GREAT SOUTHERN LOCKResidential & rental
Lock rekeying and lock changes in Melbourne
New house, departing tenant, lost key, or an ex who never gave theirs back. Rekeying kills every old key without paying for all-new hardware — and it’s done at your door.
- Open 24 hours
- We come to you
- Public liability insured
- ABN registered
- 24/7Answered every hour
of every day - Fully mobileThe workshop comes
to your door - 29 suburbsMelbourne inner
south-east coverage - Insured & ABNPublic liability cover
ABN registered
Reasons
When people rekey
- Moving into a new home — the most common reason, and the best money you’ll spend on settlement week.
- Between tenancies — routine turnover for landlords and property managers.
- A key went missing — lost, stolen, or never returned.
- After a relationship ends — quiet, quick, and no hardware to explain.
- After a break-in — alongside repairing whatever was forced.
- Too many keys in circulation — cleaners, trades, old housemates, a key cut years ago for someone you’ve forgotten.
Keyed alike — one key for the whole house
If your cylinders are compatible, they can be rekeyed to a single key. Front door, back door, garage, side gate, all on one. Most people ask for it once they realise it’s possible, and it costs very little more than rekeying the locks separately.
What it does and doesn’t fix
Rekeying makes old keys useless. It doesn’t upgrade a weak lock into a strong one. If your front door is running a worn-out cylinder from the eighties, rekeying it means the old keys are dead but the lock is still the weak point. In that case a lock change — or a restricted key system — is the honest recommendation, and you’ll get it.
Settlement week checklist
- Rekey or change every external cylinder, including the garage side door.
- Ask for the doors to be keyed alike while the locksmith is already there.
- Check the deadlocks actually throw properly — plenty don’t.
- Count the keys you were handed, then assume more exist. That is the whole point.
Worth asking for
- Key all doors alike
- Check deadbolts throw properly
- Garage and side gate included
- Spare keys cut on the spot
Say it when you book and it gets done in the same visit.
Call 0468 770 558Hardware
Locks and brands we work with
Most Australian homes are running one of a fairly short list of lock families. If yours is on it, a rekey is usually straightforward. If it is something unusual, say so on the phone and you’ll be told before the visit rather than after.
- Lockwood
- Gainsborough
- Whitco
- Austral
- Carbine
- Brava
- Yale
- ASSA ABLOY
- Kaba
- Mul-T-Lock
- Legge
- Doric
- Dorma
- Cylinder deadlatches
- Mortice locks
- Euro cylinders
- Oval cylinders
- Sliding door locks
- Patio bolts
- Window locks
- Screen and security doors
- Garage personnel doors
- Gate locks
- Padlocks
Just moved in?
Rekey the day you get the keys. Quickest, cheapest security decision you'll make.
Read next
Guides on this
Longer answers to the questions that come up before people ring.
Questions
Rekeying questions
What’s the difference between rekeying and changing a lock?
Rekeying changes the pins inside the cylinder you already own, so old keys stop working and a new key starts. Changing the lock means new hardware on the door. Rekeying is cheaper and quicker, and for most people it achieves exactly the same thing: the old keys are dead.
I just moved in. Should I rekey?
Yes, and quickly. You have no idea how many keys to that house exist — previous owners, their kids, a cleaner, a tradesperson, an ex-partner, an agent. Rekeying the day you get the keys is one of the cheapest pieces of security money buys.
Can all my doors use the same key?
Usually. If the cylinders are compatible we can key them alike so one key runs the front door, back door and garage. It’s a common request at handover and it makes life considerably easier.
A tenant moved out and didn’t return the keys.
Standard rekey. It’s the routine job between tenancies and it’s why a lot of property managers keep a locksmith on speed dial. Cheaper than new hardware every turnover.
How long does a rekey take?
A typical house with a front and back cylinder is usually done inside the hour. More doors, or cylinders that turn out to be worn past saving, take longer — you’ll be told which situation you’re in before the work starts.
When is replacing the lock the better call?
When the hardware itself is worn out, damaged, badly out of date, or you want to move up to a restricted key system. If a lock is on its last legs, rekeying it just buys a short reprieve — we’ll tell you which situation you’re in.
Other things we do
Car key replacement
Lost every key to the car? We cut and program a new one at the roadside for most makes and models — no tow, no dealership wait.
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24/7 emergency lockout
Locked out of the house, car or shop. Non-destructive entry wherever it’s possible, any hour of the night.
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Commercial locksmith
Shopfronts, offices and rentals. Master key systems, restricted keys and scheduled maintenance for property managers.
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Mul-T-Lock restricted keys
High-security cylinders that can’t be copied at a kiosk. Real control over who holds a key to your building.
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Deadlocks & window locks
Proper deadbolts on every external door, patio bolts on sliders and key locks on the windows that matter. Keyed alike if you want one key.
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