Does a landlord have to rekey the locks between tenants?

What the law says depends on where you are

There is no single federal rule on rekeying. State landlord-tenant statutes differ: a few say that a landlord must rekey or change locks after a tenant leaves, some require it for a tenant who asks after a lease start in certain situations, such as after domestic violence, and many say nothing in particular. Cities may add their own rules. Because this varies, look up your state's landlord-tenant statute or ask a local landlord association, and write what you find in your turn checklist.

This is general information and not legal advice. A rule that applies to you may be in a statute, a city code or your lease.

Why owners rekey even when no law says so

• Former tenants may keep copies of keys, and they can be duplicated at a hardware store in minutes.
• Vendors, cleaners and helpers accumulate keys over the years.
• If a former tenant enters a new tenant's home, the owner may be asked why the old key still worked.
• A rekey takes a locksmith, or a kit and a few minutes, and is far cheaper than a break-in dispute.

Think about who could have a working key to a unit today: the previous tenant, anyone they lent a key to, a cleaner, a painter, a maintenance person and a former helper. You usually cannot name all of them, and a key does not carry a name. Rekeying resets that list to zero, which is the real point of doing it at every turn.

Rekeying changes the inside of the lock so that the old key no longer turns it, and a new key is cut. Replacing the lock set works too. Rekeying is usually cheaper, and a building can be rekeyed to a master key system if you have many units, which has its own tradeoffs because a master key opens many doors.

A simple key control routine

1. Keep a key log by unit: how many keys were issued, to whom and on what date, with the tenant's signature at move-in.
2. Collect all keys at move-out and compare the count with the log.
3. Rekey or change the lock after every turn, and note the date and who did it.
4. Mark keys with a code, not the address, so a lost key does not point to the unit.
5. Store spare keys in a locked box, not a hook in a hallway, and limit who can open it.
6. Record any unreturned keys and any rekey cost in the move-out file, and check your state's rules before deducting it from the deposit.

Who pays for the rekey

Rekeying after a normal turn is usually the landlord's cost of doing business, and many states do not let a landlord charge it to the tenant's deposit as routine. A charge for a lost key or an unreturned key is treated differently in some states if the lease says so. Look at your state's security deposit statute and keep the receipt. Treat the cost as a repair or turn expense in your books.

In DoorKeeping, a turn is a set of work orders with a vendor and a date, so the rekey and its cost sit next to the cleaning and paint. The entry is categorized with the rest of the turn in the books. DoorKeeping is $2 per unit per month.

Sources

1. HUD, Landlord and tenant rights by state, read Oct 30, 2026
2. FTC, Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Is rekeying required between every tenant?

It depends on the state. Some require it, others set no rule. Check your state's landlord-tenant law and consider doing it every turn anyway.

What is the difference between rekeying and changing a lock?

Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing lock so old keys no longer work. Changing replaces the whole lock set. Rekeying is usually cheaper.

Can I charge the tenant for rekeying?

Routine rekeying is usually the landlord's cost. A lost or unreturned key may be chargeable in some states if the lease says so, so check your deposit law.