Lock Rekeying in Ann Arbor, MI

Why rekeying comes up so often in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor is a renters' city. The 2024 census estimates put 54.4 percent of its occupied homes as rented, against 26.5 percent across Michigan and 34.7 percent nationally. Each change of tenant can leave old keys with people who no longer live there: a previous tenant, a roommate who left mid-lease, a subletter.

Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing cylinder so the old keys stop working. The lock body, trim and door stay as they are, which suits a lock that works well and whose only problem is who holds keys. If the bolt is loose, worn or does not extend fully, lock replacement is the better fit.

City and state rules that touch the locks

Ann Arbor landlords must hold a Certificate of Compliance with the city housing code, Chapter 105, and tenants may see it on demand. The city's rental pre-inspection checklist lists a deadbolt with a 1-inch throw on every unit entry door (Section 8:503). A rekey keeps the existing deadbolt, so check that the bolt still reaches its full throw. The Ann Arbor page summarizes the city's rental rules.

Under Michigan Compiled Laws 600.2918(2)(c), an owner who changes the locks on an occupied unit without immediately handing the person in possession keys or other unlocking devices is interfering unlawfully with possession. A landlord who rekeys an occupied unit should hand over the new keys at once, and a tenant who wants a rekey should get the landlord's written agreement first. This is general information, not legal advice.

New owners and landlords between leases

A house bought in Ann Arbor comes with keys held by past owners, their contractors, cleaners and neighbors, and rekeying on move-in day resets that list. A landlord can rekey between leases and keep a written record of which key fits which door. Buildings of five or more units hold 40.7 percent of the city's homes, and rekeying one unit door leaves the shared entry as it was, so ask who controls those keys.

For a lock rekeying request, include:

• The number of doors, counting side, back and garage entries.
• Whether the unit is occupied and, in a rental, that the landlord has agreed.
• Photos of the lock faces, not of your keys.