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Lock rekeying in Long Island City

New keys without new hardware. The right move the day you move in, and the fastest way to cut off anyone still holding a copy.

Call (718) 000-0000Text a photo of your lock

What this covers

Included as standard

  • New pins cut to a new key, in your existing lock body
  • Two keys per cylinder included, extras cut on the spot
  • Multiple locks keyed alike so one key opens everything
  • Old keys rendered useless immediately
  • Honest assessment of any cylinder too worn to be worth rekeying

Rekeying versus replacing, in plain terms

Rekeying changes the pins inside the cylinder you already own so the old key no longer turns it. Replacing throws the hardware away and installs new hardware. The security outcome is identical — the old key stops working either way — but the cost is not close.

Replace when the hardware is worn out, when the grade is too low for the door, or when you actually want a different lock. Rekey in every other case, which in a Long Island City apartment is most of the time, because the building-standard cylinder is usually fine and it is only the key history that is the problem.

Anyone who tells you a working, decent-grade lock must be replaced rather than rekeyed is selling hardware, not solving your problem.

The day you get the keys is the day to do this

You have no idea how many copies of your key exist. Not because anyone did anything wrong, but because the last tenant made a spare for a partner, the broker made one for showings, the super has one, a dog walker had one for a year, and none of those came back in the envelope you were handed at closing.

In a neighbourhood with as much turnover as LIC — where a Hunters Point unit can change hands three times in five years — that history stacks up fast. Rekeying resets it to zero for a fraction of what people assume it costs.

It is also the cheapest thing on this entire site that measurably improves your security, which is why we lead with it rather than with a lock upgrade.

Keyed alike: one key for the whole apartment

Most LIC apartments have two or three cylinders that matter — the entry knob, the deadbolt, sometimes a secondary or a mailbox. There is rarely a good reason for those to take different keys.

Keying alike means all of them are rekeyed to the same new key, so one key on your ring opens everything. It costs the same as rekeying them separately and it removes the daily friction of the wrong key in the dark.

For landlords and small building owners, the same principle scales up into a master key system: tenants get a key that opens only their unit, you get one key that opens everything. That sits under commercial locksmith service.

Step by step

How this job goes

  1. 01

    Count your cylinders

    Entry knob, deadbolt, mailbox, storage. Tell us the count on the phone and you get an exact total, not a range.

  2. 02

    We come to you

    Rekeying happens at your door. Nothing leaves the apartment and nothing gets taken to a shop.

  3. 03

    Cylinders repinned

    The lock body stays on the door. We change the pin stack inside it to match a brand-new key.

  4. 04

    Keyed alike, if you want it

    All cylinders set to one key. Two keys per cylinder included; extras cut on the spot.

  5. 05

    Tested together

    We turn every lock with the new key in front of you, and confirm the old key no longer moves.

Questions

Lock Rekeying — what people ask

Is rekeying as secure as replacing the lock?
Yes, as long as the lock itself is sound. Rekeying replaces the pin combination inside the cylinder, so the old key physically cannot turn it any more. Security depends on the grade and condition of the lock body, not on whether the pins are new or original. If the cylinder is worn out or too low-grade for the door, we will tell you — and then replacing is the honest recommendation.
Should I rekey when I move into a new LIC apartment?
It is the single highest-value thing you can do on day one. You cannot know how many copies of your key are circulating from previous tenants, brokers, supers and contractors. Rekeying costs a fraction of new hardware and it resets that key history to zero.
Can all my locks use the same key?
Yes — that is called keying alike, and it is the default we recommend for apartments. Your entry knob, deadbolt and mailbox can all be set to one key at no extra cost over rekeying them separately, as long as the cylinders are compatible.
How long does it take?
Roughly 10 to 20 minutes for a typical apartment with two or three cylinders. It is one of the fastest jobs we do, and it is almost always same-day.
My landlord changed the locks. Can I still rekey?
If you are the tenant, check your lease first — most New York leases require the landlord's consent to change or rekey the locks, and many require them to hold a working key. We will happily rekey and provide the landlord a key, but the permission conversation is yours to have.

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Talk to a locksmith, not a call centre

Need lock rekeying in Long Island City?

One call gets you a real price range and an honest ETA. 15–30 minutes is typical across Long Island City.

Call (718) 000-0000Text a photo of your lock

Counter: 47-15 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101 · Dispatch: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Call (718) 000-0000