Rekey or Replace? Moving Into a Calgary Home
Luckey Lock · March 17, 2026 · 8 min read
On possession day you get a set of keys from your lawyer or your agent. What nobody can tell you is how many other copies of that key exist. The previous owners had spares. So, probably, did a cleaner, a dog walker, a contractor, an adult child who moved out years ago, the neighbour who watered the plants, and whoever the previous owners bought the house from and never changed the locks on.
None of those people are likely to be a problem. That is not the point. The point is that you cannot know, and you cannot un-know it once you have moved your family in. Sorting the locks in the first week is one of the cheapest things on the entire moving list, and it is the one people put off.
There are two ways to do it, and they are not the same job.
What rekeying actually is
Rekeying keeps your existing lock hardware on the door and changes what key operates it. The locksmith removes the cylinder, replaces the small pins inside with a different combination of sizes, and cuts a new key to match. The old key no longer turns anything. Everything on the outside of the door looks exactly as it did before.
It is usually quick work, it is the less expensive of the two options, and for a house whose hardware is in good condition it does the entire job. Every previously issued key is dead. That is the whole security question answered.
What replacing means
Replacing takes the old hardware off the door and fits new hardware, which arrives with its own keys. You are paying for the lock as well as the labour, so it costs more, and it is the right answer whenever the existing hardware is not worth keeping.
Choosing between the two.
| Situation | Rekey | Replace |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware is sound and you like it | Yes, this is the standard answer | No reason to |
| Locks are worn, sticky, or need jiggling | It will not fix the mechanism | Yes, the wear is the problem |
| Deadbolt is ungraded or Grade 3 on a main door | Only as a stopgap | Yes, upgrade while you are in there |
| Different keys for the front, back, and garage | Yes, rekey them all to one key | Only if some of the hardware is failing anyway |
| Finish is corroded, pitted, or peeling | Cosmetically it stays ugly | Yes, and check the finish rating this time |
| You want a smart lock or a keypad | Not applicable | Yes, that is a hardware change |
| Lock has visible damage or a previous break-in | No | Yes, and check the frame and strike as well |
The single-key upgrade nobody asks for
Most houses arrive with a ring of mismatched keys: one for the front, another for the back, a third for the garage service door, sometimes a fourth for a shed or a gate. Everyone accepts this as normal and everyone quietly hates it.
When a locksmith is rekeying anyway, keying the whole house alike costs very little extra, because the cylinders are already being opened. One key opens every exterior door. If you also want a separate key for the garage or a basement suite, that is easy to arrange at the same time. It is the change people mention a year later as the thing they are most glad they did.
Do not stop at the front door
The doors people forget on a Calgary house:
- The garage service door, the one that goes from the garage into the yard or the house. It is often the weakest lock on the property and the least visible from the street.
- The back door and any deck or patio door, especially where a fence and mature trees give cover.
- A basement or side entrance, which on a lot of Calgary homes is a separate door with its own history of keys.
- Gate padlocks and a shed. These rarely justify a locksmith visit on their own, but they are worth swapping while somebody is already on site.
- Any keypad on the garage. Reset the code, because the previous owner's code is still in there.
The garage door remote counts too
Rekeying every lock and leaving the previous owner's garage remotes paired is a common gap. Clear the drive unit's memory of all remotes, re-pair only the ones you hold, and change the exterior keypad code while you are at it. It takes a few minutes with the manual and closes an entrance most people never think about.
New build and new possession quirks
A brand new house is not automatically a clean slate. Builders commonly use a construction key system so trades can access the property during the build, with the intent that the homeowner's key retires the construction key on first use. That system works when it is used correctly and it is not always used correctly, and either way a lot of hands have been through the property.
If you have just taken possession of a new build, ask specifically whether the construction keying has been retired. If you get anything less than a clear yes, rekey. The same applies to a rented property you have just taken over, and to a home where the previous owners handed you a bag of unlabelled keys and could not say what they all opened.
The Calgary door problem you will find anyway
Whichever route you choose, expect the locksmith to comment on your door frames. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles move wood, and after a few winters a lot of Calgary doors sit slightly out of square. The symptom is a deadbolt that catches, drags, or needs the door pulled toward you before it will turn.
That is worth fixing during the same visit. A bolt that does not fully extend is not giving you the protection the hardware is capable of, as covered in our piece on deadbolt grades, and correcting the strike alignment is quick work compared to living with it for a decade.
What a first-week lock visit usually includes
A typical possession-day appointment looks like this:
- Walk the property and list every exterior door, gate, and outbuilding that locks.
- Assess each piece of hardware for wear, grade, and finish condition, and say plainly which should be rekeyed and which should be replaced.
- Rekey the sound hardware, ideally keyed alike, and fit new hardware where it is warranted.
- Check bolt throw and strike alignment on every door, and correct what is off.
- Reinforce strike plates with long screws into the framing where that is missing.
- Hand over the new keys, count them out, and test every key in every lock with the doors closed before leaving.
That is standard work for our residential locksmith service, and it is usually a single visit. If you want to add a keypad or a smart lock at the same time, our smart lock buying guide covers what to look for before you buy the hardware.
Should I rekey or replace when I move in?
Rekey if the hardware is in good condition and you are happy with it, because it kills every existing key at lower cost. Replace when the locks are worn, ungraded, damaged, or you want different hardware such as a keypad or smart lock.
Is rekeying as secure as fitting a new lock?
For the question of who holds a working key, yes. Rekeying changes the pin combination, so every previously cut key stops working. What it does not do is improve a weak or worn lock, because the same hardware stays on the door.
Can all my doors use the same key?
Usually, yes. Keying alike is straightforward when the cylinders are already being rekeyed and it costs little extra at that point. Compatible hardware across the doors makes it simpler, and a locksmith can tell you on site.
My house is a new build. Do I still need to rekey?
Ask whether the builder's construction keying has been properly retired. If the answer is not a clear yes, rekey. A build involves a lot of trades and a lot of access, and possession day is the cheapest moment to reset it.
If you have just taken possession, or you are about to, call (587) 966-5625 and we will come out, tell you honestly which locks are worth keeping, and get every unknown key out of circulation in one visit.
Just moved into a new place?
Call (587) 966-5625 for rekeying, lock replacement, and keyed-alike hardware across Calgary. Firm quote before any work begins.
Get a quote LL
About Luckey Lock
Luckey Lock
Luckey Lock is a locksmith serving Calgary, Alberta, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our locksmiths work out of fully equipped vans, so most automotive, residential, and commercial work is finished on site. Luckey Lock is owned and operated by Ido Shlomovich, an Alberta Certified Journeyperson in the locksmith trade, Certificate 244189A, issued under the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act.
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