Day one: rekey everything
Every previous tenant, owner, cleaner, dog walker, contractor and ex-roommate had a key to your door at some point, and you have no idea how many copies exist. Nothing else on this list matters until those keys stop working.
Rekeying keeps your existing locks and changes the pins inside so they accept a new key and reject every old one. It is quick, far cheaper than new hardware, and we can key every door to one key at the same time. Replace rather than rekey only when a lock is worn, corroded, low grade, or you want a different type of lock.
Renting? In most leases the landlord owns the locks, so ask before changing anything. Most landlords in PB are fine with a rekey if the office gets a copy of the new key, and many pay for it between tenants. Get the answer in writing.
Doors: the deadbolt and the part everyone ignores
Every door from outside to inside should have a deadbolt, not just a locking knob or lever. A knob latch can be forced with a card or a shove; a deadbolt with a full one-inch throw cannot.
The part most people skip is the strike plate, the metal plate on the frame the bolt slides into. Builders often fasten it with short screws that only bite the trim. Swapping them for 3-inch screws that reach the wall stud turns a door that kicks open into one that does not. It is a five-minute upgrade and the highest-value item on this page. A reinforced strike takes it further on a soft or split frame.
Which doors count
- Front door and any street-facing door
- Back and side doors, especially the one from the alley
- The door from the garage into the house, often the weakest door on the property
- Any door in a detached garage, studio or laundry room
Grades, finishes and what we stock are on the installation and repair page.
Sliding doors, windows and gates
Patio and sliding doors. PB condos and bay-facing units live on their sliders, and the factory latch on most is a thin hook that can be lifted or jiggled. Two fixes: a proper secondary lock mounted on the frame, and an anti-lift device, which can be as simple as screws in the top track or a pin through the frame, so the panel cannot be lifted out from outside. A bar in the bottom track is the low-tech backup.
Windows. Ground-floor windows and any window reachable from a fence, a garage roof or a balcony should have a working lock; older sash windows often have none. Keyed or pin locks let you leave a window cracked for the breeze without leaving it open.
Gates and side yards. A side gate that latches but does not lock is a walkway to your back door. A gate lock or a keyed latch in a finish that survives salt air keeps the yard private.
Mail, garage and the small stuff
- Mailbox lock. Mail theft is a real nuisance in beach neighborhoods with street-side boxes. A locking insert or a replacement lock on a multi-unit mailbox stops the easy grab; in a shared building the manager usually has to approve it.
- Garage side door. Usually the cheapest door on the house with the oldest lock. Treat it like a front door: deadbolt, long screws.
- Garage door opener. Clear the old remotes and codes and pair yours fresh, or a previous tenant's remote in a glovebox somewhere still opens it.
- "Hidden" keys. The rock, the mat, the top of the frame. Everyone looks there. A keypad or a lockbox with a code you change is the honest version of a hidden key.
- Roommate plan. Decide now what happens when someone moves out: keys back, rekey, or a keypad code deleted.
Smart locks and coastal hardware
A keypad or smart lock on the front door fits PB living: no key on a beach run, codes for the cleaner and the friend who feeds the cat, no rekey every time a roommate leaves. The rule is the same as for any lock: the door has to latch on its own first, and keep a physical key override for the day the batteries die. Details are on the residential service page.
Whatever you install, the finish matters more here than in most of the city. Within a few blocks of the water, plated locks pit and seize in a couple of years, while solid brass, stainless and marine-grade coatings keep turning. Our coastal hardware guide goes through what to buy and what to avoid.
The checklist
Screenshot this and work down it in the first week.
- Rekey every exterior lock, keyed alike (renters: landlord approval first)
- Deadbolt on every exterior door, including garage-to-house
- 3-inch screws in every strike plate, reinforced strike on soft frames
- Secondary lock and anti-lift protection on sliding doors
- Working locks on ground-floor and reachable windows
- Lock on the side gate
- Locking mailbox
- Garage opener remotes and codes reset
- Old hidden keys removed; keypad or coded lockbox instead
- Roommate move-out plan agreed
- Coastal-grade finishes on anything facing the ocean
Most of this is one visit. We do move-in rekeys and deadbolt upgrades across Pacific Beach every week, from cottages north of Diamond to condos along the bay, and we tell you which items your place actually needs rather than selling you all of them.
Questions people ask
Can I rekey the locks myself as a renter?
Usually only with your landlord’s permission, since the locks belong to the property. Ask first and offer a copy of the new key for the office; many landlords agree readily because it protects their unit too. If the answer is no, a secondary lock or a removable door reinforcement is the fallback.
How long does a move-in rekey take?
A typical PB home with three or four exterior doors takes under an hour, including cutting your new keys and keying the doors alike. Adding a deadbolt where there is none or reinforcing strike plates adds roughly half an hour per door.
Should I replace old locks instead of rekeying them?
Replace when the lock is corroded, wobbly, a cheap builder-grade knob with no deadbolt, or when you want a keypad or smart lock. If the hardware is solid and you simply need old keys to stop working, rekeying is the cheaper and faster answer, and it looks identical from outside.