Lock Rekeying in Tacoma, WA

Why old keys stay in circulation

Rekeying resets the pins inside a lock cylinder so every old key stops working, while the lock and the door stay put. Across Washington, renters occupy 37.1 percent of occupied homes, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates, and every move-out, roommate change or sale can leave working keys with someone who no longer lives there.

Buyers face the same unknown. A house in College Park, beside the University of Puget Sound, or in Buckley's Addition may have a front door, a back door and a side or basement entry, each on its own key. Ask for all of them to be rekeyed and, where the cylinders allow, keyed alike so one key opens every exterior lock.

Rekeying older hardware

In the same estimates, 27.0 percent of Tacoma's homes were built before 1940. A house of that age may still have a mortise lock, a lock body set in a pocket cut into the door edge. Its cylinder can usually be rekeyed or swapped on its own, leaving the original lock body in the door. A cylinder that is cracked, badly worn or not made to be rekeyed calls for lock replacement instead.

Landlords, tenants and Tacoma's rent rule

RCW 59.18.060(6) requires a landlord to provide reasonably adequate locks and furnish keys, and 59.18.060(7) requires reasonable care in safeguarding master and duplicate keys.

Under TMC 1.100.030, part of the voter-approved Landlord Fairness Code, a landlord may not raise rent while otherwise violating RCW 59.18.060, and the City's rental handbook reads that section to cover reasonably adequate locks and keys. The tenant first gives written notice of the defect under RCW 59.18.070, before the increase's effective date; the landlord must then fix it and notify both the tenant and the City before raising rent. This is general information, not legal advice.

Details for a rekeying request

• how many exterior doors and locks there are, and any brand name on the key or lock face
• whether you want them keyed alike
• whether you own, manage or rent, with the landlord's written permission if you rent
• any lock that sticks, since it may need lock repair first

Service details are on the lock rekeying page, and the Tacoma page adds the city context.