Lock Rekeying in Allentown, PA

Why Allentown rekeys so often

More than half of Allentown's occupied homes are rented. Census Bureau estimates for 2024 put the figure at 56 percent, against about 31 percent statewide. Every move-out can leave working keys with a former tenant, a roommate, a contractor or a previous owner's family. Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing cylinder so those keys stop working, while the lock body, handle and deadbolt stay on the door.

Rentals and the city program

Allentown requires rental units to be registered and inspected, with annual renewal, and owners must display the city's Owner and Occupant Duties document in every unit. The program page cites Article XVIII, on residential rental units, and Article IX, on the responsibilities of owners and occupants. The gap between tenants, when a unit is empty anyway, is a natural time to rekey and to record which keys go to the new tenant.

Tenants who want a lock rekeyed should ask the landlord first. The guide to Pennsylvania landlord-tenant lock changes covers lock changes between tenants and whether a tenant can change the locks. This is general information, not legal advice.

New owners and row homes

Census Bureau estimates count 39 percent of Allentown homes as single-family attached. A buyer of a row home may find a front door, a rear door and sometimes a basement or yard door, with no record of how many copies past owners made. Rekeying can put every one of those doors on a single new key.

In a historic district such as Old Allentown, Old Fairgrounds or West Park, exterior alterations need a Certificate of Appropriateness under City Ordinance 12314 or 13881. Rekeying is the change that leaves the street-facing side of the door as it was, because the work happens inside the cylinder.

Before you book

• List every exterior door, plus any garage or storm door lock you want on the same key
• Note the brand name stamped on each lock or key, if you can see it
• Say whether you rent or own, and whether the landlord has approved the work

Most standard pin-tumbler cylinders can be rekeyed. A lock that is worn, damaged or too old to take new pins may call for lock replacement instead. The service is described on the lock rekeying page.