Lock Rekeying in Stamford, CT

Why keys get reset

Rekeying changes which key fits a lock without replacing the lock itself. Common reasons are a new owner, a tenant who has moved out and a key nobody can account for.

Housing age plays a part. Roughly four in ten Connecticut homes date from 1950 to 1979, so many may still have original hardware and keys copied many times, with no record of how many copies exist. Rekeying makes every one of those copies useless at once.

On Shippan Point, a peninsula of about 1,100 homes on Long Island Sound, a large house may have several exterior doors. After a move, rekeying can put them all on one key, provided the locks share a keyway.

Renting in Stamford and the rules that touch keys

Chapter 146 of Stamford's Code of Ordinances says rooming unit and hotel room doors shall have operating locks to ensure privacy (§ 146-39(C)). State law adds a few rules that touch keys and locks:

• Protected tenants. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7b, a tenant covered by a court protective or restraining order can give the landlord a copy and ask for new locks. The statute sets short deadlines for the landlord to say whether it will change the locks or let the tenant do so, and a digital lock may get a new entry code instead.
• Key deposits. Section 47a-4d bars most up-front charges but allows a deposit for a key or special equipment.
• Move-in walk-through. For rental agreements made on or after January 1, 2024, § 47a-7c requires the landlord to offer a pre-move-in walk-through on the Department of Housing checklist, where a missing key or sticking lock can be noted.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What to include in a rekey request

Say whether you own, rent or manage the property, and whether a landlord or association has to approve the work. Give your neighborhood, the number of locks and whether you want them all on one key. Rekeying leaves the old keys useless, so decide beforehand who receives the new ones.

Requests go through the contact page. The lock rekeying service page has more, and lock replacement applies if a lock is too worn to reset.