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Moving boxes by the front door while the entry lock gets rekeyed in the background
Why "Who Has Keys?" Is Unanswerable, and What to Do Instead
Across years of ownership, keys multiply quietly: the painting contractor's copy, the dog-walker's, the one under the flowerpot during the kitchen remodel, the ex who never mailed theirs back. The previous owners aren't hiding anything: they genuinely don't remember. Since the question can't be answered, make it moot: rekey every exterior cylinder so existing copies die. One visit, $85–$225 published for 1–4 locks, new keys in your hand. Ask for keyed-alike while the technician is there, so one key runs the whole house.
The Checklist
- Rekey all exterior doors: front, back, side, garage-to-house, and any shed or gate cylinder you care about. The garage-to-house door counts as an exterior door; treat it like one.
- Reset the garage. Clear the opener's remote memory and re-pair only your remotes (the seller's car may still hold a paired button), change the keypad code, and check the emergency release works.
- Change every code you inherited: door keypads, alarm codes, gate codes, smart-lock user codes. Treat inherited codes exactly like inherited keys.
- Smart locks: take account ownership. Factory reset, enroll under your own app account, remove unknown users, and rekey the mechanical keyway most smart locks still have.
- Audit the deadbolts. Every entry door should have one, throwing a full inch into a solidly-anchored strike. Doors without one: $80–$200 published, fresh prep included. Doors that "need a shove to lock" need alignment, not replacement. Say so and save money.
- Sliders and accessible windows: a track screw or bar for the slider, working latches or pin stops on ground-floor windows. Cheap, fast, disproportionately effective.
- Mailbox lock: for cluster boxes, your carrier/postmaster manages the compartment lock; for private mailboxes it's a quick cylinder swap. Mail theft is an identity-theft vector; the previous resident's mailbox key is a loose end worth closing.
- Make your spares deliberately. One to a trusted person, one inside in a known spot. Skip the fake rock, which burglars have also purchased. If you want copy-control, that's what restricted keyways are for.
Renters: Same Logic, Different Route
Every item above applies to a rental. The difference is who executes it. Lock changes generally need landlord consent, rekeying between tenants is standard practice you're entitled to ask about, and California law sets the floor (operable deadbolt included) and the bright lines. The full breakdown, including the domestic-violence lock-change provisions: Locks, Keys & California Rentals.
While You're At It
Moving in is also when key habits get set. If the household runs on one shared car key, fix that now: a spare programmed key costs a routine visit today and prevents an all-keys-lost emergency later. And if the previous owner left a safe with no combination, that's a solvable problem too: safe opening, ownership verified.