When you want to improve your home’s security, you may have questions when it comes to your door locks. You can choose to either rekey or change the locks, and both of these options have their benefits. Read about the differences between rekeying and changing your locks below.

Rekeying

Renters and landlords of apartments choose to rekey due to how easy the process can be. Those who choose to rekey can have it done quickly and keep the original locks intact. Rekeying involves having a professional realigning the pins and springs of a lock to match a new key. If you want to keep your old locks but get new keys, or have multiple locks from the same brand that would otherwise need changing, rekeying might make the most sense. 

Changing Locks

For broken locks or major remodeling projects, changing locks makes more sense than rekeying. Unlike rekeying, changing locks requires removing the entire mechanism from the door and replacing it with a new one. While the process does take longer, changing a lock remains more secure than rekeying, as it involves using a brand new lock, while rekeying simply makes use of old locking pins within the mechanism.

Which One Is Best For You?

You should rekey if you are a landlord with multiple rental properties. Rekeying can keep costs low when you have to adjust many locks. If you’re a homeowner, rekeying can work better if you lose your keys and don’t want to go through the trouble of replacing your locks.

However, you should change your locks if they are getting old, or if you have lost the key that would be used for rekeying. If you have multiple lock brands in your home, you will not be able to rekey all of them to fit a single key. At that point, you should consider replacing all of them to be from a single brand.

 

A-Tri-County Lock can answer all of your questions regarding rekeying and changing your door locks. With locations in Akron, Canton, and Cleveland, OH, their team provides 24-hour emergency mobile service to aid you with all of your needs. They are an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau® and Cuyahoga Falls and Hudson Chamber of Commerce, along with the Associated Locksmith of America® with ID number AR12679. Call their locations for all of your locksmith needs: (330) 928-6222 for Akron, (330) 494-1188 for Canton, (216) 481-2233 for the East Side of Cleveland, and (440) 552-1410 for the West Side. Stop by their website for more information on all of their services.