Rekey Every Outside Door When You Buy a House in Auburn

Yes. Rekey every outside door the day you close, before the first box comes in. You do not know who still holds a key. Sellers, past tenants, agents, builders and contractors may all have one. A rekey makes every one of those keys useless, and it keeps the locks you already own.

Straight Answer

Rekey the front, back, side and garage entry doors on move-in day.
A rekey changes the pins inside the lock, so old keys stop working.
Erase the garage opener. LiftMaster says hold LEARN until the light goes out, about 6 seconds.
Reset keypad and smart locks, or the last owner's codes still open the door.
In Auburn, 17.7 percent of people moved in the past year, per Census data. Keys travel fast here.
Ask for the price on the phone and the AESBL badge at the door.

A closing hands you a stack of papers and a few keys. Nobody hands you a list of who else has keys. That list is the real problem. You cannot get it back, so you make it worthless instead.

We rekey new homes across east Alabama. This is the order we would follow on day one.

Who Still Has a Key to Your New House

Think about everyone who walked through the house in the last few years. Each one may have had a key, a code or a remote.

The sellers and their family. A spare under a flowerpot. A copy at a parent's house.
Past tenants. If the house was ever a rental, every lease may have added a key.
Agents and lockboxes. Showings mean keys moving between people for weeks.
Builders and trades. New homes are worked on by many crews before closing day.
Dog walkers, cleaners and neighbors. The people the last owner trusted, not the ones you do.

Our rekey service page says the same thing in one line. Builders, agents, contractors and previous owners may all hold copies of your keys.

This Old House gives the timing in its guide to changing locks on a new home. Change the locks when you close and get the keys. If you cannot, do it before you move your things in. The same guide says to cover every entry. That means the back door, the garage door and the basement door, not just the front.

Auburn Houses Change Hands Fast

Auburn moves more than most of the state. The Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey, as shown on Census Reporter's Auburn profile, puts the share of people who moved in the past year at 17.7 percent. That is about 1.5 times the rate for Alabama and the whole country.

Share of residents who lived in a different home a year earlier. 2024 one year estimates. The Auburn figure has a margin of error of 3.3 points.

A town with that much coming and going is a town with a lot of loose keys. Each move can leave one more set of copies that nobody tracked.

Auburn homes are not cheap either. The same profile puts the median value of an owner occupied home in Auburn at $392,900. A rekey is a small cost next to the house it protects.

Rekey or Replace on Move-In Day

Both stop the old keys. They differ in what stays on the door.

Question	Rekey	Replace
What changes?	The pins inside the cylinder	The whole lock
Old keys still work?	No	No
Hardware stays?	Yes	No, new knobs and deadbolts go on
One key for every door?	Yes, if the locks take the same key blank	Yes, if you buy them keyed alike
Best for	Locks that work well and look fine	Worn, cheap or damaged locks, or a style change

For most move-ins, rekeying is the better buy. You keep good hardware and pay for the work, not for new locks. Our rekey page calls it standard practice on move-in day, and far cheaper than replacing the hardware.

Replace when the lock itself is the problem. A deadbolt that sticks, a knob that wobbles or a builder grade lock you never liked are all fair reasons. If one lock needs replacing, the rest can still be rekeyed to match it.

Locksmith hands rekeying a brass deadbolt cylinder with tweezers next to a pinning tray on a workbench — A rekey swaps the small pins inside the cylinder. The lock stays on the door, and every old key stops turning it.

Can You Rekey It Yourself?

Sometimes. Kwikset sells locks with SmartKey Security, which an owner can rekey in seconds. There are limits. Kwikset says you need the current working key, the SmartKey tool and a new key. It works only on Kwikset locks. If the working key is gone, Kwikset says to call your builder, a locksmith or its support team. Other locks are rekeyed by taking the cylinder apart, which is locksmith work.

The Other Ways Into Your House

The door locks are only half the job. Plenty of houses open with a button, a code or an app. Rekeying does nothing to any of those.

