Lock Rekeying in Durham, NC

Why Durham keys get rekeyed

Rekeying resets the pins inside a cylinder so old keys stop working, while the lock, the door and its finish stay as they are.

Renters are close to half of households in Durham, Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro (46.9 to 50.4 percent), against 33.2 percent of occupied homes statewide. Each move-out can leave a key in someone's pocket, and rekeying between tenants tells a landlord or new tenant who holds a working one.

Owners face the same question in older housing: about 14.2 percent of Durham's homes predate 1960, and a house that has changed hands many times cannot vouch for every copy ever cut. Rekeying works inside the cylinder, so the door looks the same afterward, which matters in a local historic district, where Sec. 3.17.1.C of the Unified Development Ordinance treats a door's type and style as an exterior feature.

Lock changes under G.S. 42-42.3

This statute covers a tenant who asks for new locks because a protected tenant is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, and tells the landlord orally or in writing. If the perpetrator is not a tenant of the unit, the landlord has 48 hours to change the locks or let the tenant do it. If the perpetrator is a co-tenant, the tenant first provides a court order directing the perpetrator to stay away, and the landlord has 72 hours. The protected tenant pays. If the deadline passes, the tenant may change the locks and must give the landlord a new key within 48 hours. This is general information, not legal advice.

Lofts and townhomes

Rekeying a loft's unit door leaves the street entry and corridor locks as they were, since someone else may control them. In a townhome community with an association, ask which gate, pool or mailbox keys it controls before you rekey.

Before you request a rekey

• How many doors and locks, and whether you want them all on one key.
• How many keys exist now, and which ones you cannot account for.
• Whether you rent or own, and whether your landlord agrees.

Worn hardware, as opposed to lost keys, is a case for lock replacement. Lock rekeying explains the work, and Durham has the city.