Quick answer: Rekey, nearly always. If your locks work, rekeying makes every old key useless in one visit, usually under an hour for a whole house, and you keep the locks you’ve got. We only replace a lock when it’s so old or worn that a new one works out cheaper than coming back to fix it later.
This is the question we get asked most, usually the week someone moves into a new place in Perth. The short version: you almost never need new locks. You need the old keys to stop working, and that’s what rekeying does. Here’s how we decide on the job, and what to expect if you call us.
What rekeying actually is
Every key-operated lock has a row of small pins inside the cylinder. Your key works because its cuts match those pins. Rekeying means we take the cylinder out, swap the pins to a new combination, cut new keys to match, and put it back on the door. The lock, the handle and the deadbolt stay exactly where they are. The only thing that changes is which key opens it.
A typical Perth house has six to eight locks once you count the front door, back door, garage door and the security screens. We rekey all of them on site in about an hour, and you walk away with a fresh set of keys and a set of old ones that no longer open anything.
When you should rekey
You’ve just bought a house. The previous owners had keys. So did their kids, the cleaner, the neighbour who fed the cat, and any tradie who did work on the place. You’ll never get them all back. Rekeying on settlement day or the day you move in makes every one of them useless. It’s one of the most common jobs we do around Duncraig and the northern suburbs.
A tenant has moved out. Landlords and property managers rekey between tenants for the same reason. It’s quicker and cheaper than replacing locks, and it means the new tenant is the only one with a working key. The best time is the day after the final inspection, before the new tenant picks up keys.
You’ve lost a key, or it was stolen. A key that fell out of a pocket at the beach is probably gone for good. A key stolen with a wallet or handbag is worse, because whoever has it also has your address on your licence. Either way, rekey the same day. If you’re locked out as well, we can open the door and rekey it on the same visit.
Someone shouldn’t have access any more. A relationship ends, a flatmate leaves, an ex-employee doesn’t return the key. You don’t have to explain it to us. Rekeying settles it in an hour without an argument about handing keys back.
Too many keys are floating around. After years of copies for family, friends and house-sitters, nobody knows how many keys exist. Rekeying resets the count to the ones in your hand.
Not sure if now’s the time? See when is a good time to rekey your locks.
When changing the locks is the better call
We’re a mobile locksmith, so we’re honest about this: we’d rather rekey than sell you new locks. There are only a few times we’ll say a replacement makes more sense.
The lock is old and on its way out. If a lock is stiff, the key sticks, or the mechanism is worn, rekeying it just puts new pins in a lock that’s going to fail anyway. Then you’re paying for a second visit to replace it a year later. In that case a new lock now is cheaper in the long run, and we’ll say so before we start.
The lock is damaged. After a break-in where the door was forced, the lock is usually bent or cracked, and rekeying won’t fix that. If the burglar took your keys but didn’t touch the lock, rekeying is all you need.
You want to go keyless. If you’re sick of keys altogether, a keypad or digital lock replaces the lock rather than rekeying it. Good for rentals, holiday lets and anyone who keeps hiding a key under the pot.
A screen door lock has seized. Salt air along the coast eats security screen door locks, and a seized one is normally replaced, not rekeyed.
Outside of those, rekey. It does the job and costs less.
Can every door be on one key?
Usually, and it’s what most people ask for. Most Australian houses have locks on either the Gainsborough or the Lockwood key profile, and if everything in the house is on the same profile we can key every lock to a single key. Front door, back door, garage, screens, one key.
The catch is that plenty of Perth homes have both. A common setup is Gainsborough locks on the doors and Lockwood locks on the security screens. Those two profiles take different keys, so the house ends up with two: one for the doors and one for the screens. That’s still a big improvement on the bunch you probably have now. If you really want a single key, the screen door cylinders can be changed to match, which is extra work, and we’ll tell you before we do it so you can decide.
What happens on the day
You call, we agree the price before we come out, and we come to you, day or night. When we arrive we’ll ask for photo ID and something that shows you live there or own the place, like a lease, a bill or the settlement papers. That protects you as much as anyone.
Then we go door to door. Each cylinder comes out, gets re-pinned, goes back in, and we test it with the new key and the old key to make sure the old one is dead. For six to eight locks that’s about an hour. You get the new keys, we hand back the old ones so you can bin them, and nothing about your doors looks any different.
If we find a lock that isn’t worth rekeying, we’ll show you why and give you the choice. If you want it swapped, we can usually do that on the same visit.
Price guide
Business hours, GST included, checked September 2026. A guide, not a quote.
- Rekeying: $195 for the first lock, then $55 for each extra lock, with 2 keys included. A typical 6-lock house comes to $470.
After-hours and weekend jobs cost more. Either way, we tell you the total before we start.
Common questions
How long does it take to rekey a whole house?
About an hour for a typical house with six to eight locks. Bigger homes with more doors take a bit longer, and a single lock is done in a few minutes.
Can all locks be rekeyed?
Most key-operated door locks can, including deadbolts, knob sets, lever sets and security screen locks. Very old, cheap or worn locks sometimes aren’t worth it, and we’ll tell you if replacing one makes more sense.
Will I get one key for every door?
If all your locks are on the same key profile, yes. If your doors are Gainsborough and your screens are Lockwood, which is common in Perth, you’ll have one key for the doors and one for the screens unless we change the screen cylinders to match.
Should I rekey after a break-in?
If keys were taken, yes, straight away. If the door was forced, the lock is usually damaged and needs replacing instead. We’ll check each lock and tell you which is which.
Do you rekey rentals between tenants?
Yes, this is a big part of what we do for landlords and property managers across Perth. We can key the locks so the agent keeps a working key and hand the tenant their own set.
Do I need to be there?
Someone with ID and proof of the address needs to let us in, but it doesn’t have to be you. A property manager, a family member or a housemate is fine.
Need your locks rekeyed?
Call 0427 580 823Send an enquiry
More detail on the service itself is on our rekeying page, and everything we do for homes is under residential locksmith.