Spontaneous or adsorbate-induced restructuring of surfaces can significantly influence the kinetics of elementary rate processes in adsorbed overlayers. Theoretically, this effect can be studied by employing statistical models of surface reconstruction. The review presented describes the results of simulations carried out in this field of surface science. The main attention is paid to such processes as desorption and surface diffusion. The systems under considerations are as follows : H/Si(001), H/W(001), CO/Pt(110), H/Cu(110), and H/Pt(001).