Mailbox lock replacement, done at the mailbox

What this covers

Mailbox lock replacement is for the small lock on your mailbox: a lock that no longer turns, a key that has been lost, or a lock damaged by someone trying to get in. It covers a mailbox at a house and your own compartment door in a cluster mailbox, the kind found at apartment buildings and in newer developments. We take out the old lock and fit a new one with new keys.

How we approach it

We check the mailbox door and the way the lock is held in place, then fit a replacement lock that suits it. The new lock comes with its own keys, so the old keys no longer fit. On a cluster mailbox, only your own compartment door is touched. The new lock is tested with each key before we finish.

Where it stops

This work covers the lock on your mailbox or your compartment, not the rest of the mailbox. The lock the mail carrier uses to open a cluster mailbox belongs to the postal service and is not ours to touch, and fitting a new mailbox or post is a separate job. If a compartment door is bent or broken, we will say whether a new lock alone will hold it.

In an apartment building or a community with cluster mailboxes, check who is responsible for your compartment lock before arranging a replacement. Some property managers and homeowner associations handle it themselves or have a rule about it. If the lock is yours to replace, keep a record of the new keys so the next resident or the manager is not left guessing.

A lost mailbox key is a reason for a new lock, not just another key. Mail carries names, account details and checks, and a key that is out there opens the box for whoever has it. With a new lock and new keys, the lost key no longer fits, which a copy of the old key could never do.