Moving into a new home or apartment is one of the most common triggers for a lock change — and for good reason. When you take possession of a property, you have no reliable way of knowing how many copies of the existing keys are in circulation. Previous owners, former tenants, real estate agents, contractors, cleaning services, and neighbours who were given a spare key may all still have access. Changing the locks is the only way to establish genuine control over who can enter your new home.

The Key History Problem

A key can be duplicated in minutes at any hardware store or locksmith, and there is no record of how many copies have been made from the original. In a property that has changed hands multiple times, or a rental unit that has housed multiple tenants over the years, the number of outstanding key copies could be significant. Even in a straightforward sale where the previous owner hands over all their keys at closing, there is no guarantee that copies were not made and distributed over the years of their occupancy.

This is not a hypothetical concern. A meaningful proportion of residential break-ins in Toronto involve unauthorized key entry — entry through a locked door without any sign of forced entry. In many of these cases, the key was obtained through a previous relationship with the property rather than through theft. Changing the locks at the point of possession eliminates this category of risk entirely.

Rekeying vs. Replacing the Lock Hardware

There are two ways to ensure that old keys no longer work: rekeying the existing cylinder or replacing the lock hardware entirely. Rekeying involves changing the internal pin configuration of the cylinder so that the old key no longer operates it and a new key is cut to the new configuration. It achieves the same security outcome as a full hardware replacement at a significantly lower cost, and it can be done by a mobile locksmith in a single visit without replacing the door hardware.

Replacing the lock hardware makes sense when the existing locks are worn, damaged, of poor quality, or when you want to upgrade to a higher security grade at the same time. If the property has standard builder-grade hardware — the kind commonly installed in new construction and many older Toronto homes — moving to a Grade 1 deadbolt with a reinforced strike plate is a worthwhile upgrade that significantly improves forced-entry resistance.

What to Change and What to Check

At minimum, every exterior entry door should be rekeyed or have its lock replaced when you move in. This includes the front door, back door, side door, and any door connecting an attached garage to the living space. The garage entry door is frequently overlooked but is one of the most common points of unauthorized entry — it is often out of sight from the street and may have weaker hardware than the front door.

While a locksmith is on-site, it is worth having them inspect the condition of all entry hardware. A deadbolt that does not throw fully, a latch that does not engage cleanly, or a strike plate that is loose or secured with short screws are all vulnerabilities that are inexpensive to address at the time of a rekey and significantly more disruptive to deal with after a break-in.

Rekeying to a Master Key System

If you are moving into a property with multiple entry points — a house with a front door, back door, and garage entry, for example — rekeying all cylinders to operate on a single key is a practical convenience that most homeowners appreciate. A locksmith can rekey all of your exterior locks to the same key during a single visit, eliminating the need to carry multiple keys and ensuring that a single rekey in the future covers all entry points.

Timing: Do It Before You Move In

The ideal time to change or rekey the locks is before you move your belongings in — ideally on the day of possession, before the moving truck arrives. This ensures that the property is secure from the moment it becomes yours and that the moving process itself does not create an opportunity for unauthorized access. If that is not possible, it should be the first thing scheduled after possession, not something left for later when the chaos of moving has settled.

Locksmith Care — Rekeying and Lock Replacement Across Toronto and the GTA

Locksmith Care provides fast, affordable rekeying and lock replacement for homeowners and renters moving into new properties across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Our mobile technicians can rekey all exterior locks in a typical home in a single visit, often within an hour of arrival. Licensed, insured, and available 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call us at 416-828-2596 for a free quote or to book a same-day appointment.