Ask a hardware store and the answer is new locks. Ask a locksmith and the answer, most of the time, is rekeying, at a fraction of the price. The difference between the two jobs is poorly understood, and that misunderstanding costs Australian households real money every week.
Here is what rekeying actually involves, the situations where each option genuinely wins, and the one upgrade path business owners should know about.
What rekeying actually is
Inside every pin tumbler lock cylinder sits a row of small pins of varying heights. Your key works because its cuts lift those pins to exactly the right positions. Rekeying means the locksmith strips the cylinder and swaps those pins for a new set matched to a new key.
The result: your existing lock body, handle and hardware stay on the door, every old key becomes useless, and you walk away with fresh keys. On most residential locks the job takes minutes per cylinder once the locksmith is set up, which is why it costs so much less than new hardware.
When rekeying is the right call
Rekeying wins whenever the lock itself is fine and the problem is who might hold a key:
- Moving into a purchased home: previous owners, their tradies and their agents may all hold copies
- Starting or ending a tenancy, subject to landlord permission for renters
- A lost or stolen keyring, especially one carrying anything that identifies your address
- After a relationship breakdown, a departed housemate or a dismissed employee
- Consolidating a pocketful of keys into one key for every door
When replacing is the right call
Replacement earns its higher price when the hardware itself is the problem. A lock that sticks, needs jiggling, or has a key that comes out mid-turn is mechanically worn, and new pins will not fix worn internals.
Replace rather than rekey when the lock is damaged from a break-in or attempted one, when it is corroded from coastal air, when you want to step up from a basic knob set to a proper deadlock, or when the existing lock is an obscure or discontinued brand that is difficult to service. Replacement is also the moment to fix a door that never locked smoothly, since the locksmith can adjust the strike and alignment while fitting the new unit.
Keyed alike: one key for the whole house
While rekeying, the locksmith can pin every compatible cylinder to the same key: front door, back door, garage, side gate. One key on the ring instead of five is the kind of small daily improvement people notice for years.
There are limits. Locks from different manufacturers do not always share a keyway, so a full keyed-alike setup sometimes means swapping one or two odd cylinders for compatible ones. Ask the locksmith to check compatibility across your doors when quoting; it changes the price only slightly and the convenience is permanent.
What each option costs
Rekeying typically runs $30 to $60 per lock plus the callout, so rekeying a whole house with four or five external cylinders is commonly a one to low-three-hundred-dollar visit. Extra keys are cut cheaply at the same time.
Replacing a lock means hardware plus labour. A quality entrance set or deadbolt supplied and fitted usually lands in the low hundreds per door, and premium or high-security hardware more again. That gap is exactly why the right first question is not which new lock to buy, but whether the existing locks are worth keeping. Usually they are.
Restricted key systems for businesses
Standard keys can be copied at any kiosk, which makes key control impossible the day you hand one to a staff member. Restricted key systems solve this: the key blank is patented, and copies can only be cut by the issuing locksmith against a signed authority, with every copy logged.
For shops, clinics, offices and body corporates, a restricted master key system means the owner's key opens everything, staff keys open only what they should, and a departing employee's key can be accounted for rather than guessed about. It costs more per cylinder than domestic hardware, but compare that against rekeying the entire premises every time a keyholder leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Can every lock be rekeyed?+
Most pin tumbler locks can, which covers the large majority of Australian residential locks. Some cheap builder-grade hardware, damaged cylinders and certain older or obscure brands are not worth rekeying, and the locksmith will say so on inspection and quote a replacement instead.
Can I rekey locks myself with a kit?+
DIY rekeying kits exist for a handful of brands, but they suit one brand and keyway only, and a mistake can leave the cylinder unusable with the door locked. Given a locksmith rekeys for $30 to $60 per lock, the saving is small against the risk on your main entry doors.
Does rekeying make my lock more secure?+
It restores key control, which is the point: nobody with an old key can get in. It does not upgrade the lock's physical resistance. If the underlying hardware is flimsy, rekeying it makes a weak lock with new keys. Ask the locksmith whether the hardware itself is worth keeping.
How long does rekeying a whole house take?+
Usually under an hour on site for a typical home with three to five external doors, assuming the cylinders are standard and accessible. Keyed-alike setups across mixed brands can take a little longer if a cylinder needs swapping.