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.
Fast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across Cotati
Rekeying a lock in Cotati typically runs $25 to $45 per cylinder for standard Schlage or Kwikset hardware, and most single-family homes take under an hour once we arrive. The price is confirmed on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that number is what appears on your invoice. If you just moved into a home off Old Redwood Highway or you’re turning over a rental near Cotati-Rohnert Park, call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll walk you through exactly what your job involves.
We know Cotati’s housing stock because we’ve worked it for years. The mid-century ranches near East Cotati Avenue, the newer infill near the park, the rentals that turn over every summer when Sonoma State semesters shift. Rekeying here isn’t a one-size job, and we scope it that way from the first phone call.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Cotati’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Cotati homeowners and small-business operators call us because we give them a written price before anyone touches a lock. Not a range that swells on arrival. Not an hourly rate that starts ticking from a dispatch center in another county. A fixed number, agreed on the phone, and that’s what you pay. Our techs arrive in uniform, background-checked, with a live arrival time you can track from your phone. Before-and-after photos of every job get sent to you, and every rekey carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right, and a second visit is free if the repair fails.
Kevin Yoon leads the team, and he’s built the Cotati operation around a simple rule: the person at your door should be the person you expected, and the price on the invoice should match the price you were quoted. We answer our phones with a live person 24/7. No voicemail trees. No callback queues. When a Cotati homeowner calls at 7:45 in the morning before work, they get a human being and a straight answer about cost and timing.
We’re part of the Relay Home Co. family, founded in 2008, and each location is independently owned and operated. The Relay Visibility Guarantee applies to every job we do in Cotati: a written price before work begins, a live trackable arrival time, before-and-after photos, and a written guarantee on every repair.
Locksmith Rekey in Cotati
A Locksmith Rekey in Cotati means swapping the internal pins and springs inside your existing lock cylinder so the old keys no longer turn it. No new hardware. No door disassembly beyond pulling the cylinder. It’s the right call after a roommate moves out, a tenant turnover, a divorce, or any time you can’t account for every copy of a key floating around Cotati. For a standard Schlage or Kwikset deadbolt and knob set, expect $50 to $90 total, including service. High-security cylinders like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock run higher because the pins and tooling cost more, but you’re still paying less than a full hardware swap.
The mismatch issue matters here. Many Cotati ranches have one brand on the knob and another on the deadbolt, often because a previous owner or landlord replaced one piece at a time over the decades. That doesn’t stop us from keying everything alike. It does mean we may need to re-pin two different cylinder types, which is routine for our techs and covered in the quote you get before dispatch.
When rental turnover requires rekeying
Cotati sees a steady rhythm of rental turnovers, especially around the start and end of the Sonoma State academic year. Landlords who rekey between tenants protect the next tenant from a previous tenant’s copied keys. We scope these jobs for speed and flat pricing because we know the lease clock is always running.
Master key systems and leftover landlord hardware
Some Cotati rentals carry a leftover master key system from a prior property manager. Rekeying those without understanding the hierarchy can lock out the owner’s own spare. We map what’s there first, then re-pin so the new tenant’s key works while the owner’s master still functions if that’s the goal.
Rekey Door Lock in Cotati
A Rekey Door Lock in Cotati is the most common single-door job we handle. It means pulling the cylinder from the knob or deadbolt, replacing the pin tumblers so the old key stops working, cutting new keys to match, and testing the lock through a full cycle before we leave. The typical cost for one door with both a knob and deadbolt rekeyed to a new key is $50 to $90. If the cylinder is worn enough that re-pinning alone won’t give you a smooth turn, we’ll tell you that on the phone and quote the possibility of a cylinder replacement before we schedule, not after we’re standing in your doorway.
We had a call off East Cotati Avenue where a homeowner had just closed on a 1960s ranch and found three different keys for the front door, back slider, and detached garage. Our tech pulled the lock cylinders, confirmed the deadbolt was an older Kwikset pin and tumbler, re-pinned everything to a single new key, and left a spare set tagged for the garage. No new hardware needed. The whole job ran under an hour once the price was agreed on the phone. That’s the standard we aim for on every Cotati door.
Worn cylinders on older Cotati ranch homes
Original locks on homes built in the 1960s and early 1970s have often been through decades of use and a few renters. Re-pinning those cylinders is still possible, but if the plug is sloppy or the key wiggles in the bore, the fresh pins won’t fix the feel. We’ll say so before we schedule, so the decision is yours with real numbers in hand.
