Lock Change Service in
Houston, TX

A Typical Lock Change After a Break-In

Here's how a call like this often unfolds.

A family returns on a Sunday evening from a long holiday weekend away to their home on Houston's north side. The front door is fine, but when they walk into the kitchen, the back door is standing slightly open. The frame around the deadbolt is splintered. A television and a laptop are gone. They step back outside and call 911. Police come, take a report, and clear the house.

By then it's after 9 p.m., and the back door won't stay closed, let alone lock. The father searches for a locksmith to change locks after a break-in and calls us. The person who answers starts by asking whether everyone is safe and whether police have already been there. Then she asks about the damage: which door, what's broken, and whether the frame is split. She also asks whether any keys might have been taken. He isn't sure; there was a spare on a hook by the back door, and it's gone. She explains that with a missing key and the front lock should be changed or rekeyed too.

The technician arrives in uniform and introduces himself. He's calm, he asks how everyone is doing, and he checks the father's ID against the address before starting. He looks at the back door first. The deadbolt is bent, and the wood jamb around the strike has split along the grain. He explains that a new lock alone won't hold in that frame.

He removes the damaged deadbolt and knob, then installs a heavy-duty strike reinforcement plate that spreads across a longer section of the jamb, fastened with long screws through the jamb into the wall framing. He installs a new deadbolt and knob, adjusts the strike so the bolt slides fully home, and tests it repeatedly. Then he moves to the front door and changes those locks too, keying everything to one new key, since the old spare is unaccounted for.

Before leaving, he walks the other doors and windows with the family and points out a garage side door that has only a knob. He reminds them to photograph the damage for their insurance. The door the burglar opened now locks more securely than it did before the break-in, and the only keys to the house are the four in the father's hand.

When You Should Change Your Locks

• After a break-in or attempted break-in, especially if a lock or frame was damaged
• When house keys were stolen along with anything showing your address
• When a former partner, roommate, or tenant still has a key
• When an employee with keys leaves a business
• When you want stronger or better-looking hardware
• When locks are worn out and no longer reliable

Changing vs. Rekeying Locks

A lock change replaces the hardware with new locks. A rekey keeps your existing locks and replaces the pins inside so old keys stop working. Both make old keys useless.

If your locks are in good condition, rekeying is usually the better value. Change them when a lock was damaged, when you want stronger hardware, or when you'd simply feel better with something new on the door. Many people mix the two: rekey the good locks and replace the damaged one.

What Happens During a Lock Change

Safety and Authorization

The technician introduces themselves, shows identification, and confirms you own the property or are authorized to change its locks. That protects you and every other homeowner.

Every Door the Keys Could Open

A stolen key ring often opens more than the front door. The technician will help you list every lock the keys could reach: back and side doors, the garage-to-house door, garage side doors, gates, and storage rooms.

Repairing the Frame

After a forced entry, the frame around the strike is often split. A new lock in a split frame won't hold much better than the old one. Where possible, the technician installs a reinforced strike fastened into the framing. If the door or frame needs carpentry beyond locksmith work, they'll tell you and secure the door as well as possible for the night.

Installing and Testing

New locks are installed and adjusted so bolts extend fully and doors close cleanly. If you want one key for every lock, that's done during the visit. Every lock is tested with you before the technician leaves.

After the Locks Are Changed

• Reprogram your garage door opener if a remote may have been taken.
• Change keypad, smart lock, and alarm codes.
• If a car key was stolen, lost car key replacement can erase it from the car's memory.
• Keep a list of who has the new keys, and don't hide a spare outside.

It's normal to feel uneasy for a while. Most people say the feeling fades once they've locked the new deadbolt a few times.

Choosing New Hardware

If you're replacing locks anyway, it's a good time to upgrade. A higher-grade deadbolt with a full one-inch bolt on every exterior door, a strike fastened into the framing, and a secondary lock on any sliding door make a real difference. If you'd rather stop handing out keys, a keypad deadbolt lets you delete a code the moment it's no longer needed; see smart lock installation.

Coming To You Across Houston

Every call in Houston is handled on site, at your door, driveway or lot. Your location, the distance to the closest available technician, and traffic all affect that window.

The Technicians Who Change Your Locks

Expect a technician in a Fast Locksmith 24/7 uniform, carrying company identification. They know a lock change often follows something upsetting, so they explain what they're doing, keep the visit calm, and keep your situation to themselves. They use quality hardware suited to the door, reinforce strikes properly, and protect your floors and finishes while they work.

Fast Locksmith 24/7 is licensed and insured, with a 5-star rating from customers on Google.

Lock Changes Across Houston

Changing locks is the right call when the old ones are worn, damaged, outdated or mismatched. It also makes sense after a break-in, a move or a long run of tenants. In each case the old hardware comes out and new hardware takes its place.

Pick the style you like. Matte black, brushed nickel, satin brass and oil-rubbed bronze are the usual finishes in Houston homes. If you want a consistent look from the front door to the garage entry, tell us, and we'll bring matching sets.

Measure what you can. The thickness of the door and the size of the bore decide what fits. A photo of the edge of the door and the existing lock will help the technician check compatibility before he arrives.

Plan the keys. A new set can be keyed alike so one key opens every door, or keyed separately for areas like a guest house or a workshop.

Hold on to the old hardware until you're sure everything works. Occasionally a screw or a part needs swapping, and it's good to have the original on hand.

We change locks in every part of the city: older homes on the north and east sides where frames have softened with age, townhomes inside the Loop with three keyed doors stacked over three floors, apartments and condos in Midtown and Downtown, rental houses near the universities, and suburban homes from Pearland to Humble. For local details, see lock change service in Downtown Houston and Humble. For new hardware on new doors, see lock installation.

When You're Ready

If your home doesn't feel secure right now, call Fast Locksmith 24/7. Tell us what happened and how many doors are involved.