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
AfterSomeone Moved Out and Still Has a Key
What’s Happening
When someone moves out and keeps a key, your current locks can be opened by someone you no longer want inside. The fix is a rekey: a locksmith reconfigures the internal pins inside your existing lock so the old key is permanently dead and a new key is the only one that works. It takes less time than most people expect, and your hardware stays exactly where it is.
This is one of the most common calls we get, and it almost always follows the same script. A tenant leaves. A relationship ends. A contractor finishes the job. Someone clears out after a bad breakup. Life moves on, the living situation changes, but the key doesn’t. The problem isn’t that the person who left is necessarily dangerous – it’s that you no longer control who has access to your home. That’s the part worth fixing today, not next week.
Why It Happens
A Tenant Moved Out and Didn’t Return All the Keys
Tenants are supposed to hand back every copy on move-out day, but copies get made, get forgotten in jacket pockets, or just don’t come back. You may have received one key and have no idea how many exist. If you’re moving into a rental that someone else just vacated, the same problem applies – you don’t know how many copies the previous occupant made during their stay. The only way to actually close that loop is a rekey.
A Relationship Ended and an Ex Still Has Access
Whether it was a partner, a roommate, or a family member who lived with you, the moment that relationship changes the key situation needs to change with it. People don’t always hand keys back voluntarily, and asking for them back doesn’t guarantee all copies are returned. If the split was tense, waiting is a real risk. If it was amicable, a rekey is still the clean, permanent answer – no awkward conversations required.
A Contractor, House Cleaner, or Dog Walker Had a Key
Trusted service people get keys all the time. That’s normal. What’s less normal is tracking down every key when the arrangement ends. A contractor finishes a renovation and moves on. A cleaning service changes staff. A dog walker you no longer use still has the key you handed them two years ago. Each of those situations leaves a lock that can be opened by someone whose access you meant to end.
You’re Moving Into a Home with No Key History
When you close on a house or move into a new rental, you receive keys from the seller, landlord, or real estate agent. But you have no way of knowing how many copies exist or who has them. Previous owners gave keys to neighbors, family members, painters, and plumbers over the years. A rekey on move-in day is the simplest way to make sure yours is the only key that matters.
What to Do Right Now
- Stop lending the current key. Until the lock is rekeyed, don’t make any new copies and don’t hand the existing key to anyone new. The key you’re about to retire shouldn’t multiply.
- Account for every key you do have. Walk through the house and gather every copy you can locate – spares in the junk drawer, extras on hooks, anything hanging in the garage. Knowing how many you have now helps the technician confirm the rekey is complete.
- Check all exterior entry points. Front door, back door, side entry, garage entry door – any lock that was on the same key ring should be on your list. If the person who left had access to more than one, all of those locks need attention.
- Don’t attempt to rekey or disassemble the lock hardware yourself. It’s not the same kind of hazard as a live wire or a spring under tension, but rekeying requires a pinning kit, the right driver bits for the specific lock brand, and knowledge of the pin stack configuration. A wrong reassembly leaves you with a lock that binds or fails. Let a trained technician do it once and do it right.
- Call your local Ridley Locksmith & Security team before someone calls on your behalf. The sooner the locks reflect your current situation, the sooner you’re not thinking about this anymore. A live person is available right now at (956) 275-7388.
How We Fix It
When a technician from your local Ridley Locksmith & Security team arrives, the first thing that happens is a written price. You see the number, you agree to it, and then the work starts. That’s how every job works under The Garrison Standard – price in writing before any work begins, not after.
The service that resolves this is a rekey. The technician removes the lock cylinder, disassembles the pin stack inside, replaces the driver pins and key pins with a new combination, and reassembles the cylinder to match a new key. The old key is permanently dead. Your hardware – the knob, deadbolt, or lever you already have – stays exactly where it is. If you have multiple entry points on the same key, they can all be rekeyed to a single new key in the same visit, which is usually what most people want.
Most rekeying jobs are finished quickly. The work is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if anything about the repair isn’t right within a full year, we come back and make it right at no charge. That guarantee is written down. It’s not a verbal assurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a real risk, and whether it’s urgent depends on who has the key. If the person who left is someone you have reason to be concerned about, treat it as urgent – today, not this weekend. If it’s a contractor or former tenant with no motive to return, the risk is lower but still real: you simply don’t control who enters your home. Most people feel noticeably better the moment the lock is rekeyed, and that peace of mind has a same-day fix. Call (956) 275-7388 to get on the schedule now.
Rekeying is enough in almost every situation where the lock hardware itself is in good condition. Rekeying changes the internal pin configuration so only the new key works – the old one is permanently useless, even if the person who has it walks up and tries it. Full lock replacement only makes sense if the existing hardware is damaged, worn, or you want to upgrade to a different grade. A technician will tell you exactly which applies to your locks, in writing, before any work starts.
Your local Ridley Locksmith & Security team handles residential rekeys on a scheduled basis, and same-day availability is often possible depending on where you are and what’s on the board. The fastest way to find out is to call – a live person answers at (956) 275-7388 around the clock, every day of the year, no voicemail, no answering service. They’ll tell you exactly when a technician can be there.
It won’t. Every Ridley job runs under The Garrison Standard, which means a written price is delivered before any work starts – not a rough estimate that adjusts at the door, and not a verbal number that shifts when the invoice appears. The price you agree to is the price on the invoice. That’s not a policy we make exceptions to.
Get It Fixed
Call (956) 275-7388 right now – a live person picks up, gets your address, and connects you with your local Ridley Locksmith & Security team. Rekeying takes one visit. The old key stops working. You get a written guarantee covering the job for a full year. That’s the whole thing.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, part of the Garrison Partners family since 2007.
What Our Customers Say
"Replaced a broken handle set and matched the finish. No upsell."
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