Spring hits different in Encino. The hills along Mulholland green up after the winter rains, the orange blossoms come out, and the open houses on Hayvenhurst and Amestoy start lining up around the block. If you closed escrow in March or April — or you’re about to — you’re part of a wave. Moving trucks are a daily sight on Ventura Boulevard right now, and the U-Hauls parked outside the condos near Encino Park are basically a spring tradition.
So here’s our unsolicited advice from a crew that’s been turning keys in the 91316 for years: before the cable guy shows up, before the couch gets delivered, change your locks.
Why the Previous Owner’s Keys Are a Real Problem
Escrow paperwork hands you a deed. It does not hand you a complete list of everyone who has a working key to your house. Think about who that might include for the family that lived there before you:
- The cleaning service they used every other Thursday
- A dog walker who covered the cul-de-sacs off Louise Avenue
- The neighbor who watered plants during their Mammoth trips
- The contractor who replaced the water heater last summer
- An adult kid who moved out to Westwood but still had a spare
- The realtor’s lockbox key floating around somewhere
None of those people are villains. Most of them probably forgot the key exists. But “probably forgot” is a thin layer of security for a house you just paid Encino prices for. A is the cleanest way to draw a line: from this date forward, only the people you hand keys to can open this door.
Rekey or Replace? The Honest Answer
We get this question on almost every new-homeowner call. Both work. The difference comes down to what’s already on the door.
If the existing hardware is decent — say a Schlage or Kwikset deadbolt installed in the last five or six years and still smooth to turn — a rekey is usually the move. We change the pins inside the cylinder so old keys stop working, and you save money on hardware.
If you walked into the house and saw three different brands of knob, a deadbolt that wiggles in the door, or a back slider with a builder-grade lock from 1998, that’s a full replacement conversation. Spring is also a smart time to think about smart locks if you’ve been curious — kids coming home from school in fall is a lot less stressful when nobody’s hunting for a hidden key under the planter.
Encino-Specific Spring Considerations
A few things worth knowing if you’re new to the neighborhood:
Older homes near Encino Park and Balboa. Plenty of the ranch-style houses south of Ventura were built in the 50s and 60s. We see a lot of original mortise locks and oddball door thicknesses in there. Don’t assume the box from Home Depot will fit — measure twice or have someone take a look first.
Gated communities and condos near Hayvenhurst. Some HOAs have rules about exterior hardware finishes or what brands you can use on front doors. Check the CC&Rs before you swap out brass for matte black. We’ve watched homeowners do the work twice because of this.
The gates and side yards. Encino homes love a side gate. Spring is when people remember those exist — and when the previous owners’ gardener still has the padlock key. Roll the gate locks into the same visit and save yourself a callback.
Pool gates. California pool fence laws are strict, and a lot of houses up in the hills have pools. If the self-closing gate latch is sticky or the lock is shot, fix it now, before the kids are out of school and friends start coming over.
Do It the Weekend You Get the Keys
The mistake we see most often: people wait. They mean to call, then the dishwasher breaks, then there’s a work trip, then it’s Memorial Day weekend and they still haven’t done it. Three months later they’re still using the same keys the seller handed over at closing.
The job itself is fast. A standard front door and deadbolt swap on a typical Encino home takes us under an hour. We carry hardware in the truck, so there’s no “we’ll order it and come back next week.” If you also got locked out figuring out which key goes where during the move-in chaos, we handle on the same trip — no extra dispatch fee.
For the full picture of what we cover in the area — locks, keys, safes, automotive — there’s a rundown of our Encino locksmith services on the main hub.
One Last Spring Tip
While we’re at the door, ask us to check the strike plates and the screws holding everything in. A $400 deadbolt with three-quarter-inch screws into a soft jamb is mostly decoration. We carry three-inch screws and reinforced strikes, and it’s a five-minute upgrade that does more for your security than the lock itself.
If you’re settling into a new place this season and want to get the lock change crossed off the list, the Locksmith HQ team is local and answers the phone 24/7 at (818) 398-9391. Welcome to Encino.
