Why this is more complicated than a simple rekey
When one person lives alone, rekeying is simple: you own or rent the place, you ask for the work and the locksmith does it. When two or more people share a home, authority gets blurry. A roommate who moved out may still be named on the lease, may still have belongings inside and may still believe they have a right to enter. The person who stayed may feel unsafe or simply want a clean slate. Both can be reasonable, and a locksmith is not in a position to referee.
That is why a careful locksmith asks questions before touching the lock. Who is on the lease? Who owns the property? Is the roommate who left still a tenant of record? Did the landlord agree? These questions are not meant to be obstacles. They protect you as much as anyone, because a rekey ordered without proper authority can lead to a legal dispute, a damaged relationship with your landlord or a complaint that the person who left was locked out of a home they still had rights to.
In Broward and Palm Beach County, shared housing takes many forms: two friends in a condo in Pembroke Pines, a group of students renting a house near Boca Raton, coworkers splitting an apartment in Fort Lauderdale, or a family member who moved in temporarily and has now left. Each of these situations has different documents and different people with a say. The principles below apply broadly, but your lease and your relationship to the property decide what is allowed.
If you are afraid for your safety at any point, call 911. A locksmith is not a substitute for police when someone is threatening you or has entered unlawfully. The page on when to call 911 instead of a locksmith lays out where the line sits.
Read the lease first
The lease is the single most important document in this situation. It tells you who the tenants are, whether the landlord must be told about lock changes and whether tenants may alter hardware at all. Some leases prohibit changing locks without written permission. Some require that the landlord keeps a copy of every key. Others permit rekeying provided the landlord receives a new key within a set period.
Look for the names. If you and the roommate are both named on one lease, you are jointly responsible for the home, and neither of you can usually remove the other by yourself. If the roommate was a subtenant under you, the details differ and may depend on whether the landlord approved the arrangement. If the roommate was never on the lease and simply stayed with you, the question may be simpler, though you should still check whether the landlord needs to be notified.
Make a note of anything the lease says about move-out. Many leases require that all keys be returned when a tenant leaves. If the departing roommate has not returned theirs, you may have a clear basis for asking, in writing, for the key to be handed over before anything else is done. The checklist on moving-out key return gives a helpful framework for what should be accounted for at the end of a stay.
Getting written consent from everyone with a say
If more than one person has a right to be in the home, the cleanest path is agreement in writing. A short message or signed note that says all tenants consent to a rekey, and that the departing roommate will receive or has returned their keys, goes a long way. It does not have to be formal. What matters is that it exists and is clear.
If the roommate has moved out for good and agreed to give up access, ask them to confirm that in a text or email, and keep it. If they are cooperative, it also makes sense to arrange a time for them to collect remaining belongings so there is no argument later about being locked out of their own things.
If the roommate has not agreed, or cannot be reached, think carefully before proceeding. A locksmith will usually want to know the status. If the person is still a tenant of record and has not given up their right to enter, rekeying without their agreement or the landlord's approval can create a problem for you, even if you have lived alone in the home for months. In that situation, the landlord may need to be part of the solution, and any dispute over who may enter is a legal matter beyond a locksmith's role. See the guide on estate, divorce and shared property lock requests for how technicians treat disputed access.
Involving the landlord or property manager
Even if your lease allows tenant rekeying, telling the landlord is almost always wise. A landlord who finds out afterward that locks have changed may worry about emergency access, maintenance visits or liability. A short note ahead of time, offering to give them a copy of the new key, tends to prevent friction.
In some buildings, the landlord controls the locks entirely. Condo associations and managed apartment complexes often have master key systems or restricted keyways, and a rekey may need to be done by an approved vendor or by the association itself. If you live in a condo, the page on locked out of a condo explains why associations care about who touches the door hardware.
If the landlord refuses, ask for the reason in writing and for their plan to handle the departed roommate's key. A landlord has an interest in keeping the building secure, and many will agree once they understand the situation. If they cannot or will not help and you feel unsafe, keep a record and consider contacting a legal aid organization or a local housing office for advice. A locksmith cannot override the lease.
What a rekey does and does not accomplish
Rekeying changes the internal pin arrangement of an existing lock cylinder so old keys no longer operate it, while new keys do. The lock hardware stays on the door. It is usually a quicker and more modest approach than replacing the whole lock, and your door looks the same afterward.
It does not touch other ways in. If the home has a keypad lock or smart lock, the roommate's number or app access has to be removed separately. If there is a garage remote, a gate fob or a mailbox key, those stay valid until dealt with. If the roommate had a spare key left with a friend, a family member or a neighbor, the rekey makes that copy useless but you may want to ask where copies are so you can recover the set.
A rekey also does not fix hardware that is worn, loose or poorly installed. If the deadbolt sticks, the strike plate is out of alignment or the door frame is damaged, those issues weaken security whether or not the pins are new. The article on rekey versus replace describes when replacing makes more sense. Whatever the answer, a technician needs to see the door to say.
Shared keys, copies and who is holding what
Households with several people tend to accumulate keys with no record. A roommate gives a key to a partner, a family member keeps a spare, a previous roommate never returned one, and no one remembers who has what. When someone leaves, that history catches up.
Sit down and make a list of every key and access method that exists for the home: the front door, any secondary doors, a garage or storage unit, a mailbox, a gate or building fob, a smart lock number, a parking tag. Next to each, write who holds it. If you cannot account for a key, treat it as unknown. The page on duplicate keys and who has copies explains how to take stock without turning it into an argument.
A rekey is the cleanest way to end uncertainty. After the work, you receive a fresh set of keys and know exactly how many exist. Agree among remaining occupants how many copies each person needs, and consider using stamped keys that cannot easily be copied at a kiosk, which a locksmith can discuss.
