A compiled reference of 21 verified statistics on rental lockouts, lost keys, and rekeying. It covers what a lockout costs, what rekeying costs at turnover, where rekeying is legally required, how renters and hosts feel about keys, smart lock adoption in rentals, and the laws that make locking a tenant out expensive. Every figure names its source (a 22,887-quote Yelp cost dataset, published locksmith price guides, the August Home study, Texas and California law) and was independently checked before publishing.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Keys are a recurring cost and a recurring worry. Lockouts and rekeys are priced by the visit, turnover rekeying is the law in Texas, and locking a tenant out on purpose is illegal everywhere. The numbers explain why keyless access keeps growing fastest in rentals.
Rekeying averages $140 nationally, from 22,887 real locksmith quotes.
A lockout costs $75 to $145 in the day. After hours it runs $125 to $295.
Texas requires rekeying within 7 days of every tenant turnover.
75% of guests worry about losing keys. 61% of hosts worry too.
Rentals are the fastest-growing smart lock segment: 16.58% a year through 2031.
An illegal lockout in California costs $100 a day, $250 minimum.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in August 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
A large real-quote cost dataset, locksmith companies' own published price guides, a named industry survey, market research, and state statutes.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each one inline where it appears.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
Where sources give different numbers, we show both rather than blending them into a false single figure.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
A note on reading these numbers. Locksmith prices are published guide rates from named companies in specific markets, plus a national quote dataset; your market will differ. The August Home survey was commissioned by a smart lock maker, so its sentiment numbers favor smart locks; we name the sponsor. Lockout laws vary by state and this page is not legal advice. Confirm any figure against the named source before relying on it.
Lockouts, keys, and rekeying, by the numbers
All 21 figures, grouped by theme. Each one names its source and was independently verified.
What a lockout costs
The best national number comes from Yelp (yelp.com), which analyzed 22,887 real locksmith quotes. Published price guides from working locksmiths fill in the details: Treasure Coast Locksmith (treasurecoastlocksmith.com) in Florida and ACME Locksmith (acmelocksmith.com) in Phoenix both publish their actual rates. The pattern is consistent. Daytime lockouts are cheap. After-hours lockouts are not.
Statistic 1
The national average cost of rekeying is $140. Typical quotes run $35 to $165.
Yelp cost data, 22,887 real quotes (2026)
Statistic 2
Locksmiths charge $50 to $100 per hour in business hours and $150 to $250 after hours, plus a trip fee averaging $75.
Yelp cost data, 22,887 real quotes (2026)
Statistic 3
A home lockout runs $75 to $145 during business hours and $125 to $295 after hours.
Treasure Coast Locksmith published price guide (2026)
Statistic 4
Per-cylinder rekeying runs $20 to $40. The service call, not the cylinder, is most of a locksmith bill.
Treasure Coast Locksmith published price guide (2026)
What this means: The same lockout can cost twice as much at 2 a.m. as it does at noon. For operators, the cost of a lockout is not the locksmith. It is the guest standing outside, the review that follows, and the staff hour spent fixing it.
What rekeying costs at turnover
Every turnover raises the same question: who else has a key? ACME Locksmith publishes its real rekeying rates, and they show the shape of the job: a fixed trip fee plus a small per-cylinder charge. The trip fee is most of the bill.
Statistic 5
Rekeying costs $25 to $35 per lock cylinder at your home, plus a $100 to $125 service call.
ACME Locksmith published pricing, Phoenix (2026)
Statistic 6
A typical whole-home rekey of three doors runs $250 to $350, including the service call and reinstalling the locks.
ACME Locksmith published pricing, Phoenix (2026)
Statistic 7
Rekeying a first door runs $105 to $155, with additional doors at $45 to $65 each on the same visit.
Treasure Coast Locksmith published price guide (2026)
What this means: At $250 to $350 per turn, physical rekeying between every tenant adds up fast. This line item is a big part of why code-based access took over rentals: changing a code costs nothing.
Where rekeying is the law
In Texas, rekeying at turnover is not a best practice. It is a statutory duty, with the details spelled out in the Property Code's security device rules.
Statistic 8
Texas landlords must rekey key, card, or combination locks within 7 days of every tenant turnover, at the landlord's expense.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.156(a)
Statistic 9
Texas tenants may request additional rekeying at their own expense, with no limit on the number of requests.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.156(b)
Statistic 10
If a Texas tenant vacates in breach of a written lease, the landlord may deduct the reasonable rekeying cost from the security deposit.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.156(e)
What this means: In Texas, every single turnover carries a built-in rekeying bill by law. Deposit rules interact with it too, which our security deposit statistics report covers in depth.
How renters and hosts feel about keys
The best sentiment data comes from a 2016 study August Home (august.com) commissioned from Edelman Intelligence: 701 US short-term rental hosts and guests. August Home makes smart locks, so read these as the keyless side's best case. Even so, the worry they measure is real and specific: losing the key.
