Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Fast, Reliable Lock Installation & Rekey Across San Leandro
Lock installation and rekeying in San Leandro runs $25-$45 per cylinder for residential rekeys, $65-$120 for a standard deadbolt installation, and $180-$450 for smart lock or keyless entry installs. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that price is the number on your invoice. No call-out surcharge, no re-quote at the door. If you live in Estudillo Estates, Bay-O-Vista, or the flatlands near Davis Street, we know the houses, the hardware, and the corrosion problems you’re dealing with. Call (331) 310-8471 for a written estimate.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is San Leandro’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
San Leandro homeowners call us because we show up with a written price and a documented record of work. That’s not a marketing line. It’s Haven Standard Clause 1: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Daniel Novak founded the company on that rule in 2002, and it has not changed since. Every technician who walks onto a job in San Leandro is background-checked, uniformed, and working under the same documented quality framework we use in every metro we serve. When the job is done, you get a photo record of what was installed, what was rekeyed, and the condition of the hardware we found.
We answer our phones with a live person around the clock. No voicemail queue, no callback window. If you’re locked out of your warehouse off Dutton Avenue at 2 a.m. or need a rekey before a tenant moves in on Davis Street, you get a real answer on the first call. San Leandro’s mix of post-war bungalows, newer infill construction, and light-industrial properties means we see everything from original 1950s Kwikset knob sets to high-security commercial master systems in the same week. That breadth of local work is why our Lock Installation & Rekey team can quote accurately without seeing the job first.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in San Leandro

Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in San Leandro runs $180-$450 depending on the lock model and whether you’re replacing an existing deadbolt or adding a new one. We install Yale, Schlage Encode, and August smart locks, and we’ll walk you through the app setup before we leave. Homes in the flatlands with original solid-core doors sometimes need a deeper mortise pocket for the smart lock body, which we’ll account for in the written quote.

Keyless Entry and Keypad Lock Installation
Keypad locks run $150-$350 installed in San Leandro. We stock a range of Schlage and Yale keypads at the bay-area office, so turnaround is same-day for most standard installs. On detached gates and outbuildings, we pay particular attention to battery contacts and weather sealing. Salt-laden air from the bay will corrode a poorly sealed keypad within a season, so we use dielectric grease on every exterior install.

Biometric Lock Installation
Biometric locks start at $300 and can go to $700 for high-end fingerprint or keypad-plus-fingerprint models. These are common on workshops, garages, and home offices in San Leandro where owners want entry without carrying keys. We’ll be direct with you about which models hold up in coastal air. Some fingerprint readers get finicky with moisture, and we won’t sell you one that’s going to frustrate you in eight months.

Master Key Systems and Commercial Rekeying
San Leandro’s Davis Street corridor generates a steady stream of commercial rekeying work, particularly in the multi-tenant warehouses and food-manufacturing buildings along the I-880 frontage road. When a tenant vacates, the previous tenant’s master key system often leaves a stray working key with a former employee, a contractor, or a subletter. That requires a full pin and tumbler re-pin, not a simple rekey, and we quote it per cylinder with a written scope before we start. Daniel’s team handles Mul-T-Lock and Sargent master systems that need compliance with commercial lease turnover requirements.

What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Leandro
We’re factory-authorized for Mul-T-Lock, Medeco, Baldwin, and Schlage, and we carry cylinders, pins, and strike plates for those brands at the bay-area dispatch office, so turnaround on San Leandro calls doesn’t wait on a parts shipment from a distributor. For older Craftsman homes near downtown, we stock Baldwin mortise components. For commercial work on Davis Street, we keep Mul-T-Lock and Sargent pinned cylinders ready. You don’t pay for our parts logistics. You pay for the labor and the hardware, quoted in writing before we start.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in San Leandro Homes

