Many houses near the water were lifted onto new foundations after big storms, and a rebuild brings a long parade of people with keys: framers, electricians, plumbers, inspectors, the contractor's office. When the work is finished, rekeying every door means the only keys that work are the ones you're holding. Rekeys, deadbolts, sliders and the rest of the house are covered on our residential locksmith page. Spares for guests, managers and cleaners can be cut at the same visit; see key duplication.
Raised houses often gained new entry doors and stairs during the work. If the new doors came with builder-grade locks, it's worth deciding whether to keep them or upgrade before the first rental season.
A keypad lock lets you give each guest a code and retire it when they leave, without anyone driving over to swap keys. The mechanical backup key still exists, though, so keep track of who has it. If you rent with keys instead, rekeying at the end of each season clears out every copy made over the summer.
Give each guest a code of their own rather than reusing one all summer, and never use a code that means something to your family, like a birthday or the house number. Codes get shared in group chats, and a code that never changes is a key that never comes back.
When a shore house changes hands, keys are usually held by the sellers, their family, the listing agent, a rental manager, cleaners and anyone who opened up the house for showings. Rekeying in the first week settles it. Change every keypad code at the same time, including the one on the garage or the storage room under the house.
Ask the sellers whether a rental manager or a cleaning service still has keys or codes, and whether any guests are booked for the coming summer. Bookings that carry over to the new owner are common at the shore, and so are lockboxes that nobody remembers to take down.
People who retire to the shore often move into a smaller house or a community with its own association. Some associations control certain doors, such as a shared entrance or a clubhouse, and have rules about what hardware can go on a front door. Check with the association before anything changes, and rekey everything you own outright.
A move is also a good time to think about who should have a key. Grown children, a trusted neighbor and a caregiver may each need one, and a keypad can give them access without a pile of copies floating around.
Locks near the water wear faster. Keys get gritty, bolts start to drag, and a white or green crust appears on the face of the cylinder. A lock in that condition is usually better replaced than rekeyed, with hardware and finishes made to hold up in coastal air.
Sliding doors and gates facing the water take the worst of it. Check those first when you walk the house. Storage rooms and garages under a raised house sit close to the ground and the spray, and their locks often go years without anyone looking at them.
If a lock turns smoothly and you simply don't know who has keys, rekey it. If it's corroded, loose, damaged, or on a door that was forced, replace it. A replacement is also when a keypad can be added, or a finish matched to a new door. The estimate lists each door separately, so you can decide one at a time.
Walk the house before the visit and list every keyed door, the garage and storage doors under a raised house, any keyed slider, and every keypad. Gather every key you can find. The owner can book the work; a tenant needs the owner's written go-ahead. The free estimate comes before anything is touched.
Yes. Everyone who worked on it may still have a key.
A keypad lets you retire each guest's code. With keys, rekey at the end of the season.
Rekey every door and change every keypad code in the first week.
Check with the association before any change. Doors you own outright can be rekeyed.
That's salt corrosion. The lock is usually better replaced.
Sliders and gates facing the water. Check those first.
Door by door, each marked rekey or replace, and it's free.
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