Lock Rekeying in Newark, NJ

Rekeying when a Newark rental changes hands

Rekeying changes the pins inside a cylinder so the old keys stop working; the lock body and door stay. In Newark rentals the natural moment is a change of tenant. Section 18:6-10.1 of the city's Housing Code requires a city inspection and a Certificate of Code Compliance before any change in occupancy of a rental unit, so every turnover already leaves a gap between one household and the next. Rekeying in that gap means the departing tenant's copies no longer open the door.

New owners face the same unknown: a deed says who owns the house, not who still carries a key to it.

How many doors should one key open

Two- and three-family houses are the bulk of the Ironbound's real estate market, so the keying question there is how far one key should reach.

• Three or more units. New Jersey's multiple dwelling rules (N.J.A.C. 5:10-19.2) require that the tenant's key for the outside entrance cylinder not also open the tenant's own unit door. When rekeying, keep the street door and the unit doors on different keys.
• Two-family houses. These fall below that three-unit line, and the Truth in Renting guide points their tenants to the municipal building inspector or health officer. Rekeying the shared front door whenever either unit turns over keeps a former household's key from opening the hall.
• Orders of protection. Section 18:16-1 of the Housing Code lets an owner change a tenant's locks without a court order only after the tenant asks and has obtained an order of protection.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Mortise cylinders and what to send

Older doors that predate bored cylindrical locks may still carry mortise locks, with the body set into the door edge. Swapping to a different style can mean cutting or filling the door, while rekeying the cylinder already in place leaves it alone. In your request, say whether each lock is a mortise lock, a knob or lever with a keyhole, or a separate deadbolt, and how many doors should share one key. If a lock is worn out as well as exposed, lock replacement may suit better. The lock rekeying page explains the service in general, and the Newark page lists what else applies locally.