Lock Rekeying in Atlanta, GA

Renting and keys in Atlanta

Renters are the majority here. Census Bureau estimates for 2024 put 52.3 percent of Atlanta households in rented homes, against 33.7 percent across Georgia. Every move can leave copies behind with former tenants, movers or a past owner's contractors. Rekeying changes the existing cylinder to work with a new key, so the old keys stop working while the lock, the door and its trim stay in place.

What Georgia's tenant handbook says

In the Department of Community Affairs' Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (revised August 2024), leases typically require the landlord's permission to change the locks. Where a lease is silent, a tenant may change them but must give the landlord the new keys at move-out and follow any lease terms on access.

O.C.G.A. § 44-7-23 lets a tenant protected by a family violence or stalking order, or whose minor child is, end the lease 30 days after written notice to the landlord with a copy of the order (plus the police report for an ex parte temporary order). Neither the statute nor the handbook adds a separate right to change locks. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who rekeys, and why

• Landlords between leases. Most Atlanta households rent, so many units pass from one tenant to the next. A rekey at turnover means no key from the last lease opens the unit.
• Buyers in Inman Park. Nobody can say how many keys generations of owners of a Victorian or bungalow handed out. Inman Park is a City of Atlanta historic district, and rekeying leaves the original door and its street-side hardware alone.
• Ranch owners in Collier Heights. When the front, side and back doors of a brick ranch share a keyway, they can be set to one key. That is one key to track instead of three.
• Condo owners in Buckhead towers. A rekey covers your unit door only. Mailbox, lobby and garage locks are often the building's.

In your request, list how many locks go on the new key, any brand name stamped on the key or lock face, and whether you own or rent. If a cylinder is worn or damaged, ask about lock replacement instead. Service details are on the lock rekeying page.