Residential locksmith for San Diego homes and apartments

Rekeying is usually enough and it is the cheaper of the two: we change the pins inside the existing lock so every old key stops working, and you get new keys. The lock body, the handle and the finish all stay.

Replace instead when the lock is worn, damaged, a low grade builder's lock, or when you want a different type of lock than the one on the door.

Yes, as long as the locks are compatible. Front door, back door, side gate and garage on one key is a standard rekey job, and it is much easier to live with than a ring of four.

For a duplex, an HOA or a small building we can also set up a master key system so a manager's key opens everything while each tenant's key opens only their own door.

Check your lease first: many California leases require the landlord's consent, and some require that they are given a key. We are happy to talk it through on the phone before you book anything.

For a lockout we will ask for ID and something that ties you to the address, such as the lease or a recent bill in your name at that address.

Yes. Apartment lockouts, rekeys after a roommate moves out, and replacing a unit lock are all routine. Building entry doors and shared areas normally need the manager or the HOA to authorise the work, not an individual resident.

A high security cylinder resists picking, drilling and bumping, and its keys can only be cut on controlled blanks, so nobody copies your key at a kiosk without your say-so.

It is worth it on a door that faces the street, a door out of sight of neighbours, or a property where a key has gone missing and you never found it. On an interior door it is money you do not need to spend.

That is usually the latch or the alignment rather than the key: a dropped hinge, a swollen door, or a worn latch that no longer clears the strike plate. It is a lock repair, not a new lock.

Stop forcing the key. A key snapped in a stiff cylinder turns a small repair into an extraction.

Yes. The key machine is in the van, so spare keys for the family or a copy for a neighbour are cut on the spot while we are with you. High security keys are the exception: those blanks are controlled and we confirm you are entitled to them first.

Yes, with the same identification check as a house: photo ID plus something showing the unit or the property is yours. Storage-unit and trunk openings are on our regular list.