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 Los Altos
When you buy a home in Los Altos, change a housekeeper, or realize your spare keys have wandered off to too many people, rekeying is the smart move. It’s the process of changing the internal pins inside your existing lock cylinders so old keys stop working, and you get brand-new keys without paying for brand-new hardware. At Preston Locksmith & Security, we typically reach most Los Altos addresses in 40-55 minutes, and the full price is agreed in writing before we dispatch anyone. Call (409) 405-4485 and you’ll talk to a live person, not a voicemail tree. Kevin Yoon runs our Bay Area operation, and every Los Altos job is backed by a written guarantee, including a free second visit if anything isn’t right.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Los Altos’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Most Los Altos homes were built before 1990 and still carry original Schlage or Kwikset pin-and-tumbler lock cylinders. That means a standard rekey here usually involves refreshing a decades-old cylinder rather than swapping out hardware. We know these locks because we’ve serviced them across Los Altos, from the ranch houses near Grant Park to the newer builds tucked up against the hills. Those older cylinders share keyways with keys that were handed out to landscapers, housekeepers, and contractors over the years, so the right job is almost always a careful re-pin rather than a hardware replacement.
Our techs are background-checked and arrive in uniform, with a name you already know from the booking call. We quote a per-cylinder price before dispatch, and that price is what you see on the invoice. No dispatch fee tacked on when the truck pulls up, no surprise second door that wasn’t in the quote. Los Altos homeowners tell us that’s the part they value most: the price on the phone matches the price on the bill.
Every job includes before-and-after photos through the Relay Visibility Guarantee, plus a written 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the rekey isn’t done right, we make it right. That guarantee is stamped on every repair we do in Los Altos, no exceptions and no fine print.
Rekey Service in Los Altos
Rekey Service in Los Altos involves pulling the cylinder from your existing lock, replacing the internal pins and springs so a new key operates the lock, and cutting new keys to match. Most Los Altos homes need this after a sale closes, a tenant moves out, or someone who had a key shouldn’t have one anymore. A standard single-cylinder rekey typically runs $25 to $45 per cylinder, so a typical Los Altos home with three exterior doors usually lands between $75 and $135 total, written and agreed before we touch a tool.
We carry pin kits matched to Schlage and Kwikset keyways, so the new keys operate smoothly from day one. On pre-1990 cylinders the internal tolerances can be looser than they were when new, so a proper rekey means measuring the pin stack before cutting keys, not just dropping in a generic kit. Kevin Yoon’s team does it that way on every Los Altos job because that’s what keeps a rekey lasting for years rather than weeks.
When the underlying cylinder is worn, bump-prone, or simply past its useful life, we’ll tell you before any work starts. Rekeying a cylinder that’s on its last legs just gives you new keys in a lock that’s still failing. In those cases the right call is usually a cylinder replacement or an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt upgrade, and we’ll quote that price honestly, with no pressure.
Ready to get it done? The written quote comes before the truck rolls, and the invoice never exceeds that number. Call (409) 405-4485 now – a live person picks up, day or night.
Same-Day Rekey for Just-Closed Escrows
Los Altos real estate closings move quickly, and you shouldn’t spend your first night with keys the previous owner’s dog walker might still hold. We regularly rekey entire Los Altos homes the day escrow closes. Show up with the keys you were given, and we’ll retire every one of them in under an hour, then hand you a fresh set.
Rekeying After a Lost or Stolen Key
A single missing key that says “front door” on it is a real problem. We’ll rekey the affected cylinders and, in most Los Altos homes, key everything to match so you don’t end up carrying four different keys for four doors. The old key stops working completely, and the new keys are cut on site while the tech is there.
Keyed Alike in Los Altos
Keyed Alike in Los Altos means setting every lock cylinder in your home to accept the same key. Instead of juggling a separate key for the front door, the back door, the side yard gate, and the garage, one key operates everything. On most Los Altos homes we can key all exterior doors alike on a single visit, with per-cylinder pricing that’s agreed before we arrive. A standard keyed-alike job on three doors runs roughly $75 to $135, and we cut the new keys on site as part of that price.
The neat part about keying alike on pre-1990 Schlage and Kwikset cylinders is that they share the same keyway across different vintages, so a 1975 Schlage deadbolt and a 2005 Schlage passage lock can almost always be set to one key. We do this work all over Los Altos, from the streets around Los Altos High School down toward Foothill Expressway, and the result is a simpler set of keys without any new hardware.
If you have a mix of Kwikset and Schlage, the keyways don’t cross over, so we’ll talk through options: either rekey intelligently so you carry two keys, or standardize on one brand for the exterior. Most Los Altos homeowners choose to standardize, and we quote that honestly on the spot.
We cut spares on site and every key is tested in the lock before the tech closes the door. Call (409) 405-4485 for a written per-cylinder price – free estimate, no dispatch fee.
One Key for All Exterior Doors
That means the front deadbolt, the back door knob, the side gate, and the door from the garage into the house all work off a single key. Los Altos homeowners appreciate not handing a jangling ring to the dog walker. We’ll prepare the quote before dispatch, listing exactly which cylinders get rekeyed and what the total will be.
Keyed Alike for Rental and Airbnb Turnovers
Los Altos has a steady stream of furnished rentals and guest properties that change hands frequently. Keying all exterior access points alike between guests is the fastest way to hand over a clean key set and retire every old one. We’ll do the whole property in one visit, with a digital invoice and before-and-after photos so you have a record of exactly what changed.
