Lock Rekeying in Milwaukee, WI

Why keys pile up in a renter city

About 56.6 percent of occupied homes in Milwaukee are rented, against roughly 32 percent across Wisconsin; Madison is close at 56.1 percent. Where that many households rent, old keys tend to collect: past tenants, roommates, contractors, a previous owner. Rekeying changes the inside of the cylinder so those keys stop working while the door hardware stays.

Bay View's older doors may still hold original hardware beneath later replacements, so check that a lock is sound before rekeying it; a worn one may be better served by lock replacement. In a Polish flat or another two-unit building, the street door, any shared stair or basement door and each flat's own door can all be keyed differently, so settle which ones are yours first. A house with front, side and basement doors can be rekeyed so a single key fits all of them.

Rules that touch rekeying

Milwaukee's building security ordinance, chapter 217, sets door standards for residential buildings. Under s. 217-3, a building put up on or after June 24, 1989 needs cylinders with at least five pin tumblers on covered doors, and s. 217-21 gives an owner 10 days, counted from written notice, to get a broken security device working.

State law adds two points. Under Wis. Stat. 704.16(4), when a tenant gives the landlord a copy of a qualifying document, such as an injunction, and asks for new locks, the landlord has 48 hours to change them or let the tenant do it. The tenant pays, and a tenant who does the work with permission must give the landlord a key within a reasonable time. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.09(7) separately bars a landlord from excluding a tenant except through an eviction procedure under chapter 799, and the state's Landlord-Tenant Guide says changing the locks could count as constructive eviction. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to include in your request

• The address and every door to rekey: street, unit, side, basement.
• Whether you own or rent, and whether the owner has approved the work.
• How many keys should work afterward, and whether all doors should share one key.