Rekeying sliders and garage doors on the same key
Many Cotati homes have a detached garage or a rear slider that was never keyed to the front door in the first place. We can match them all to one key, assuming the hardware is compatible. If a slider uses a different brand or an obsolete tailpiece, we’ll scope that in the phone quote so there’s no mid-job conversation about cost.
Trusted Brands We Service in Cotati
We service Schlage, Kwikset, and Medeco hardware daily in Cotati, along with Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy. Because Schlage and Kwikset are the dominant brands on Cotati’s older ranch homes, our techs keep the common pin kits and key blanks stocked on the truck. That means a standard rekey on those brands rarely needs a parts run. Medeco and other high-security cylinders require specific pins and tools, and we stock those too, but we’ll let you know on the phone if your specific cylinder needs anything special before we dispatch.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Cotati Homes
- Mismatched brands on the same door. A Schlage knob paired with a Kwikset deadbolt is common on older Cotati ranches, especially rentals that were repaired piecemeal over the years. We re-pin both cylinders to the same new key, which is straightforward work but needs to be scoped correctly so you’re not surprised by the second cylinder.
- Worn pin tumblers from decades of use. Homes near the Old Redwood Highway corridor often still carry their original cylinders. Re-pinning helps with security, but if the plug is worn, the key action will still feel rough. We quote cylinder replacement as an option on the phone, not after arrival.
- Leftover master key systems from landlords. Rental-turnover homes sometimes have a master key hierarchy still installed. Rekeying without mapping it first can lock out the owner’s own key. We check for that before we re-pin.
- Sliders and detached garages never keyed to the front door. When a home passed through several owners, the back slider and garage often ended up on their own keys. We can bring them all to one new key during the same visit, assuming the hardware is compatible.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Cotati, CA
In Cotati, a standard rekey runs $25 to $45 per cylinder. A full front door with both a knob and deadbolt rekeyed to one new key is typically $50 to $90. High-security brands like Medeco run $45 to $85 per cylinder because the pins and tooling are proprietary. If a cylinder is too worn to re-pin cleanly, a replacement cylinder adds $30 to $60 per lock, depending on brand. The total price is agreed on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that’s the price on your invoice. No arrival surcharge. No dispatch fee added at the door. Call (409) 405-4485 for an exact quote; estimates are free and take about ten minutes.
We Also Serve Cities Near Cotati
Our Rekey Locks team covers Cotati and the surrounding Sonoma County communities, including Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Sebastopol. If you’re just over the line in any of those, the same written pricing and live arrival tracking apply. Read more about our work in Rekey Locks in Cotati here.
Serving Cotati, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Cotati 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 Cotati
Yes. We see mismatched Schlage and Kwikset cylinders on Cotati doors regularly, especially on older ranches and former rentals. We re-pin both cylinders to the same new key during one visit, and the phone quote covers both pieces so the price doesn’t change once we’re at the door. Call (409) 405-4485 and describe your hardware; we’ll tell you exactly what the job will cost before we dispatch.
A standard rekey of two or three cylinders takes 30 to 60 minutes once the tech arrives. Older Cotati ranch locks with worn cylinders can take slightly longer if a cylinder needs replacement, which is why we ask a few questions on the phone so the arrival time we give you is realistic.
Only as a last resort. Most locks that won’t turn can be rekeyed or repaired without drilling, even older Kwikset and Schlage cylinders in Cotati homes. Drilling destroys the lock and forces a replacement, so we avoid it unless the cylinder is so damaged that no key or pick will work. If drilling does become necessary, you’ll know the cost before we start, not after.
You’ll see a live arrival time on your phone before the tech gets there, and the tech arrives in uniform with a visible Preston Locksmith & Security ID. The person’s name and photo are sent to you before they knock, so the face at your door matches the face on your screen. Before-and-after photos of the job go to you as well, and you’ll get a digital invoice with a pay link when the work is done.
For most Cotati homes, a rekey is enough. As long as the cylinders are intact and the hardware functions, re-pinning them so the old keys stop working is faster and cheaper than replacing everything. Replacement makes sense when a cylinder is too worn to hold pins correctly or when you want to upgrade to high-security hardware like Medeco. We’ll give you an honest read on the phone, with real numbers for either path. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Cotati since 2008.