The Garage Door Opener

Every remote the last owner had still opens your garage. So does the keypad on the outside wall. LiftMaster's support article on erasing remotes and keypads names moving into a new house as a reason to do it.

Find the LEARN button on the opener motor.
Press and hold it until the LED turns off, about 6 seconds.
Every old code is now gone. Program your own remotes and keypad again.

Other brands use other buttons, so check the label on your motor. Do this before you rekey the door from the garage into the house, or the garage stays an open door.

Keypad and Smart Locks

A keypad deadbolt keeps every code the last owner set. A factory reset clears them. Kwikset's factory reset help page shows how much this varies by model. On a SmartCode 955, you hold the program button for 30 seconds. On some models, a reset brings back a default user code of 1-2-3-4. Kwikset says to delete that code. Set your own codes right after the reset.

App locks have one more step. The lock can still be tied to the last owner's account. Ask the sellers to remove it from their app before closing. Then reset it and set it up under your own account.

The Mailbox

Many newer subdivisions use cluster mailboxes. If the Postal Service maintains your box, its mailbox key FAQ says the Post Office changes the lock before it reissues a box. The new resident is not charged for that first lock and keys. Keys come from the owner, the manager, the prior resident or the local Post Office. A box owned by a private complex is the owner's job, not the Postal Service's.

Everything Else

Gate codes and alarm codes. Call the alarm company and change the master code.
Shed, shop and fence padlocks. Cut them off and buy new ones.
Hidden spare keys. Check under mats, rocks and the grill.

A Move-In Day Lock Checklist

Walk every door. Front, back, side, the door from the garage and any basement or shop door.
Count the locks. Knobs and deadbolts each count. A front door often has two.
Erase the garage opener. Then program your own remotes and keypad.
Reset keypad and smart locks. Delete any default code.
Rekey or replace the keyed locks. Ask to key them all alike.
Check the mailbox. Ask the Post Office who maintains it.
Make two spares. Keep one with someone you trust.

Mobile locksmith kneeling at the front door of a red brick ranch house working on the deadbolt — Most move-in rekeys happen right at the door, one lock at a time.

What a Rekey Visit Looks Like

Call first and tell us how many doors and locks you have. We quote the price on the phone before a technician rolls, and that quote is what you pay. Typical response is 15 to 30 minutes, fastest in Auburn and Opelika.

We can key the front door, back door, garage entry and shop to one key. That keeps your key ring short. We also install and repair locks, so a worn one can be swapped out.

Whoever you call, the Alabama Electronic Security Board of Licensure has advice in its consumer tips. Ask for a firm price before work starts, including any trip charge. Ask to see the worker's AESBL ID badge when they arrive. Do not let unlicensed workers into your home. Our post on Alabama locksmith licenses shows how to check one.

What to Ask Next

Is it necessary to change the locks when buying a house?

No law makes you do it. It is still the safest move. You cannot know how many copies of the old keys exist. A rekey on move-in day ends that question for every keyed door.

Is it cheaper to rekey or replace locks?

Rekeying is usually cheaper, because the hardware stays on the door. You pay for the work and new pins, not for new locks. Replace only the locks that are worn, damaged or not to your taste.

How soon after closing should I rekey?

The day you get the keys. This Old House says to change the locks at closing, or before you move your things in.

Can the sellers give me all the keys instead?

They can hand over every key they know about. They cannot account for copies made by tenants, agents, crews or friends over the years. That is why a rekey beats a promise.

Does rekeying change my garage door or keypad codes?

No. A rekey only changes keyed locks. Erase the garage opener and reset any keypad or smart lock on their own.

Can all my doors use one key after a rekey?

Usually, yes. Locks that take the same key blank can be keyed alike. A lock from another brand may need a new cylinder or a new lock to match.

Just Bought a House in Auburn?

Call (334) 655-1300 and tell us how many doors you have. We rekey new homes in Auburn, Opelika and across east Alabama, open 6am to 9pm daily. Locked out of the new place before the move? Our house lockout service page covers that.