Rekeying a rental property in Washington is not spelled out in any statute; no law says “rekey between tenants.” What the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act requires is narrower and, at turnover, more useful. Under RCW 59.18.060 a landlord must “provide reasonably adequate locks and furnish keys to the tenant” and must “maintain and safeguard with reasonable care any master key or duplicate keys to the dwelling unit.” When the outgoing tenant’s keys are not all back in your hand, the most direct way to meet both duties before the next tenant moves in is to rekey the unit.
In Tacoma there is a second reason. The city’s Rental Housing Code bars a landlord from raising rent or serving a notice to vacate without certifying that each unit complies with RCW 59.18.060, and working locks and keys are part of that section. Peak Locksmith rekeys rental houses, duplexes and apartment units across Tacoma and Pierce County, quoted by phone before a technician is dispatched.
This article is general information for landlords and property managers, not legal advice. Statutes and the Tacoma code were checked in October 2026. For a dispute with a tenant, talk to an attorney or Washington LawHelp.
What Washington Law Says About Locks and Keys at Turnover
Six short provisions of RCW 59.18 decide what a Washington landlord may and must do with locks at the end of a tenancy. The table puts each one next to the turnover decision it drives.
| Statute | What it requires | What it means at tenant turnover |
|---|---|---|
| RCW 59.18.060(6) and (7) | Provide reasonably adequate locks and furnish keys; safeguard any master key or duplicate keys to the unit | If any key issued to the previous tenant, a contractor or a cleaner is unaccounted for, the unit’s keys are no longer safeguarded. Rekeying restores key control without new hardware. |
| RCW 59.18.290(1) | A landlord may not remove or exclude a tenant from the premises except under a court order; the tenant may recover possession or terminate and recover actual damages | Do not rekey while a tenancy is still legally in force, even after a notice has expired. Rekey after the tenant has vacated or the court process has ended. |
| RCW 59.18.310 | A tenant who defaults in rent and “reasonably indicates by words or actions the intention not to resume tenancy” has abandoned the unit, and the landlord may enter and take possession | The middle case. Document the rent default and the words or actions (keys returned, unit emptied, written notice) before treating the unit as vacant and rekeying. |
| RCW 59.18.575(4) | A tenant who is a victim of sexual assault, stalking or unlawful harassment by the landlord may change or add locks at the tenant’s expense, must notify the landlord in writing within seven days, and must return the key and all copies when vacating | Expect a lock you did not install. Collect the keys at move-out and rekey or replace that cylinder so the unit is back on your key system. |
| RCW 59.18.585 | When a tenant holds a court order excluding another person from the unit, the landlord, given a copy of the order, must replace or rekey the lock at the tenant’s expense and must not give the excluded person a key | A mid-tenancy rekey the landlord must comply with once given a copy of the order. The lock stays on the tenant’s key until move-out, then returns to the turnover process. |
| RCW 59.18.280(1) | Deposit statement and refund within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the unit is vacated, with copies of estimates or invoices to substantiate damage charges | If you deduct a rekey because the tenant lost keys, the locksmith invoice goes in the deposit statement. |
The practical reading is that “reasonably adequate locks” are locks that only the current tenant and the landlord can open. A deadbolt that still answers to a key cut for someone who moved out in June is adequate hardware with inadequate key control.
Tacoma’s Extra Layer: The Rental Housing Code
Landlords inside Tacoma city limits also answer to Tacoma Municipal Code Chapter 1.95, the Rental Housing Code, in the version dated July 2023. Two of its sections connect to locks and keys. TMC 1.95.060.E covers rent increases and TMC 1.95.070.B covers notices to vacate. Both say the landlord may not issue the notice unless the landlord has complied with the City’s business license requirements under TMC 6B. Those requirements include an annual business license, registration of each dwelling unit, and a certification that each unit complies with RCW 59.18.060. Because that is the section requiring adequate locks and keys, a Tacoma unit with a failed deadbolt, a missing key set or a lock the landlord cannot open is a unit the landlord should not be certifying. Tacoma’s code applies only inside city limits; Lakewood, Puyallup and the unincorporated county run on the state act alone unless their own codes say otherwise.
Rekey, Replace, Reset or Leave It: A Turnover Decision Table
Not every unit needs the same work. This table is built from Peak Locksmith’s standard rekey process.
| Situation at move-out | Recommended action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| All issued keys returned, hardware sound | Rekey anyway on a scheduled turnover visit | Keys are copied at any hardware store and you cannot prove a copy was not made. A rekey on sound hardware restarts key control without changing the door. |
| One or more keys missing, or a roommate or ex-partner had a key | Rekey every exterior door before the next move-in | Needed to keep keys “safeguarded” under RCW 59.18.060(7). Keep the invoice for the deposit statement if the loss was the tenant’s. |
| Keypad or smart lock on the door | Delete every user code, unlink the old tenant’s app account, factory reset, set a new programming code, then issue the new tenant’s code | On many models, including Kwikset’s Halo, codes survive a battery change, so pulling the batteries does nothing. A factory reset is the clean break. |
| Deadbolt binds, key sticks, latch does not catch | Replace the lock, not just the pins | Worn hardware is not “reasonably adequate” and will generate a lockout call in the first wet month. |
| Building on a master key system | Rekey the unit’s change key only; the master stays | The tenant gets a new key while the manager’s master still opens the door. A lost master is a different, larger job. |
The Turnover Rekey Checklist
A tenant turnover rekey in Tacoma is a short visit when the landlord has done the counting ahead of time. This is the sequence Peak Locksmith walks through with landlords on the phone.
