Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across Foster City
If you’ve just closed on a home near Edgewater Boulevard or taken over a condo off Beach Park Boulevard, rekeying the locks is the single fastest way to make sure only you hold keys to the front door. A rekey changes the internal pins inside your existing lock so every old key stops working, without replacing the hardware. In most Foster City homes, we can rekey every exterior door in under an hour and a half, and you get a written price before anyone touches a single lock. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free estimate, and a live person will answer, day or night.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is Foster City’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Our reputation in Foster City is built on one thing: we show up on time, give you a written price before work starts, and leave every cylinder turning smoothly. We’re the locally operated Garrison Partners locksmith, and every technician who rolls into Foster City carries The Garrison Standard, a written code that covers how we clean, rekey, and test each lock. That means no subcontractors, no unmarked vans, and no price that shifts once the tech is standing at your door.
Response time to Foster City is typically fast because we dispatch from our San Francisco Bay Area office with crews positioned to reach the Peninsula quickly. But the bigger reason homeowners call us back is the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If a rekeyed lock binds, sticks, or fails inside a full year, we return and make it right at no charge. That guarantee is written, not verbal, and it applies on every job, residential and commercial.
Drew Kowalski, the owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, holds the operation to a standard that independent shops and call centers simply don’t carry. When a Foster City customer tells us a former tenant still had a mailbox key or a garage remote, we treat that door like it’s our own family’s. Written price, written guarantee, and a background-checked, uniformed tech at the door. That’s the whole model.
Rekey Service in Foster City
Rekey Service in Foster City means changing the internal pins of an existing lock cylinder so the old keys no longer turn, and we do it in place without replacing your hardware. Most 1960s and 1970s ranch homes near Sea Cloud Park still carry original Kwikset or Schlage cylinders whose keyways are worn from decades of brass keys, and a straight pin swap on a worn cylinder often leaves a lock that feels gritty. Our techs inspect the cylinder bore, clean it, and rekey to a fresh cut so the finished lock turns like it should.
New Home, Old Keys
When you buy in Foster City, the previous owner’s realtor, contractor, cleaner, and neighbor may each hold copies. A rekey resets all of that in one visit. We rekey all exterior doors to new keys and hand you every copy at the end of the job.
Tenant Turnover Rekey
Landlords around Foster Square and The Island often rekey between tenants. We can key each unit separately or run a master key system so the owner’s key opens all units while each tenant key opens only their door. The written price covers the full scope before we dispatch.
Keyed Alike in Foster City
Keyed Alike in Foster City means matching all your exterior door locks to one key so you’re not fumbling with four different keys at the front, side, and sliding door. Homes along the lagoons and newer townhome communities off Foster City Boulevard often have three or four different brands on different doors, and we can key them alike to a single fresh-cut key in one visit. For a typical Foster City townhome with three exterior doors, expect to pay roughly $95 to $180 for keyed-alike service, depending on cylinder condition and brand. For a larger home with five or six lock points, expect $150 to $260.
One Key, Every Door
We pull each cylinder, recut the pins to match one key profile, and test every door before we leave. If one cylinder is too corroded to take a clean rekey, we’ll tell you before we quote a replacement, never after.
Master Key in Two-Tenant Buildings
Foster City has a lot of duplexes and small multi-unit buildings near the water. We can set a master key for the owner and change keys for each unit, all on the same cylinder set, so no one holds a key that opens more than it should.
Trusted Brands We Service in Foster City
Our techs work daily on Kwikset and Schlage cylinders, the two brands most common across Foster City’s housing stock, plus Yale and Baldwin hardware that shows up on higher-end waterfront condos. We also service Medeco and Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinders for commercial customers and homeowners who want restrictive keyways that can’t be copied at the hardware store. We carry pins, springs, and tailpieces for these brands in our van stock, which means most Foster City rekeys are done in a single visit without waiting on a parts order.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Foster City Homes
- Salt-air corrosion on exterior cylinders. Wind off San Francisco Bay pushes salt moisture into exposed deadbolts and knob cylinders, especially on waterfront-facing doors. We clean and lubricate the pin and tumbler stack on every Foster City rekey to keep the lock from binding weeks later.
