Talked to someone recently who skipped rekeying between tenants to save some money and a phone call to a locksmith. I think its worth walking through why that's a worse trade than it looks.

Florida doesn't have a statute that says you must rekey between every tenant. But skipping it creates a real liability gap most self-managers don't think about until something happens. Every previous tenant, every maintenance person they let in, every friend or ex-partner who ever had a key, still has access to your property after they're gone. Landlords have a general legal duty to take reasonable steps to keep tenants safe, and an un-rekeyed lock after a known change in occupants is exactly the kind of thing that undermines that defense if something goes wrong later.

The math doesn't really make sense to skip it. A basic rekey typically runs $75-250 depending on the number of doors and whether you hire a locksmith or do it yourself with a rekey kit. Compare that to what you're exposed to if a former occupant lets themselves in and something goes wrong.

The other thing people miss: rekeying isn't just the front door. Back doors, garage entry, sometimes a mailbox lock, any access point that had a key in someone else's hands before.

Anyone here skip this on a property and regret it, or is this just standard practice for everyone by now?