Lock Rekeying in Worcester, MA

Keys that outlive a tenancy

A 1988 National Register nomination put the number of three-deckers still standing in Worcester at more than 4,200, each built for three separate households. Every move-out in one of them leaves the same question: who still holds the old keys? A departing tenant may have keys to the front stairwell door, the rear stairwell door and their own flat.

Rekeying resets a cylinder's pins to a new key, so the old keys no longer turn it. The lock body, trim and door stay in place.

Rules that touch keys in Worcester rentals

This is general information, not legal advice.

• Keys from the owner. The State Sanitary Code, at 105 CMR 410.270, says the owner owes each occupant keys to the building's main entry, their own unit and the common areas. Rekey a shared stairwell door and every household on it needs a new key. Because entry locks are the owner's responsibility, a tenant should check the lease or ask first.
• Move-in payments. At or before move-in, M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B allows a landlord to require just four things: first month's rent, last month's rent, a security deposit no larger than the first month's rent, and payment for buying and installing a key and lock.
• City registration. Chapter 9, § 18 of Worcester's Revised Ordinances has owners register rented property with the Department of Inspectional Services. Two- and three-family houses where the owner lives in one unit are exempt.

Main South, University Park and Belmont Street

By 1890, three-deckers had clustered in Main South, University Park and the Belmont Street area. A pre-war door there may carry a mortise lock; rekeying its cylinder is a smaller job than swapping the whole lock and leaves the door as it is.

When to rekey

1. After buying a house, because you cannot know who still holds the previous owner's keys.
2. Between tenants, for the unit door and every shared door the last tenant could reach.
3. When a resident owner changes a shared entry, with a new key ready for each household.

If the lock itself is worn out, see lock replacement instead. For the statewide picture, read lock rekeying in Massachusetts.