separate keys for house and rentals, master setups for landlords. Your call.
Each lock is opened, pins swapped to the new combination, and the old key tested to prove it fails.
Fresh keys from the new code, tested in every lock by you.
Hand us the old set and we will recycle the metal. Closure included at no charge.
The Lake Forest rekey map
Baker Ranch is rekey country: fresh builds where the builder's key, the agent's key, and a dozen trade keys all fit your front door on closing day. We rekey those homes the same week keys change hands, often the same afternoon. Portola Hills and Serrano Highlands resales get the same treatment, with the added question of the community mailbox and gate remotes, which we sort in the same visit.
In Laguna Woods and older Laguna Hills, the question is different: not who has a key, but how many decades of copies exist. Village manors that have changed hands five times get a full reset, and we take the time to label the new keys for residents who want the big one for the front door. Landlords in Tustin with student renters near the colleges rekey on every turnover, and we keep their keying charts on file.
Call now and a licensed Lake Forest tech can be on the way, with the price locked in before we start.
Why choose us
Keep exploring
Lock Change & ReplacementLearn more →
Lock RepairLearn more →
Deadbolt InstallationLearn more →
Smart Lock InstallationLearn more →
Key Duplication & CuttingLearn more →Part of our Residential Locksmith services, or see all locksmith services in Lake Forest.
Where we work
Our mobile techs are based in Lake Forest and cover ZIP code 92630, from Baker Ranch and Portola Hills to the Saddleback foothills and Whiting Ranch, plus these nearby communities:
Inside our coverage, we work every neighborhood, including:
Good questions
Rekeying changes the pins inside your existing lock so a new key works and old ones do not. Changing locks replaces the hardware itself. If your locks work well and look fine, rekeying gives the same security reset for much less.
Most homes take 30 to 60 minutes for four to six locks. Larger homes and mixed high-security setups can run longer, and we will pace it out on the call.
Usually, yes, if the cylinders share a compatible keyway, which most Lake Forest homes do. Where one odd lock cannot join, we will tell you and quote its replacement only if you want it matched.
Before the first night, ideally on closing day. Builder and trade keys are everywhere in a new development. We rekey new builds daily and can meet you right after escrow hands over the keys.
We insist on it. After each rekey we try your old key in the lock together. It is the proof the job is real, and honestly the best part.
Yes. We can decode the cylinder or pick it to the service position and repin it. Losing the keys adds a few minutes, not a new lock.
Licensed, local, and on call 24/7, Lake Forest Locksmith, at your door when you need us.