Lock Rekeying in Aurora, IL

Old keys after a move

About 32 percent of occupied homes in Illinois are rented, and every move-out, sale or roommate change leaves keys with people who no longer live there. Rekeying resets the existing cylinder so that a new key works and the old ones do not. The lock body, trim and door stay where they are.

Houses with a long list of past keys

Tanner's listed houses date from 1853 to 1931, and Riddle Highlands was platted in 1922. A house that has stood that long has had time to change hands many times, with contractors, relatives and neighbors holding spares along the way, and nobody can count them. Rekeying leaves the existing door in place, which matters in a locally designated historic district, where exterior doors are among the changes covered by the city's Certificate of Appropriateness.

Rentals and the lock box key

The pre-inspection guide the city publishes for landlords includes keeping the key to access the building in a lock box. If a building entrance is rekeyed, put the new key in that lock box, or the box will hold a key that no longer opens the door. A tenant who wants to rekey should read the lease first, since some leases require handing the landlord a working key. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to include in a request

1. Each lock to rekey: front, back, side and garage entry, plus any unit, building entrance or mailbox lock.
2. Whether all of them should work on one key, and how many keys you need.
3. For a rental, whether the lock box key has to match the new building key.
4. Any lock that sticks, spins or feels loose, since a worn lock may need replacement instead.

For how the service works, see lock rekeying; the Aurora page lists the city's other local notes.