You signed the paperwork, the moving truck pulled away from the curb on Woodman Avenue, and you’re standing in your new living room surrounded by boxes. Congratulations — Arleta is a great spot to land. But before you unpack the kitchen or figure out which Trader Joe’s run is shorter (Mission Hills or Panorama City), there’s one thing we tell every new homeowner to handle in the first 48 hours: deal with the locks.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody at escrow mentions. The sellers handed you a key ring, but they have no idea how many copies are floating around out there. The previous owner’s adult kids, the housekeeper who came every other Tuesday, the neighbor who watered the plants during vacations, the handyman from three years ago who “borrowed” a key and never gave it back. Some of those copies are sitting in drawers all over the Valley.
Rekey vs. Replace: What Actually Makes Sense
A lot of folks think they need brand new locks. Usually they don’t. Rekeying means we keep your existing hardware and change the internal pins so the old keys stop working — and a fresh set of keys becomes the only way in. It’s faster, cheaper, and if your current locks are decent quality (most homes around Brantford Street and Beachy Avenue have solid Schlage or Kwikset deadbolts), there’s no reason to throw them out.
You only need a full if the hardware is genuinely worn out, damaged, or you’re upgrading to smart locks. Otherwise, a gets you the same security outcome at a fraction of the cost.
6 Tips for New Arleta Homeowners
1. Count every lock before you call
Walk the property and make a list. Front door, back door, side gate, garage entry, that weird door in the laundry room that opens to the side yard. The single-family homes off Osborne Street usually have 3-5 exterior locks. Older properties near Branford Park sometimes have a detached garage or shed with its own lock. Knowing the count upfront means we quote you accurately the first time.
2. Check if your locks are keyed alike already
If the previous owner had all the locks keyed to one key (very common in Arleta tract homes built in the 60s and 70s), we can keep that convenience. One key for everything. If they had separate keys for the front and back, we can either match that or consolidate — your call.
3. Don’t forget the mailbox and gate
The cluster mailboxes along Terra Bella Street and the older standalone mailboxes near Sharp Avenue both use small tubular locks that often get overlooked. Same with side gate padlocks. These are cheap to rekey or swap and they matter — mail theft is a real headache in the 91331 zip.
4. Test every key on every lock
Before the locksmith leaves, walk through with the new keys and try them in every lock. Sounds obvious, but we’ve had customers call us back a week later because they never tested the side door and the key turned out to be sticky. Five minutes of testing saves a second trip.
5. Consider security upgrades while we’re already there
If your strike plates are held in with the original 3/4-inch screws (very common on homes near Hubbard Street), ask us to swap them for 3-inch screws that anchor into the stud. It’s a five-minute upgrade that turns a kick-in attack from “easy” into “not happening.” Cheap insurance.
6. Keep one spare key off-site, not under the mat
We see it constantly — the fake rock, the magnetic box under the gas meter, the key on top of the porch light. Burglars know every hiding spot. Give a spare to a trusted neighbor on your street or stash one at your office. The Arleta Library on Beachy Avenue is also a fine landmark for meeting a friend to do a key handoff if you need a neutral spot.
What a Typical Arleta Rekey Visit Looks Like
Most jobs we run in Arleta take 30-45 minutes for a standard 3-4 lock house. We pull each cylinder, change the pin combinations, cut you a fresh set of keys on site, and test everything before we pack up. No drilling, no damage, no waiting around for parts. We cover the whole 91331 area and usually get to homes between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and the 5 freeway within the same day you call.
If you want to see the full list of what we handle locally, our Arleta locksmith services page has everything from car keys to commercial work.
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Getting the locks sorted is one of those tasks that feels boring until you remember the alternative. Spend an hour on it this weekend and you can stop wondering who else has a key. When you’re ready, give the Locksmith HQ Team a call at (818) 398-9391 — we’ll walk you through what your house needs and get you set up.
