Lock Rekeying in Provo, UT

Why keys change hands so often in Provo

Rekeying resets the pins inside a cylinder so the old keys stop working while the lock body and handle stay on the door. Provo's turnover makes it common. The 2023 General Plan counts 59 percent of occupied housing units as rented and more than 40 percent of residents as students, and the population climbs in August and falls near the end of April. One apartment can pass through several sets of roommates and subletters, each leaving copies behind.

Buyers meet the same problem from the other side. In the newer Northwest District neighborhoods west of I-15, such as Brickyard and Rivergrove, keys may still be held by the builder or a previous owner, so the number of copies may be unknown. In a Utah County townhouse, where about 11 percent of homes are townhouse-style attached units, count every entry, including the garage door. Standard knobs, levers and deadbolts can usually be rekeyed rather than replaced, and every outside door can be set to one key.

What Utah rules say about renters and locks

Utah Code Section 57-22-4 requires rental premises to be safe, sanitary and fit for human occupancy, but it does not mention locks or rekeying between renters. Before you sign, ask whether the locks were changed since the last renter.

Section 57-22-5.1 covers one situation: a renter who is the victim of a listed crime can require the owner to install a new lock at the renter's cost, and the owner may meet that by rekeying a lock in good working condition or replacing it with one of equal or greater quality.

BYU contracted housing is stricter: under the December 2022 Off-Campus Housing Handbook, a lost key means the locks are changed. This is general information, not legal advice.

Before you ask for rekeying

• count every outside door, plus any shared entry in a Franklin house converted into apartments
• decide whether all doors share one key, or a unit door and a common door should differ
• say whether you own the home, manage it or have the owner's written approval
• note any lock that sticks, since a worn cylinder may call for lock replacement instead

See the lock rekeying page, or the Provo page for city notes.