Lock Rekeying in Grand Rapids, MI

Why keys multiply in divided houses

Rekeying changes the pins inside a lock so the old keys stop working and a new one takes over. The lock body, trim and door stay in place, which suits an older door, where new hardware would have to be fitted to old bores.

That fits Heritage Hill, where the city's preservation guidelines say estates were divided into apartments after World War II and many larger houses will never return to single-family use. In a converted house the shared front door often stays the same while units change hands, and each move-out can leave a working key with a former tenant, roommate or repair crew.

City inspections and state law on keys

• Rental certification. After a Notice of Rental Certification, owners schedule a Certificate of Compliance inspection under the Grand Rapids Property Maintenance Code and the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code. The city's checklist, revised January 2026, includes deadbolt locks on exterior doors and peephole viewers on doors without adjacent window access (Section 304.18.1, among others). A rekey can keep a compliant deadbolt in place and change only its key.
• Keys for the occupant. MCL 600.2918(2)(c) lists changing, altering or adding to locks or other security devices without at once giving the person in possession keys or other unlocking devices as unlawful interference with possession. Subsection (3) lists exceptions, including a court order. An owner 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.

Who rekeys, and when

• New owners, since sellers, earlier tenants and contractors may still hold keys.
• Landlords between tenancies, starting with any shared entry.
• Tenants after a lost key or a roommate moving out, with the owner's agreement.
• Owners ahead of a Certificate of Compliance inspection with copies nobody can account for.

What to list in a rekey request

List every door the keys open, how many copies each household needs, and whether the locks are knobs, deadbolts or mortise locks. Say whether the unit is occupied. A cylinder that is worn or cracked calls for lock replacement instead. See lock rekeying for the statewide notes and the Grand Rapids page for the rest of the city.