- West-facing deadbolts binding within a year. The marine layer off the bay pushes salt-laden air against bay-side doors year-round. Pins inside the cylinder oxidize, the key stops turning smoothly, and eventually the key snaps off in the lock when someone forces it. We see this weekly in Estudillo Estates, Bay-O-Vista, and the flats west of East 14th.
- Original Kwikset knob sets on 1950s and 1960s ranch houses. Much of San Leandro’s post-war housing stock still has its original or first-replacement hardware. These knob sets are single-cylinder, no deadbolt, and the strike plates are often loosened from years of settling. When we install a deadbolt, we typically find the strike plate screws are stripped and the jamb needs reinforcement.
- Keypad failures on detached gates and outbuildings. Acreage properties and larger lots in San Leandro hills often have a workshop, a side gate, or a paddock gate with a keypad lock. Salt air corrodes the battery contacts, and the programming resets. We rekey these gates to match the house and upgrade the keypad seals so the repair doesn’t fail in six months.
- Commercial rekey churn along Davis Street and the I-880 corridor. Tenant turnover in San Leandro’s industrial parks means recurring master key re-pins. A new tenant takes over a warehouse, and the old tenant’s keys are still out there with former staff. We do full cylinder re-pins, not just rekeys, so the previous key is physically useless.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in San Leandro, CA
Residential rekey in San Leandro runs $25-$45 per cylinder, and most homes need four to six cylinders rekeyed in one visit. A standard deadbolt installation runs $65-$120 for the labor and most entry-grade Schlage or Kwikset hardware, and $150-$250 for an ANSI Grade 1 commercial-grade deadbolt with a reinforced strike plate. Smart lock installation runs $180-$450. Commercial master key re-pins on Davis Street typically run $35-$60 per cylinder depending on the keyway and pin count. All of these are quoted as a firm price on the phone before we dispatch. The dispatcher gives you a number, the technician is not permitted to change it on arrival, and that number is the invoice total. Call (331) 310-8471 for an exact quote on your job. Estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Leandro

Our crews serve San Leandro daily and respond to calls in Castro Valley, Oakland, Alameda, and Union City. The same written-price rule, the same 365-Day Done Right Promise, and the same documented photo record apply on every job, no matter the city. If you’re in a neighboring area and want a firm price for lock installation or rekey work, call (331) 310-8471.
Serving San Leandro, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Leandro area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Lock Installation & Rekey in San Leandro

Salt-laden marine air off the bay oxidizes the pins and tumbler stack inside the lock cylinder, and a west-facing door catches that air directly. The fix is a sealed, corrosion-resistant cylinder and regular lubrication, which we can do in one visit. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll quote it in writing before we come out.
Yes. We do keyed-alike jobs on acreage and larger lots in San Leandro regularly. We rekey the house cylinders, the workshop, the side gate, and any padlocks with compatible cores all to a single key. One visit, one key, and it works everywhere. Call (331) 310-8471 for a firm price on your specific setup.
Yes. We work on Baldwin and Sargent mortise lock bodies in San Leandro’s older Craftsman inventory near East 14th and downtown. If the lock body is salvageable, we rekey it. If it’s worn past repair, we’ll quote a replacement mortise in the same footprint so you don’t have to modify the door. Call (331) 310-8471 and describe the door thickness and lock brand.
We can schedule commercial rekeys along Davis Street and the I-880 corridor on short notice, often same-week. For a tenant turnover, we recommend a full pin and tumbler re-pin rather than a simple rekey, because the old tenant’s key may still exist with people nobody remembers. Written scope, per-cylinder price, documented record when we’re done. Call (331) 310-8471 with the number of cylinders and keyway type.
Salt air corrodes the battery contacts and the internal connection points. Once the contact resistance builds up, the keypad loses programming or stops sending the latch signal. We replace the contacts, seal the housing, and rekey the gate to match the house in one visit. Call (331) 310-8471 for an exact quote, and we’ll tell you over the phone whether the unit is likely repairable or needs replacement.
Because Haven Standard Clause 1 has been in force since 2002: the dispatcher quotes a firm price on the phone, and the technician is not permitted to change it at the doorstep. The invoice matches the quote. That rule is the reason the business exists. If you have a written estimate from another company, bring it to us and we’ll review it at no charge. Call (331) 310-8471 with the scope of your job.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in San Leandro
Last week we drove out to a ranch-style home in the Estudillo Estates neighborhood off Dutton Avenue. The west-facing back door deadbolt had seized from marine air, and the owner had been jiggling the key for months. We pulled the lock cylinder, cleaned the salt corrosion from the pin and tumbler stack, rekeyed all four exterior locks to a single Schlage bump-resistant key, and swapped the seized deadbolt for an ANSI Grade 1 model. One visit, no more jiggling at the gate or the side workshop. That’s the job, done right.
If you need lock installation or rekeying in San Leandro, CA, call (331) 310-8471. A live person answers. You get a firm price before we dispatch, a written record when we leave, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise on every job. Daniel Novak’s name is on the van and the invoice. That’s the whole argument.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving San Leandro since 2002.






