need to rekey or change some locks? defiant and unknown bran

[femurat]

Hi, i have to rekey my apartment locks for a new tenant that's moving in.
i have a patio door key l but i'm not sure what kind of lock it is.
here is the picture for it http://i.imgur.com/Dx3UpS8.jpg
can anyone figure out what brand it is?

i have a front door lock as well as a deadbolt. they're Defiant locks from Home Depot.
here is a picture of the key http://i.imgur.com/BjivMPH.jpg

i couldnt find as much information about rekeying Defiant locks compared to Kwikset or Schlage. the Home Depot website has Defiant rekey kit for $100 compared to Kwikset for like $12! http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-Reke ... iant+rekey

the home depot website also had defiant lock sets that were cheaper than the rekey kit.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-Hart ... /202053142
should i just buy the combo pack and change the whole thing? i'm not experienced with locks at all so how hard is it for a newb to change/rekey the locks?

[Squelchtone]

Welcome to the forum, hope you find these videos helpful:







I think your patio door is a Weiser WR5 key, but that's just a guess. It's probably quicker to just change out the locks if your tenant is moving in very soon, or if you have a couple weeks, you should be able to learn how to take apart deadbolts and knobsets and repin them.

Squelchtone

[billdeserthills]

All your locks can be rekeyed to fit a kwikset key, I don't understand why you feel the need to do the rekeying yourself, at my shop it would cost less than $30
to rekey these 3 locks to a pair of new keys. If you aren't very careful when taking the cylinder apart you will make a mess of the whole job & it will cost much more
to have someone repair your mistake. Also it is nice to have the receipt from a locksmith to prove the job was done correctly, if you find yourself in court being
sued by your client because all of their property disappears, you might look the fool in a court of law, trying to save a few $$...
Besides, this job would be a 'write-off' on your taxes, as a needed expense for the upkeep of your rental property

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Bill's right. It'll be cheaper to rekey them than replace them too. If you're looking to save money, take them off the door and bring them to a locksmith shop. You'll save a trip charge but you won't lose out on a quality job.

...now if I can only find a way to bring my plumbing repairs to my plumber's shop.

[zambu]

thanks all! i really appreciate the help.

the research i had done made it sound like it's something that can be done easily
i also wanted to learn to do it myself since i'll have new tenant every year. but at the same time I don't want to screw it up either.

if i'm understanding this correctly, here are my options?
1. remove cylinder and rekey it myself
2. remove cylinder and take to locksmith for rekeying (i was not aware this was an option)
3. remove entire lock and install new one

i have no idea how much it should cost. Bill, is the $30 for option 2 - so $10 per lock?
i called a locksmith and they said $115 for coming to the apartment to rekey three locks - is that reasonable?

is option #2 relatively easy?

[jeffmoss26]

115 is a reasonable price for a locksmith to come out and rekey the locks.
Taking the locks to a shop will always be cheaper but then you have to put everything back together.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

thanks all! i really appreciate the help.

the research i had done made it sound like it's something that can be done easily
i also wanted to learn to do it myself since i'll have new tenant every year. but at the same time I don't want to screw it up either.

if i'm understanding this correctly, here are my options?
1. remove cylinder and rekey it myself
2. remove cylinder and take to locksmith for rekeying (i was not aware this was an option)
3. remove entire lock and install new one

i have no idea how much it should cost. Bill, is the $30 for option 2 - so $10 per lock?
i called a locksmith and they said $115 for coming to the apartment to rekey three locks - is that reasonable?

is option #2 relatively easy?

Option 2 is your best bet. You don't have to purchase any of the tools or pins, you don't have to keep up with any of it, etc. but you can still save some money. You just take them to a locksmith and they'll rekey it. More than likely they'll charge per cylinder, which is basically anywhere a key can go. Count the key holes (cylinders) and call locksmith's with shops and tell them. They will give you the cost out the door.