Home Rekey & Lock Change

The uncomfortable reality of any property transfer is that key control is essentially zero on day one. A landlord may have distributed keys to maintenance crews, prior tenants may have made copies at any hardware store along Georgia Avenue, and the previous homeowner may have left spares with neighbors or family members they forgot to mention. Rekeying resets the internal pin tumblers of your existing lock cylinders so that every previously cut key becomes instantly useless — without replacing the hardware itself. A full lock change goes one step further, swapping out the entire lock unit when the existing hardware is worn, incompatible, or simply not up to the security level the property deserves.

Tenant turnover is an equally critical trigger for landlords and property managers. DC landlord-tenant law places a strong duty of care on owners, and allowing a departing tenant's key to remain functional is an avoidable liability. Our technicians handle single-unit residential rekeying, multi-unit apartment building lock change services, and everything in between — typically within the same service visit, so your property is secured before the new occupants move in.

Washington's housing stock spans a remarkable range of eras and architectural styles, and the locks reflect that diversity. Federal-style rowhouses in Capitol Hill and Georgetown often feature classic mortise lock sets — the rectangular lock body that fits into a deep pocket cut into the door edge. A mortise lock offers excellent security and a clean aesthetic, but rekeying or replacing one requires specific knowledge of the cylinder format, cam configuration, and brand tolerances. Our technicians work with mortise lock hardware from manufacturers including Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, and Medeco, and can rekey an existing mortise cylinder or supply and install a new mortise lock unit on the same visit.

Beyond the mortise lock, we service cylindrical door knob locks, lever-handle locks, deadbolts, rim locks, padlocks, smart-lock cylinders, keypad deadbolts, and multi-point locking systems. If you have a Honeywell door lock and need to change the entry code after a move — or a Defiant lock and need to update the change code — our technicians can walk through the electronic reprogramming as part of the same appointment. We also handle commercial lock change work on office doors, server-room access points, storefront deadbolts, and panic-bar exit hardware throughout the DC metro area.

When you call (704) 850-6756, our dispatch team gathers your address, the number and type of locks involved, and any specific concerns — such as a damaged door frame, a seized cylinder, or a request to key multiple locks alike so one key opens every door. We give you a confirmed up-front price that accounts for the factors shaping the final quote: the lock type and brand, the number of cylinders, any parts required (new pins, replacement cylinders, or full lock units), your location within the Washington area, and the time of day for after-hours emergency locksmith calls. There are no surprise line items when the technician arrives.

On-site, our technician inspects each lock before touching anything. Wherever possible we work damage-free, using proper rekeying tools and pin kits rather than destructive methods. For a standard rekey, the cylinder is removed, disassembled, re-pinned to a new key code, and reinstalled — the whole process for a single door knob lock or deadbolt typically takes only a few minutes per cylinder. For a mortise lock, the process involves removing the face plate, extracting the lock body, and servicing the cylinder separately, which takes a little longer but is still completed in a single visit. New keys are cut on our mobile unit and tested in the lock before we leave. Need to call us right now? Reach our team any time at (704) 850-6756 — we answer around the clock.

Business owners along Connecticut Avenue, property managers overseeing multi-family buildings in Shaw, and building superintendents handling access control in Dupont Circle all share the same vulnerability after staff turnover or a lease transition: departed employees or tenants retain working keys to spaces they no longer have any right to enter. A commercial lock change — or a systematic rekey of every affected cylinder — eliminates that exposure immediately. Our commercial locksmith capabilities include master-key system setup, grand-master hierarchies for multi-floor buildings, high-security restricted-keyway installations that prevent unauthorized key duplication, and electronic access control cylinder replacement.

We also assist with what proof of ownership or occupancy we need to confirm before beginning any work. For residential jobs, a government-issued photo ID matched to the property address is standard. For commercial properties, a business credential, lease agreement, or utility bill in the business name suffices. This ownership-verification step protects every legitimate property owner — including you — and is a mark of any responsible locksmith practice. If you manage multiple DC properties and need a recurring service arrangement for tenant turnover rekeying, ask our team about setting up a standing account so you get consistent response times and consistent technicians who already know your hardware.

Our mobile units are stocked to handle a wide variety of lock and key needs in a single visit. Here is what you can request when you call: residential deadbolt rekey, mortise lock rekey, door knob lock rekey, keyed-alike service across multiple doors, residential lock change on exterior and interior doors, mortise lock installation on new or existing doors, high-security deadbolt upgrade, smart-lock cylinder installation, keypad deadbolt programming, Defiant lock change code reset, Honeywell door lock change code update, master lock change combination service, padlock rekey or replacement, sliding-door lock replacement, garage side-door deadbolt installation, commercial lock change on office and storefront doors, commercial mortise lock replacement, panic-bar exit hardware rekey, master-key system design and implementation, restricted-keyway high-security system installation, multi-unit apartment building rekey program, electronic access control cylinder swap, broken-key extraction without door damage, lock lubrication and alignment service, and new key cutting for any lock we service. Every one of these services is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a trained, insured technician dispatched directly to your location.

Washington DC has no shortage of people advertising locksmith services online, and the quality gap between providers is significant. When evaluating any locksmith — including us — the right questions to ask are: Are your technicians trained and insured? Do you confirm price before starting work? Do you arrive in a marked vehicle and carry ID? Do you perform ownership verification before accessing any property? Pro Washington DC Locksmith answers yes to every one of those questions. Our technicians carry professional identification, arrive in identifiable vehicles, and will never begin work until your ownership or occupancy has been reasonably verified and you have accepted the confirmed up-front price.

We are your trusted local resource because we are genuinely local — our technicians know the difference between the lock hardware common in a 1920s Capitol Hill rowhouse and the newer cylindrical locks standard in a 2010s Navy Yard condo building. That familiarity with Washington's physical environment means faster diagnosis, fewer unnecessary parts orders, and service calls that resolve correctly the first time. Whether you need us at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday or 2 a.m. on a Saturday after a break-in attempt on your Petworth rental property, call (704) 850-6756 and a live team member will answer, confirm your needs, and dispatch a qualified technician to your address.