Rekey Locks Gold Coast | Keep Your Locks, Kill the Old Keys

What rekeying actually is

Inside every standard lock cylinder there's a row of small spring-loaded pins. Your key works because its cuts push every one of those pins to exactly the right height, which lets the cylinder turn.

Rekeying means opening the cylinder and swapping those pins for a different combination. Your lock, your door handle, your deadbolt — all stay exactly where they are. What changes is which key turns them.

The moment that's done, every old key stops working. Not “probably”. They physically cannot lift the new pin combination.

That's the whole thing. It sounds more complicated than it is, and on a standard Gold Coast house Ian can usually do the lot in one visit.

Rekey or replace?

Situation	What you need
Just moved in, locks are fine	Rekey
Tenant moved out	Rekey
Lost your keys	Rekey
Relationship ended	Rekey
Sick of carrying five keys	Rekey — keyed alike
Lock is stiff, sticking or seized	Replace — rekeying a failing lock buys you nothing
Lock is visibly worn or the key is loose in it	Replace
Door was forced or damaged in a break-in	Replace, plus check the strike and frame
Cheap builder's hardware you never liked	Replace — worth the upgrade while he's there
No deadbolt at all	New deadbolt fitted
Restricted system held by another locksmith	Neither — see below

The five times it's worth doing

You bought or moved into the place

The one everybody means to do and about a third of people actually get around to. Previous owners, their adult kids, the cleaner, a tradie from the last reno, whoever borrowed a spare and never gave it back, and whoever the agent handed one to during the campaign. It isn't that any of them are a problem. It's that you can't name them.

A tenant moved out

You got back the keys they'll admit to having.

A relationship ended

No further explanation required, and no locksmith will ask for one.

You lost a keyring

Especially one with anything on it that identifies the address — a fob from the local shops, a car key with the rego visible, a tag.

A renovation finished

Builders' keys get handed around a site and rarely get handed back.

0414 841 152

Getting every door onto one key

Called keyed alike, and it's the most common request that comes with a rekey — because most houses have accumulated a front door key, a back door key, a laundry key, a garage key and a side gate key that all came from different places.

Ian rekeys the lot to a single combination. One key, every door.

The catch: all the locks have to take the same keyway — the shape of the slot. Most standard Australian residential hardware plays together fine. If one or two doors have an odd brand on them, those cylinders get swapped so everything matches. Ian will tell you before he starts if that's the case and what it adds.

You can also do it partially: house and garage on one key, side gate on another, so a gardener or a pool bloke gets the gate and nothing else.

The times it can't be done

The lock has failed mechanically

New pins in a worn cylinder is money spent on a lock that's about to give up anyway.

Very cheap or sealed hardware

Some budget locks aren't designed to be serviced. Replacement is the only route.

It's a restricted system held by another locksmith

Restricted keys can only be cut and serviced by whoever holds the system, on written authority. Ian can't touch someone else's, and neither can anyone but them — that's the point of it. He'll tell you who to ring.

Units and apartments on a building master system

The body corporate controls those. Ian will tell you if yours is one rather than wasting a call-out.

Rekeying pricing

Rekey one lockConfirm: price
Rekey a standard house, all doors, one keyConfirm: price
Rekey after a lockout, same visitConfirm: price
Swap a mismatched cylinder to match, eachConfirm: price
Extra keys cut, eachConfirm: price
Supply + fit a new deadboltConfirm: price

Ranges include the call-out. After-hours quoted before Ian leaves.

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Confirm: does Ian do access-arranged jobs, e.g. via an agent or neighbour?

Photo: Ian Pearson, face visible, in uniform

Who's coming into your house

Ian Pearson. Thirty years on the Gold Coast, trade qualified, signed van, and he'll show you ID at the door.

He'll also ask for yours. A locksmith who'll change your locks without checking you live there would do the same for anyone else who rang about your address.

Trade qualified
Confirm: QLD Security Provider licence no.
Confirm: public liability insurer + cover
Confirm: ABN

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Locals rate us

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“Absolutely brilliant service. Had our spare car keys stolen — they chased up replacements in quick time, then travelled outside their normal service area to reach us on holidays. Cannot recommend highly enough.”

Jamie O'Neil

“Absolute legend! Genuinely helped me over the phone without making a cent for himself — saving me a potential $500. Will definitely recommend to anyone in need.”

Mick Barnao

“Highly recommend this business. Excellent customer service, excellent knowledge and excellent work. Professional manner matches his high-quality work.”

Sara Bonham

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Not an emergency

Get a rekey quote

Tell Ian how many doors and roughly what hardware is on them, and he'll give you a number.

Locked out right now? Do not use this form.

0414 841 152 Text instead

Rekeying questions

How long does rekeying take?

A single lock is quick. A standard house, all doors, is usually the one visit.

Is rekeying as secure as fitting new locks?

Yes, assuming the lock itself is sound. The security of a lock comes from its build quality and the pin combination — and rekeying gives you a brand new combination. What it doesn't do is upgrade a poor-quality lock, which is why the rekey-or-replace table exists.

Will my old keys definitely stop working?

Yes. They physically can't lift the new pin combination. This isn't a software change that might be reversible — it's mechanical.

I'm renting. Can I rekey?

Ask the lessor or agent first — in Queensland a tenant generally can't change locks without agreement, and you'll normally need to supply a key. If you're in an unsafe situation the rules are different; say so when you ring.

Can you rekey my car?

Different job — car locks and car keys work differently.

Do you rekey units?

Yes for the lock on your own door, unless it's part of a building master or restricted system.

Can I get more keys later?

Yes, any time. Cheaper on the day, but not a problem afterwards.

Where else should I read about this?

The home locksmith page covers lockouts, deadbolts and smart locks. Car keys are a different job entirely — car key replacement.

Rekeying — Gold Coast