Lock Replacement in Virginia Beach, VA

Homes from the 1980s

The median home in Virginia Beach was built in 1984, and 26.9 percent of the city's homes date from the 1980s alone, according to Census estimates. Any locksets original to those homes are about four decades old, and the signs are familiar: a latch that no longer catches, a deadbolt that throws only when you lean on the door, a knob that wobbles on its spindle, a finish worn through to bare metal. When the key turns cleanly but the mechanism behind it is tired, a new lockset often makes more sense than repeated repairs.

Green Run was built as a planned unit development between 1968 and 1986, so any original locksets there are roughly 40 to nearly 60 years old.

Choosing what goes in

Replacement is the moment to decide:

• A deadbolt that throws fully, with a strike plate held by long screws into the framing
• One key for every exterior door, including the garage entry door
• Levers instead of knobs, which are easier with full hands or a weak grip
• A smart lock in place of a keyed deadbolt

Sliding doors and a local-option deadbolt law

Va. Code § 55.1-1221 lets a local governing body require, by ordinance, that landlords renting five or more units in one multifamily building install deadbolts and peepholes on exterior swinging entrance doors, metal pins or charlie bars on exterior sliding glass doors, and locking devices on exterior windows. It applies only where a locality has adopted such an ordinance, so ask the city or your property manager whether one covers your building. This is general information, not legal advice.

Whatever the rule, a slider's original latch is worth checking when the front locks are replaced.

What to send

• Photos of the lock from both sides and of the door edge showing the latch
• The door's thickness and whether it is wood, steel or fiberglass
• Whether you want to keep your current key or start fresh
• Your neighborhood, such as Thoroughgood or Aragona Village, and whether an association sets rules for exterior hardware

If the lock is sound and only old keys are the problem, lock rekeying keeps the hardware you have. The service page has more on lock replacement.