Lock rekeying in Gainesville & Alachua County

Why keys pile up in a college town

Rekeying means a locksmith changes the pins inside the lock you already have, so it takes a new key and every older copy stops working. In Gainesville, where a single bedroom can host a fall tenant, a Summer A subletter and a new tenant in August, that's the most practical way for a landlord to start each lease clean.

Turnovers that follow UF's calendar

Most move-outs cluster around the end of spring term and the start of fall, which is exactly when locksmiths get busiest. Landlords with several units near campus save themselves trouble by scheduling rekeys ahead of move-in day rather than waiting for the week classes start. It also helps to collect every key at the walkthrough, count them against what was handed out at move-in, and note any that are missing, so you know which units need attention first.

Residents, postdocs and mid-year departures

Not every tenant leaves in May. Residency programs generally change over in early summer, graduate fellowships end on their own schedule, and visiting researchers may stay a single semester. A key returned in an envelope under the door doesn't tell you whether a copy was made along the way; rekeying does.

Buying an older Gainesville house

Houses in older neighborhoods such as the Duckpond have usually passed through many owners, some of whom rented rooms out along the way. Rekeying every exterior door on moving day is a small job that closes a very long list of unknowns.

Houses split into several units

Plenty of older homes near campus have been divided into apartments. A locksmith can often set the locks up so each tenant's key opens only their unit and the shared entry, while the owner carries a single key for everything — which keeps the next turnover down to one lock instead of all of them. Mailbox keys, laundry-room locks and shared back gates are easy to forget, so list every lock the tenants can open before the locksmith arrives.

Need something else in Alachua County?

See everything on the Alachua County locksmith page, or browse Florida locksmiths.

Want the background first? Read our guide: Lock Rekeying.