Lock Rekeying in Buffalo, NY

Keys that outlast a tenancy

In the city's Broadway-Fillmore survey, the two-decker, one flat stacked over an identical one, is the most common form of two-family house. Every move-out can leave keys behind: the departing tenant's set, a roommate's copy, one cut for a contractor. Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing cylinder so it works with a new key. Every old key stops working, while the lock body, knob or lever and deadbolt stay on the door.

Where one street or hall door serves both flats, rekey it along with the vacant flat's door, and hand the household that is staying its new key at the same time.

The rental registry and door inspections

Since 2005, Chapter 264 of the Buffalo City Code has required a rental registry of non-owner-occupied one- and two-family homes. A November 2020 amendment requires inspection of every registry property, and the checklist covers doors: their condition, operating hardware and fire resistance. A passing property receives a Certificate of Rental Compliance valid for three years. The city's landlord presentation begins with the Upper West Side, then Schiller Park, and eventually reaches the entire city.

Rekeying changes only which key works. A deadbolt that sticks or a latch that will not catch is a separate lock repair job, and worth sorting out before an inspection. This is general information, not legal advice.

Moving in as an owner or landlord

A house that changes hands can come with keys held by earlier owners, their tenants and anyone they lent a key to, with no list of who has them. Rekeying each exterior door at move-in resets that without new hardware. Locks with the same keyway can usually be keyed alike, so one key opens the front, back and side doors. In a two-family house, a landlord can instead give each flat its own key, with the shared entrance opening for both.

Details to send

Give the number of doors, which ones the flats share, whether a unit is vacant, and the brand name on the lock face or key if you can read it. A photo of each lock helps. See lock rekeying for the service and Buffalo for local housing notes.