Rekeying a whole house in Los Angeles is priced by the number of lock cylinders, not by rooms or square footage, plus one mobile service call. Locksmith Liberty quotes the total upfront before any work begins, and most houses with four to eight cylinders are finished in a single visit with every door working on one key.
For the single-lock version of this decision, including rekey versus replace, read our companion guide on what determines the cost of rekeying a lock in Los Angeles. This page covers the full job: every door, gate and garage entry on one key, and how to plan the visit so nothing is missed.
What goes into a whole-house rekey quote
When you call, the dispatcher builds the quote from a short list of facts about your house. Knowing them before you call gets you a firm number faster.
- Cylinder count. Every keyed knob, lever and deadbolt is one cylinder. A front door with a knob and a deadbolt is two.
- Hardware brand and keyway. Kwikset, Schlage and Defiant are standard. High security brands such as Medeco, Mul-T-Lock and Schlage Primus use restricted pins and carry a higher per-cylinder rate.
- Keying everything alike. Putting every door on one key is included when the cylinders share a keyway. A mismatched brand means one cylinder swap, which we tell you about on the call.
- Extra keys. Say how many copies you want cut on the van. Restricted blanks cost more than standard ones.
- Time of day. Daytime visits are the standard rate. Evenings, weekends and holidays carry a night rate that is stated before dispatch.
- Access and parking. Gated buildings, hillside driveways and structures without guest parking are worth mentioning so the technician arrives ready.
Count doors first, then count cylinders
Most homeowners undercount. Walk the outside of the house and note every keyed lock, then check the garage and the yard. Typical Los Angeles homes come out like this:
| Home type | Doors people remember | Cylinders people forget | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bed apartment (Koreatown, Hollywood) | Front deadbolt and knob | Mailbox, storage cage | 2 |
| 2-bed apartment with balcony or back door | Front deadbolt and knob, back door | Balcony slider auxiliary lock | 3 |
| 1920s duplex unit (Mid-Wilshire, Miracle Mile) | Front, kitchen door | Basement or laundry door, side gate | 4 to 5 |
| 3-bed single family home | Front, back, garage entry | Garage pedestrian door, side door, gate | 6 to 8 |
| Larger home with garage, side doors and gates | Front, back, garage entry, guest house | Pool gate, driveway gate, pool house, shed | 8 to 10 |
The count, not the home type, is what sets the quote. Two houses of the same size can differ by three cylinders because one has a pool gate and a guest house door.
Room by room: which doors matter most
Rooms do not have cylinders, doors do, but thinking room by room is a good way to make sure nothing is skipped.
- Entry. Front deadbolt and knob or lever. This is the pair everyone remembers and the one most likely to already be on a Grade 1 deadbolt.
- Kitchen and back yard. The back door is the most common forced entry point in Los Angeles because it is out of sight. Rekey it and check that the strike is anchored into the stud.
- Garage. Two doors: the pedestrian door from the driveway and the door from the garage into the house. Both are keyed and both are usually forgotten.
- Side yard and laundry. Older houses in Mid-Wilshire and Hancock Park often have a laundry or basement door with its own key.
- Gates. Driveway, pool and side gates with keyed locks can usually be rekeyed to the house key if the cylinder shares a keyway.
- ADU or guest house. Decide whether it should share the house key or stay on its own key for a tenant.
- Interior offices and bedrooms. Keyed interior locks are optional. Most families skip them; home offices with client files often include them.
Garage and side doors: the doors people forget
When a previous owner, tenant, contractor or housekeeper still has a key, it is almost never the front door key that gets used. It is the garage pedestrian door, the side door behind the trash bins or the gate to the yard. Those are the cylinders that make a whole-house rekey worth doing, so ask the technician to walk the property with you before starting.
Garage openers are separate. Rekeying does not clear remote codes, so reset the opener and any keypad on the same day. Our residential locksmith team can walk you through it while on site.
Keyed alike: one key for the whole house
Most customers want a single key. That is possible when every cylinder uses the same keyway, which is true for most Los Angeles homes with all-Kwikset or all-Schlage hardware. When one door is a different brand, we swap that one cylinder so the set matches. The swap is a small parts add-on and is included in the upfront quote, and it means one key on your ring for as long as you live there.
If you want the guest house, a home office or a tenant unit on a separate key, say so. Keyed alike does not have to mean every door.