Trusted Brands We Service in Los Altos
We service Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware daily, and our techs keep dedicated pin kits and spare parts stocked for the brands most common in Los Altos: Schlage and Kwikset, with Medeco and Yale showing up frequently on the higher-security homes near Montebello Road and the hills above downtown. That means we quote the job accurately and complete it on the first visit, without ordering parts you’d wait a week for. From a builder-grade Kwikset knob to a high-security Medeco deadbolt, we can rekey it and hand you a key that works, backed by our written guarantee.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Los Altos Homes
- The phone price and the doorstep price don’t match. Homeowners accept a teaser quote over the phone and then discover on the doorstep that a second or third exterior door was never included. Rekey pricing has to be per cylinder and agreed before dispatch, not per visit with “extras” tacked on when the tech arrives.
- Keys that bind or fail within weeks on older Schlage and Kwikset cylinders. A quick re-pin with a mismatched pin kit will make a key work for a few days, then stick or stop turning. The original pin and tumbler stack needs to be measured, especially on pre-1990 Los Altos cylinders that have decades of wear in them.
- Rekeying when the cylinder itself is the problem. A deadbolt that’s worn, bump-prone, or failing doesn’t get better with new pins. The right fix is often a cylinder replacement or an upgrade to an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt, and a straight-shooting tech will tell you that up front rather than selling a rekey that won’t last.
- Multiple key versions floating around after a house sale. In one Los Altos home off Rancho Shopping Center, a family bought a 1970s ranch and found three different keys in circulation from the previous owner. We pulled the original Kwikset deadbolt cylinders, re-pinned them so one new key worked every exterior door, and cut matching spares on site. The whole job closed in under an hour, and the old keys were retired permanently.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Los Altos, CA
Rekeying in Los Altos runs on a per-cylinder rate, not a vague hourly or “starting at” number. A standard single-cylinder rekey on a Schlage or Kwikset lock runs $25 to $45 per cylinder, written before we dispatch. If you want multiple doors keyed alike, the per-cylinder price stays the same and we add key cutting, which we do on site as part of the job. Most Los Altos homes end up between $75 and $135 for a full exterior rekey, three doors, keyed alike, all in one visit. Add a mailbox lock or a separate side gate and we’ll quote that as a line item, not a surprise.
What changes the price: the number of cylinders, whether they’re Schlage or Kwikset keyways (Medeco and high-security cylinders cost more), and whether a cylinder is worn enough to warrant replacement instead of a re-pin. We tell you before any work starts. Estimates are free, and the phone quote is the invoice price. Call (409) 405-4485 for your exact number – no dispatch fee, no call-out surcharge.
We Also Serve Cities Near Los Altos
Based near Los Altos, our crews regularly serve Mountain View, Stanford, Palo Alto, and Portola Valley with the same per-cylinder pricing and written guarantee. If your rental property or business sits just outside Los Altos, our Rekey Locks team will quote it the same way. We know the neighborhoods around Los Altos well enough to give you an honest arrival window before anyone drives out.
Serving Los Altos, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos 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 Los Altos
Every Preston Locksmith & Security technician arrives in uniform, shows a company ID, and matches the name you were given on the booking call. We send a live arrival time you can track, and before-and-after photos of the work are part of the job record. Kevin Yoon’s team never sends an anonymous subcontractor, and if the person at your door can’t produce a company ID and match the name on your booking confirmation, don’t let them in. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll verify who’s supposed to be there.
Usually not. We extract broken keys using specialized tools through the existing keyway, then rekey or replace the cylinder depending on its condition. Drilling is a last resort, and we’ll tell you before doing it. On older Los Altos Schlage and Kwikset deadbolts, a broken key often points to a worn cylinder that’s better off replaced anyway, and we’ll quote that honestly before any work begins.
Yes. Keying all exterior doors alike is the most common job we do in Los Altos, and we complete it in a single visit with the price agreed per cylinder before dispatch. We’ll identify every cylinder, quote the exact total, then rekey and cut the matching keys on site. You’ll test each one before the tech leaves, and the whole thing typically takes under an hour for a three-door home.
Rekeying is usually enough when the cylinders are in good mechanical shape, which covers most Los Altos homes. The old keys retire and the new ones work. If a cylinder is worn, bump-prone, or the deadbolt itself is failing, we’ll recommend replacement or an ANSI Grade 1 upgrade and quote it clearly. We’ll never push hardware you don’t need, and we’ll never sell a rekey that won’t hold up. Call (409) 405-4485 for a straight answer on your specific doors.
A standard rekey on three exterior doors in Los Altos takes about 45 minutes to an hour from arrival to testing the new keys. The price is a per-cylinder quote agreed on the phone or via text, with every door listed, before we dispatch anyone. That written number is the invoice number – no dispatch fee, no arrival surcharge, no last-minute added doors. Call (409) 405-4485 and you’ll get the exact figure before the truck rolls.
Get a Written Quote for Rekey Locks in Los Altos
You should know exactly what a rekey costs before anyone gets in a truck, and you should know who’s walking up to your door. At Preston Locksmith & Security, that’s what we do: per-cylinder pricing agreed in writing, a uniformed tech with a name you already know, and a live arrival time you can track from your phone. Every job includes a written 365-Day Done Right Promise and before-and-after photos. Call (409) 405-4485 now for a free quote – a live person answers, and the price we give you is the price you’ll pay.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Los Altos since 2008.