Is it cheaper to rekey door lock cylinders or buy new locks?
Just moved into a rental property in Sharjah. Want to make sure previous tenants or contractors don’t have working keys to our front door without replacing the entire decorative door handle assembly. How does rekeying work?
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Expert Answers 1
Rekeying is definitely the right choice here. Replacing a full decorative door handle set in Sharjah can easily cost 400 to 1,000+ AED, whereas swapping the lock mechanism usually costs under 150 AED. Best of all, your front door keeps its original look.
Here is how it actually works and what to expect:
How it works physically
Inside your lock, there is a metal cylinder with small pins cut to match your specific key. When you rekey, a locksmith opens the cylinder, dumps the old pins out, and drops in new ones configured for a brand-new key.
However, in the UAE, most apartment and villa doors use standard Euro-profile cylinders. Because of this, locksmiths rarely sit there swapping individual pins. Instead, they just unscrew one long bolt on the side of the door, slide the old cylinder out, and pop a fresh one in. It takes about 5 minutes, leaves zero damage on your decorative handle, and completely kills access for any old keys floating around with former tenants or contractors.
A few practical tips for Sharjah rentals:
Get the sealed key pack: Brand new cylinders come in a sealed plastic package with 3 to 5 keys. Make sure the locksmith unseals it in front of you so you know no extra copies were made.
Inform your landlord: Drop your landlord or building management a quick WhatsApp message letting them know you replaced the lock cylinder for security. Most tenancy contracts in Sharjah require you to give a spare key to the building manager (haris) or landlord for emergency maintenance.
Multi-point locks: If your handle needs to be lifted upwards to lock the top and bottom of the door frame, mention this to the locksmith beforehand so they bring the correct cylinder length.
If you're hiring someone through an app, just ask for a "cylinder replacement for a wooden door lock" and you'll be set.
Here is how it actually works and what to expect:
How it works physically
Inside your lock, there is a metal cylinder with small pins cut to match your specific key. When you rekey, a locksmith opens the cylinder, dumps the old pins out, and drops in new ones configured for a brand-new key.
However, in the UAE, most apartment and villa doors use standard Euro-profile cylinders. Because of this, locksmiths rarely sit there swapping individual pins. Instead, they just unscrew one long bolt on the side of the door, slide the old cylinder out, and pop a fresh one in. It takes about 5 minutes, leaves zero damage on your decorative handle, and completely kills access for any old keys floating around with former tenants or contractors.
A few practical tips for Sharjah rentals:
Get the sealed key pack: Brand new cylinders come in a sealed plastic package with 3 to 5 keys. Make sure the locksmith unseals it in front of you so you know no extra copies were made.
Inform your landlord: Drop your landlord or building management a quick WhatsApp message letting them know you replaced the lock cylinder for security. Most tenancy contracts in Sharjah require you to give a spare key to the building manager (haris) or landlord for emergency maintenance.
Multi-point locks: If your handle needs to be lifted upwards to lock the top and bottom of the door frame, mention this to the locksmith beforehand so they bring the correct cylinder length.
If you're hiring someone through an app, just ask for a "cylinder replacement for a wooden door lock" and you'll be set.
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