Rekey or convert to a smart lock?
A rekey keeps your hardware and changes who can open it. A keypad or smart deadbolt changes how you open it. Many Los Angeles homeowners do both on the same visit: rekey every cylinder and convert the front or garage entry door to a keypad so cleaners, dog walkers and guests get codes you can delete instead of keys you cannot get back.
Most keypad deadbolts from Schlage, Yale and Kwikset still have a mechanical cylinder, and that cylinder can be keyed to the rest of the house. If you are weighing the two, our comparison of biometric and keyless locks versus traditional locks covers the trade-offs.
Los Angeles specifics that change the quote
1920s duplexes in Mid-Wilshire and Miracle Mile
Many of these units still have original mortise locks. Some can be rekeyed, some need a new mortise cylinder, and a few need a modern deadbolt added above the old lockset. The technician tells you which before touching the door.
Koreatown apartments
Buildings with a master key system for management need care: rekeying a unit to a new key can take it off the master. We check with the building first and offer options that keep the manager’s access where the lease requires it.
Landlord and property-manager turnover
Turnover rekeys are priced per cylinder like any other job, and buildings that use restricted keyways get predictable, repeatable quotes. Several units can be scheduled in one visit so the service call is spread across the building. See our guide for real estate and property professionals.
How to plan the visit
- Walk the property and count every keyed cylinder, including gates, garage doors and the guest house.
- Note the brand stamped on each key or lock face.
- Decide which doors share the house key and which stay separate.
- Decide how many copies you want cut on the van.
- Book a daytime slot where you can, and mention gate codes and parking.
- Have your ID and proof of address or the lease ready; we verify before rekeying.
When to call Locksmith Liberty
Call Locksmith Liberty at (213) 314-1971 for a whole-house rekey after closing on a house, moving into a rental, losing a key ring, or parting with a roommate, contractor or housekeeper who had a key. Same-day house rekeys are normal on most calls; if you are also locked out, the emergency locksmith line bundles the lockout and the rekey into one visit with one service call.
For deadbolt upgrades, smart lock installation and everything else that goes with a house rekey, see our residential locksmith services and our coverage pages for Mid-Wilshire and Hollywood.
About Locksmith Liberty
Locksmith Liberty is a licensed mobile locksmith company based in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA, serving central and west Los Angeles including Mid-Wilshire, Koreatown, Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Miracle Mile, West Hollywood, Culver City and Santa Monica. Technicians respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for home, apartment and car lockouts, rekeying, lock installation and repair, car key replacement and programming, and commercial locks and access control. Every job is priced upfront before work begins. Call Locksmith Liberty any time at (213) 314-1971.
Whole-house rekey FAQs
How much does it cost to rekey a whole house in Los Angeles?
It depends on how many lock cylinders you have, not how many rooms. Locksmith Liberty prices a whole-house rekey per cylinder plus one mobile service call, adds any extra keys you want cut, and applies a night rate only for after-hours visits. You get the full quote by phone before any work begins, and most houses with four to eight cylinders are finished in one visit.
Is it cheaper to rekey a house or change all the locks?
Rekeying is almost always the less expensive option because you keep the hardware and only the pins inside each cylinder change. Replacing means paying for new locks on every door plus installation. Replace only the locks that are worn, low grade or that you want to convert to a keypad, and rekey the rest to the same key.
Can every door in my house be keyed to one key?
Yes, as long as the cylinders share a keyway. Most Los Angeles homes have Kwikset (KW1) or Schlage (SC1) hardware. If one door is a different brand, we swap that cylinder so the whole set works on a single key, and the swap is included in your upfront quote.
Should I rekey the garage door and side doors too?
Yes. The garage pedestrian door, the door from the garage into the house, side and kitchen doors and any gate lock are the doors previous keyholders are most likely to still have keys for, and they are out of sight of the street. A whole-house rekey should include every keyed exterior cylinder, including the ones you rarely use.
Do landlords in Los Angeles have to rekey between tenants?
California does not have a statewide law that forces a rekey at every turnover, but landlords are responsible for providing a secure unit, and most Los Angeles property managers rekey between tenants as standard practice. Locksmith Liberty offers per-cylinder pricing for turnover rekeys and can key several units alike to a manager’s key where the building is set up for it.