Statistic 11
75% of guests worried about losing their rental's keys. 61% of hosts worried guests would misplace them.
August Home study by Edelman Intelligence (2016)
Statistic 12
53% of guests said smart locks removed the worry of being locked out.
August Home study by Edelman Intelligence (2016)
Statistic 13
77% of guests and 88% of hosts said smart locks are safer than traditional keys.
August Home study by Edelman Intelligence (2016)
Statistic 14
85% of hosts believed smart locks would become standard in all rentals.
August Home study by Edelman Intelligence (2016)
What this means: The key itself is a source of anxiety on both sides of the door. Three in four guests worry about losing it. That worry, not the hardware, is what keyless access actually sells.
Smart locks in rentals
The market data backs the sentiment. According to Mordor Intelligence (mordorintelligence.com), rentals are where smart locks are growing fastest. And the 2016 August Home study measured the booking-side pull: guests prefer listings with smart home tech.
Statistic 15
The smart lock market was $3.23 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $3.72 billion in 2026.
Mordor Intelligence smart lock market report (2026)
Statistic 16
Residential installations made up 57.20% of smart lock revenue in 2025.
Mordor Intelligence smart lock market report (2026)
Statistic 17
Hospitality and short-term rentals are the fastest-growing segment, at a 16.58% CAGR through 2031.
Mordor Intelligence smart lock market report (2026)
Statistic 18
Keypad locks are the biggest slice of the market: 42.05% in 2025.
Mordor Intelligence smart lock market report (2026)
Statistic 19
80% of vacation guests and 92% of business travelers said they were more likely to complete a booking if the property had smart home technology. 60% would pay more for it.
August Home study by Edelman Intelligence (2016)
What this means: Rentals adopt keyless access faster than regular homes because rentals pay the key tax over and over: every turnover, every lost key, every 2 a.m. lockout. The economics of access sit inside the broader ops stack we track in our operational KPIs guide.
The law on locking tenants out
One lock rule has no gray area. A landlord cannot use the lock as an eviction tool. Texas and California write it out in detail, and California puts a daily price on breaking it.
Statistic 20
Texas landlords may not intentionally prevent a tenant from entering the unit except by judicial process, with narrow exceptions like bona fide repairs or abandonment.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.0081
Statistic 21
In California, changing the locks or blocking entry to force a tenant out costs actual damages plus up to $100 per day, with a minimum of $250 per violation, plus attorney's fees.
Cal. Civ. Code 789.3
What this means: The same statutes apply to smart locks: remotely revoking a tenant's code is still a lockout. Access control is an operations tool, never an eviction tool. Condition disputes get settled with documentation instead, which our tenant damage statistics report covers.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How much does it cost to rekey a rental at turnover?
The national average for rekeying is $140, based on Yelp's analysis of 22,887 real locksmith quotes. Published locksmith rates put a typical whole-home rekey of three doors at $250 to $350: a $100 to $125 service call plus $25 to $35 per lock cylinder, per ACME Locksmith's published pricing.
Do landlords have to rekey locks between tenants?
In Texas, yes. Landlords must rekey key, card, or combination locks within 7 days of every tenant turnover, at their own expense (Tex. Prop. Code 92.156). Most other states do not require rekeying by statute, but rekeying or changing codes at every turnover is standard practice because departing tenants and their copies of keys are unaccounted for.
Can a landlord change the locks on a tenant?
Not to force them out. Texas bars any intentional exclusion except through judicial process (Tex. Prop. Code 92.0081). California charges actual damages plus up to $100 per day, with a $250 minimum per violation, for lock-changing or entry-blocking used to end a tenancy (Cal. Civ. Code 789.3). The same rules apply to disabling a smart lock code.
How much does an emergency lockout cost?
After-hours lockouts run $125 to $295, versus $75 to $145 during business hours, per a Florida locksmith's published 2026 rates. Yelp's quote data shows a similar day and night pattern: $50 to $100 per hour in the day, $150 to $250 after hours, plus a trip fee averaging $75.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these named sources, each checked against the original before publishing.
YelpRekeying cost dataset, 22,887 real quotes (2026)yelp.com
ACME LocksmithPublished rekeying price guide, Phoenix (2026)acmelocksmith.com
Treasure Coast LocksmithPublished locksmith price guide, Florida (2026)treasurecoastlocksmith.com
August HomeShort-term rental smart home study by Edelman Intelligence, 701 respondents (2016)august.com
Mordor IntelligenceSmart lock market report (2026)mordorintelligence.com
Texas LegislatureTex. Prop. Code Secs. 92.156, 92.0081statutes.capitol.texas.gov
California Legislative InformationCal. Civ. Code 789.3leginfo.legislature.ca.gov