- Confirm the tenancy has ended. The tenant has vacated and returned possession, the unit meets the abandonment test in RCW 59.18.310, or the court process is complete. The dispatcher asks whether the unit is vacant before a rental door is rekeyed.
- Count every locked opening. Front door, back door, slider, garage side door, storage closet, gate, and the mailbox only if it is a private box (USPS controls cluster boxes).
- Decide the keying and the key count. Most landlords key every door of one unit alike and issue two keys to the tenant and one to the office. Write the count into the key log and the lease.
- Handle any keypad or smart lock separately. Factory reset, new programming code, new tenant code, and a note of the model for the next turnover.
- Gather and destroy the old keys. Do not leave them in a drawer with the unit number on the tag.
- File the invoice. A routine rekey with all keys returned is the landlord’s cost, like paint. If the tenant lost a key and the lease makes that the tenant’s responsibility, the rekey can be a deduction, and the invoice goes into the deposit statement under RCW 59.18.280 within 30 days of move-out.
A key log that survives staff changes needs six fields per door: unit, door, keyway, number of keys issued, date, and the initials of whoever handed them over. Most Pierce County rentals run Kwikset or Schlage keyways, and both are rekeyed on site from the van, so the existing deadbolt and knob stay on the door and no new holes are drilled.
What Customers Say About Rekey Calls
Three Google reviews of Peak Locksmith mention rekey work. Nicolas: “Called in the afternoon for a re-key and he arrived same day as promised.” Amy: “We had an emergency and had to rekey several locks in our house.” Neema, about office locks: “Gentlemen rekeyed our office locks, enhancing security efficiently and quickly.”
How a Turnover Rekey Works with Peak Locksmith
A rental rekey call starts with the address, the number of doors and locks, and whether any keypad or smart hardware is on the unit; the dispatcher quotes the full job by phone before anyone is sent. On site the technician confirms the unit is vacant or that the landlord has authority to rekey, repins every cylinder to one new key, tests each door from both sides, hands over the agreed number of keys, and leaves an itemized receipt for the key log and, if needed, the deposit statement.
Peak Locksmith handles turnover rekeys, lock replacement and keypad resets through its residential locksmith service, and multi-unit buildings, master key systems and office turnovers through its commercial locksmith service. For a building that has outgrown individual keys, the guide to master key systems for property managers explains how unit rekeys fit inside a master system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Washington law require landlords to rekey between tenants?
Not in those words. RCW 59.18.060 requires reasonably adequate locks, keys for the tenant, and safeguarded master and duplicate keys. When a previous tenant’s keys are unaccounted for, rekeying is the direct way to meet that duty.
Can a landlord change the locks on a tenant who has not moved out?
No. RCW 59.18.290 makes it unlawful to exclude a tenant from the premises except under a court order. Rekey after the tenant has vacated, the unit is abandoned under RCW 59.18.310, or the court process has ended.
Can I deduct the rekey from the deposit in Tacoma?
If the lease makes lost or unreturned keys the tenant’s responsibility, yes, and RCW 59.18.280 requires the deposit statement, with the invoice attached, within 30 days of move-out. A routine rekey with all keys returned is normally the landlord’s own cost.
Is rekeying enough, or should I replace the locks?
Rekeying is enough when the hardware is sound. Replace the lock when it binds, sticks or is damaged, because a worn lock is not reasonably adequate and will fail in the wet season.
What about a smart lock or keypad on a rental?
On many models the codes survive a battery change. At turnover, delete all user codes, unlink the old tenant’s app account, factory reset the lock, set a new programming code, and then issue the new tenant’s code.
About Peak Locksmith
Peak Locksmith is a locally owned and insured mobile locksmith company based in Tacoma, Washington (98409), serving Pierce County including Lakewood, University Place, Puyallup, Federal Way and Fife. Technicians respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for car lockouts, home lockouts, rekeying, lock installation and repair, car key duplication, key fob programming and commercial access control. Every job is quoted upfront by phone before dispatch. Peak Locksmith LLC is a registered Washington State contractor (L&I registration PEAKLLL788MG, Locks, Security and Alarm Equipment). Reach Peak Locksmith any time at (253) 262-5630.
