Someone Moved Out and Still Has a Key
What’s Happening
When someone moves out and keeps a key, every lock that key fits is no longer under your control. Rekeying or replacing those locks is the straightforward fix, and it can almost always be done the same day you call.
This isn’t a worst-case scenario - it’s one of the most common reasons people call us. A former tenant, an ex-partner, a roommate who left on bad terms, even a contractor who was supposed to return the key and didn’t. The physical lock hasn’t failed. The problem is that the key to it is somewhere you can’t account for. Until the lock is rekeyed or replaced, anyone holding that key can walk through your door. Rekeying changes the internal pin tumblers so the old key no longer works. It’s fast, it’s affordable, and it gives you back full control of who can enter your home.
Why It Happens
A tenant or roommate moved out without returning all copies
This is the most common scenario we see. Keys get copied at hardware stores for a few dollars, and there’s no way to know how many duplicates exist once a key has left your hand. Even if the person who moved out is completely trustworthy, you have no way to know whether they gave a copy to someone else during their time in the home. The only way to close that gap is to change what the key works on, not to chase down the key itself.
A relationship ended and a shared key wasn’t returned
Separations – romantic or otherwise – often move fast, and the practical security details get overlooked. Someone who had legitimate access for years may now have a key and a changed relationship with you. That doesn’t require a police call or a confrontation. It requires a rekeying appointment.
A contractor, housekeeper, or caregiver kept a key after the job ended
Short-term access that was never formally closed out is a security gap hiding in plain sight. You trusted that person for a reason, and the key made sense at the time. But once the reason is gone, the key should be too. If returning it was overlooked on both sides, rekeying is cleaner than an awkward conversation.
A key was passed along without your knowledge
Sometimes the person you gave the key to gave it to someone else – a family member, a friend, a neighbor asked to check on the place. You may not even know it happened. This is the scenario where rekeying matters most, because the key you’re worried about may have already become two or three keys. A new lock configuration puts all of those copies out of service at once.
What to Do Right Now
- Stop using the affected locks as your primary security. Don’t assume a locked door is fully secure until the rekeying or replacement is done. If you have a secondary lock, a chain, or a sliding bar, use it in the meantime.
- Note every lock the key fits. Front door, back door, garage entry, side gate – if the same key or a keyed-alike set was in use, every one of those locks needs to be addressed. Write the list down before the technician arrives.
- Don’t change the lock yourself to save time. A deadbolt installed without proper alignment can give false confidence. A lock that looks changed but isn’t seated correctly is often easier to force than the original. Let a trained technician do it right.
- If you have any reason to believe unauthorized entry has already occurred, call local law enforcement first. A rekeying appointment is not a substitute for a police report if something has happened.
- Photograph any visible damage to door frames, strike plates, or keyways. If there’s any sign of tampering – scratches around the keyway, a bent strike plate, a door that doesn’t sit right in the frame – document it before anything is touched and mention it when you call us.
How We Fix It
When your local Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. team arrives, the technician will assess every lock you’ve identified and confirm whether rekeying or full lock replacement is the right call for each one. In most cases, rekeying is the answer: we disassemble the cylinder, replace the pin tumblers to a new combination, and cut fresh keys on the spot. The old key is dead before we leave your driveway.
If the existing hardware is worn, misaligned, or simply not worth keeping, we’ll say so plainly and show you what’s available. We carry and install Schlage, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, Yale, Kwikset, and Sargent – so you’re not stuck with whatever happens to be on the truck.
The services that resolve this are Lock Rekeying and, where hardware replacement makes sense, Lock Installation. Most jobs are done in a single visit. Before any work begins, you’ll have the price in writing – the same number quoted on the phone. That’s how we’ve operated since 1984, and it isn’t changing. Every job is also covered by our 90-Day Done Right Promise: if something isn’t right, we come back. No paperwork, no arguing.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a genuine security gap, and the sooner it’s closed the better. The risk isn’t just theoretical – it’s an active, uncontrolled key to your home. That said, if the situation is calm and there’s no reason to believe the person would enter without permission, you have time to schedule properly rather than panic. If there’s any tension, history of conflict, or uncertainty about how many copies exist, treat it as urgent. Call (877) 664-8139 and we can often have someone there the same day.
Yes. Our phones are answered by a live person every hour of every day, including weekends and holidays – no voicemail, no callback queue. Call (877) 664-8139, describe the situation, and your local team will give you an arrival window and a price before you hang up.
For this situation, rekeying is just as effective. The lock body stays in place; the internal pins are changed so the old key no longer operates the cylinder. If the existing hardware is in good condition and properly installed, a rekey gives you full security at a lower cost. If the lock is worn, damaged, or low-quality to begin with, your technician will tell you that honestly and show you what a replacement would involve.
Every Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. technician is background-checked before they ever step onto a job and arrives in uniform with ID they’ll show at the door before any work begins. We think that matters more for a locksmith than for almost any other trade – the person opening your locks should be the most verifiable person you’ve ever hired. If anything feels off when someone arrives, you have every right to ask for ID before you open the door.
Get It Fixed
Call (877) 664-8139 right now – a live person picks up, gives you a straight price, and dispatches your local Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. team. Most rekeying jobs are done in a single visit. Your old key stops working before we leave. Book online if you prefer, but the phone is faster.
Written by Gil Navarro, Owner at Strongbox Lock & Safe Co., serving local communities since 1984.