Lock Rekeying in Philadelphia, PA

Why rekeying comes up in Philadelphia

Census Bureau estimates for 2024 put the rented share of Philadelphia's occupied homes at 48 percent, against about 31 percent across Pennsylvania. Every move-out leaves keys in circulation, and a sold rowhouse may come with spares the last owners handed out. Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing cylinder so old keys stop working, while the lock body and the door stay as they are. For a landlord between tenants or a buyer who has just closed, it is a simple way to start with known keys.

Doors to count before you rekey

• Two-door entries. The rowhouse manual singles out the entry vestibule of the 19th-century workingman's rowhouse and urges owners not to remove it. Where a house has one, both doors can be rekeyed to a single key if their locks take compatible keys.
• The lower-level garage. Postwar Airlite rows in Roxborough and East Mount Airy generally put a one-car garage on the lower level. If that entry has a keyed lock and is left off the list, an old key still opens the house.

Rental deadbolts and Section PM-304.18

Section PM-304.18 of the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code covers units that are rented, leased or let. Each door into such a unit needs a deadbolt with a throw of at least 1 inch that opens from the inside without keys, special knowledge or effort; a sliding bolt does not count. The section also asks for a sash locking device on operable windows that give access to the unit within 6 feet of the ground or a walking surface, and for secured basement hatchways.

Rekeying touches none of those parts. The bolt and inside thumb-turn stay as they were, so a door with only a sliding bolt calls for lock replacement. Tenants should read the lease and talk to the landlord first; the guide to Pennsylvania landlord-tenant lock changes covers lock changes between tenants. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to include in a rekeying request

1. Each door by type: street, vestibule, unit, garage or hatchway.
2. Whether you want them all on one key, and how many keys you need.
3. A photo of each lock face and of a current key.

See lock rekeying for the service and Philadelphia for other city notes.