Difficult situations: breakups, conflicts and safety
Roommate departures are not always friendly. Sometimes the person left after a conflict, and the remaining tenant feels uneasy. In some cases the former roommate was also a partner, and the relationship ended badly. The page on rekeying after a breakup covers the specific questions around that situation.
The important point is the same. Locksmiths act on authority. If you are the only person who has a right to be in the home, you can say so and provide documents to show it. If someone else still has rights, a locksmith may decline until the dispute is settled. That is not a judgment on your safety concerns, it is a guard against being used to lock someone out improperly.
If you believe your safety is at risk, contact the police and keep records of what has happened. Local victim-services programs can help with options you may not know about, including legal protections. Tell the dispatcher when you call a locksmith that you have a safety concern, because that affects how the visit is arranged, such as meeting the technician in a safe place.
What the technician will ask and check
When the technician arrives, expect a short conversation. You will probably be asked for identification and for something that shows you live at the address, such as a lease, a utility bill or mail. If you are the tenant of record, the technician may want to see your name on the lease. If the landlord arranged the visit, the technician may confirm with them.
The technician then looks at the doors you want rekeyed. They note the cylinder types, check whether the hardware is standard or restricted and count how many keys you need. If anything about the situation looks unclear, such as another person's name on the lease who has not agreed, you may be asked to resolve it before work starts.
Be ready to explain the scope. Is it only the front door, or also a back door, a sliding door lock, a garage entry or a storage closet? The more accurately you describe it by phone, the more useful the quote conversation will be. Quotes are given by phone only, and jobs that are more complicated than a simple cylinder rekey require a visit to see the hardware. There is a service call charge, and it is explained before dispatch.
Making a plan and calling
A practical sequence: read the lease, list the keys and access methods, ask the departed roommate to return keys and confirm in writing, tell the landlord, then arrange the rekey. If a roommate cannot be reached or refuses to cooperate, pause and get advice rather than forcing a change that could be challenged.
If you are the only tenant now and the lease allows it, you can request a rekey with your documents ready. If the landlord handles locks, ask them to schedule the work. Either way, stay present for the visit and keep the receipt, since it is useful if the landlord or an insurer later asks what was done and when.
When you are ready, call and explain the situation plainly: who lives in the home, who left, what the lease says and what you want changed. A dispatcher will tell you what is possible and what will need to be confirmed first.
Questions people ask
Can I rekey if my former roommate is still on the lease?
That is the hard case. If the roommate is still a tenant of record, they may still have a legal right to enter. A locksmith will normally want their agreement or the landlord's written approval before rekeying. If they have moved out for good, ask them to confirm in writing that they are giving up access. Without that, resolving it with the landlord is safer than acting alone.
Do I need my landlord's permission to rekey?
It depends on the lease. Some leases forbid any lock change without written permission, and some require that you give the landlord a copy of the new key. Even if your lease is silent, telling the landlord is wise. In condos and managed buildings, the association or management often controls the locks, and an approved vendor may be required.
What proof will a locksmith ask for?
Expect to show photo identification and something that connects you to the address, such as a lease, a recent utility bill or mail. If the property is a rental, the lease or landlord confirmation is the strongest evidence. The goal is to make sure the person asking has the right to authorize the work, not to make the visit difficult.
Will a rekey stop my roommate's smart lock number or fob?
No. A rekey changes only the key-operated cylinder. Keypad numbers, app access, fobs and garage remotes are managed in their own systems and must be changed or removed separately. If your door has an electronic lock, remove the former roommate's user entry as part of the same effort, and check any gate or building credentials.
How is the price decided?
Quotes are given only by phone, and a dispatcher can usually describe how the work is priced for a simple rekey. More complicated jobs, such as multiple doors or restricted keyways, need an on-site visit. There is a service call charge, and it is explained on the phone before a technician is sent, so you know the structure before you agree.
What if I feel unsafe because of my former roommate?
If you feel in danger, call 911 first. Tell the locksmith about your concern when you call so the visit can be arranged carefully. Keep records of messages and incidents, and consider contacting a local victim-services or legal aid program. A rekey can help with access control, but it is one part of a larger safety plan, not a replacement for one.
Describe the situation by phone and we will tell you what the job involves. Quotes are given by phone. Jobs that cannot be quoted without seeing them need a technician on site, and the service call charge is explained on the phone before anyone is dispatched.
Related pages
Handling the handover day with a calm, written routine
The day a roommate moves out is the best moment to settle keys. Ask them to return every key, fob and remote, and write down what you receive. If they have a copy made earlier, ask directly. A simple tone helps: you are not accusing anyone, you are closing a loop. Have the remaining roommates agree on the process before the day arrives so nobody improvises. If the departing roommate lives far away, a tracked package with a photo on both ends is a clean way to return keys, and it creates a dated record.
Photograph the keys returned, with a date, and share the photo with everyone on the lease. If the departing roommate is not available, arrange a courier or a drop-off with a neighbor, and keep a record. Ask the landlord to confirm in writing that the person is no longer a tenant, and whether the lease permits a rekey. Those messages are valuable if disagreements arise later. Keep messages polite and factual, because a cooperative tone usually leads to a faster return of keys and avoids turning a lease detail into a conflict.
Schedule the rekey as soon as the handover is done, and do not wait for a problem. We check ownership or authority before changing any lock, and a clear message from the landlord plus agreement among the remaining tenants makes that straightforward. Please call us to confirm availability. We explain the scope and any quote before work begins, and we will test every new key with you. Check that every remaining roommate has agreed to the plan, ideally in a group message, before we arrive, so the door is not a point of dispute on the day.