PCS to San Antonio? A Rekey and Lock Checklist for Off-Base Homes

When you move into an off-base home in San Antonio, assume previous tenants, movers and staff may hold copies of your keys. Rekeying the exterior locks makes only your keys work, and codes on a keypad lock let family in without a spare under the mat. Check your lease before changing any lock. Questions? Call WOW Locks at (844) 969-5625.

From Orders to Keys: A Timeline for an Off-Base Move

Orders do not wait for a tidy moving schedule, and locks tend to fall to the bottom of a long PCS list. Put them on the list early. This timeline runs from the day you pick a rental to the day your family can come and go without a hidden key.

1. Before you sign. Ask the landlord or property manager in writing: has the home been rekeyed since the last tenant, when will the next rekey happen, and what does the lease say about changing locks?
2. Before the truck arrives. Count every exterior door: front, back, garage entry, and any sliding or side door. Note how many locks each door has (a knob plus a deadbolt is two).
3. Move-in day. Collect every key you are given and count them. Try each one in each lock. Ask who else has a copy.
4. First week. If the landlord owes a rekey, this is when it comes due (see the table below). Get the date in writing.
5. Weeks two and three. Set up family codes on keypad locks, and erase old garage remotes and keypad codes so only your remotes work.
6. Before a deployment or long trip. Test every code and every key. Make sure whoever stays behind can get in and knows who to call.

You may land in Universal City, which sits just outside Randolph’s main gate, with Pat Booker Road running from I-35 to the gate. Or you might be in Schertz, where Randolph borders the city to the southwest, or in Live Oak. The checklist is the same on every street.

Who Rekeys What and Who Pays: Landlord Turnover Duty, Your Extra Request, Your Own Home

Texas law has a rule for rental locks. Under Texas Property Code Section 92.156, a landlord rekeys a rental’s key, card or combination security devices at the landlord’s cost, no later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover date. The “tenant turnover date” is the day you move in under a lease once every earlier occupant has left. This applies to residential leases. In practice:

The rule does not cover closet doors or other interior doors, only security devices like exterior door locks. If you are unsure whether a particular lock counts, or whether you can change a lock yourself, ask your landlord or an attorney before you touch it. This is general information, not legal advice.

Want a second set of eyes on your door count? Call (844) 969-5625 or request service. The dispatcher can talk through your locks before you decide anything.

Movers, Cleaners and Property Managers: Who Already Has a Copy

A rental home has had a long list of key holders before you: the last tenant, the property manager, a leasing agent, maintenance, a cleaning crew, a mover or two. Most of them did nothing wrong. A key still exists for each, and none of those keys expire.

That is the reason rekeying is a common precaution when you move in. It makes the old keys useless without replacing the hardware. If you plan to ask for a rekey, our lock rekeying page explains what the work involves. For the generic version of this decision, our guide on whether to rekey or replace locks when moving covers the same question for any Texas home.

Second Car, Spouse’s Fob and Garage Remotes

Locks are not only on the front door. Before orders scatter the family, check three things:

• Garage remotes. Many openers let you erase every stored remote and keypad code and set up new ones. Do that on move-in day so the last family’s remote stops working.
• Spare car keys. If one spouse drives while the other is away, a second key or fob needs to exist and work before the trip, not after.
• Mailbox and storage keys. These get forgotten. Count them with the house keys.

A Deployment-Proof Setup: Codes for Family, No Spare Under the Mat

A hidden spare is a key that anyone can find. A keypad lock replaces it: you give your spouse a code, you give a trusted friend or neighbor a separate code, and you delete either one whenever you like. If a code ever feels compromised, you change it from the keypad without chasing down keys.

A few practical points for a family that expects long absences:

1. Set a separate code for each person so you can tell whose code to remove.
2. Replace the batteries before you leave, and check that the lock has a mechanical key override your spouse can reach.
3. Test every code at the door before the move-out day.
4. Check your lease. Landlords usually want notice before any lock change, and some want a copy of the new key.

Smart lock and keypad installs are a custom quote after we see the door. If you rent, ask the landlord’s permission first.

Older Homes Near the Bases: When Worn Hardware Should Be Replaced

Housing around Randolph has a long history. The Handbook of Texas notes that Randolph’s Air Training Command headquarters arrived in 1957 with more personnel than on-base housing could hold, and a housing development started in Universal City that same year. Homes from that era are now decades old, and the hardware in a house that age is often a patchwork of replacements.

Rekeying works when the lock is in good condition. Replace a lock when:

• the key sticks or the bolt does not extend fully,
• the lock is loose on the door,
• the finish is worn through, or
• a cylinder is damaged and cannot be rekeyed.

If you rent, the landlord decides on replacement. Describe the problem in writing, with a photo.

What Rekeying Costs

Residential rekeying follows the published flat-rate price list: $30 per lock with a 3-lock minimum. A new two-key set is $15. Tax and parts are additional. These totals are examples worked out from the rate card, not a package price. Count locks, not doors: a door with a knob lock and a deadbolt is two.

WOW Locks holds Texas DPS (TOPS) license B10595301 and is insured and bonded. Local technicians are based in San Antonio. Service pages for Universal City, Schertz and Live Oak cover the neighborhoods around the bases, and the San Antonio locksmith page covers the rest.

Moving soon? Call (844) 969-5625 or request service with your door count.