- Decades of cheap key copies wearing the keyway. Many original 1980s locksets have been copied so many times the keyway is sloppy. A straight pin swap on a sloppy cylinder leaves a loose-feeling lock; we recut and test each cylinder so the new key seats tight.
- Mixed brands on one door set. A common Foster City scenario is a Schlage deadbolt paired with a Kwikset knob, or a Baldwin handle set on a newer front door. We key these different brands to the same key profile when possible, or tell you plainly when a cylinder swap is needed.
- Rekeyed knob, untouched deadbolt. Some homeowners rekey only the knob and forget the deadbolt is still on the old key. We check every cylinder on every door and list them all on the written price sheet before we start.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Foster City, CA
A standard rekey in Foster City runs $65 to $120 per door for common Kwikset or Schlage cylinders, including the new keys and a function test on every lock. Keyed-alike service for a three-door townhome generally runs $95 to $180, and high-security or Baldwin cylinders add $25 to $60 per lock because the pins cost more and the tolerances are tighter. What affects cost: how many doors, whether the cylinder is corroded from salt air, and whether you want a master key setup. You’ll get a written price on the phone before dispatch, and that price is the invoice. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free estimate on your exact doors, no call-out surcharge added on arrival.
We Also Serve Cities Near Foster City
Our crews cover the Peninsula and beyond for rekeying work. If you’re reading this from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, or San Francisco, our Rekey Locks team can send a background-checked, uniformed technician to your door under the same written price and written guarantee standard. We also keep this Foster City page current for local pricing and response details specific to your area.
Serving Foster City, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Foster City area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Rekey Locks in Foster City
A rekey on three exterior doors in a Foster City townhome usually takes 45 to 90 minutes total, including pulling each cylinder, cleaning corrosion, cutting the new keys, and testing every lock. If we find a cylinder that’s too worn or corroded to rekey cleanly, we’ll show you and quote a replacement on the spot. Most jobs are done in one visit, and we leave every old key dead before we walk out. Call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll give you a written time estimate for your specific doors.
We rekey the lock whenever the cylinder is still sound, even on 1980s condo hardware, because rekeying keeps your existing door and finish intact for less money. Replacement is only necessary when the cylinder is cracked, the keyway is sloppy beyond a clean recut, or the tailpiece is worn. Our techs rebuild and rekey original 1980s Schlage and Kwikset cylinders regularly in Foster City, especially on Beach Park Boulevard and Edgewater Boulevard units where salt air is a factor. We’ll tell you which route makes sense before any work starts, with a written price either way.
Yes, keyed-alike service rekeys every exterior door to a single fresh-cut key, and we do it on Foster City homes every week, often in under an hour. That includes front, side, patio, and garage entry doors, as long as the cylinders are in serviceable shape. If the lock brands differ, we can usually still match them to one key profile, and we’ll confirm that on the phone before dispatch. Call (956) 275-7388 for a written quote on your door count.
Rekeying is enough in nearly every Foster City rental turnover, because a rekey changes the internal pins so all previous tenant keys stop working completely. New locks are only needed if the hardware itself is damaged, rusted, or beaten up. We rekey all exterior doors and any interior doors with keyed entry, then test every old key against the new cylinder to verify it’s dead. For landlords we can also set a master key so your owner key still opens each unit after the tenant key changes. Call (956) 275-7388 and we’ll walk through your building’s layout on the phone.
Every technician arrives in a marked Ridley vehicle, wearing a uniform with a company ID, and carries our state license in hand when they introduce themselves. We also give you a written price before any work starts, and we never send subcontractors. If you ever want to verify before the tech arrives, call (956) 275-7388 and a live person will confirm the technician’s name and the job details. The Garrison Standard applies to every job, which means the tech at your door answers to Drew Kowalski and the written guarantee he signs.
Contact Ridley Locksmith & Security in Foster City
Ready to rekey your Foster City home or business? Call (956) 275-7388 and a live person will answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll give you a written price over the phone, send a background-checked, uniformed technician, and stand behind the work with a written guarantee for one full year. That’s the only way we know how to do it.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security.