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 Brooklyn
Lock installation and rekeying in Brooklyn means working on doors that are often a century old. We know the difference between a 1920s Corbin mortise lock and a 2005 Schlage deadbolt because we work on both every week, from Park Slope brownstones to Sheepshead Bay apartment buildings. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team reaches most Brooklyn neighborhoods in 60 to 90 minutes, with the price quoted in writing on the phone before any technician is dispatched. That price is the invoice price. No add-ons at the door. Call (331) 310-8471 and you’ll speak with a live person who can give you a firm number.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Brooklyn’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Brooklyn’s housing stock is unlike anywhere else in the country. We’re not just familiar with it. It’s most of what we do. A typical week takes our technicians through Williamsburg co-ops, Ditmas Park Victorian houses, and Bay Ridge two-families, often working on three different lock generations in a single building. The crew that shows up is background-checked and in uniform, and they carry parts for pre-war mortise locks, modern cylindrical deadbolts, and high-security cylinders from Medeco and Mul-T-Lock. That matters here more than in any suburban market, because a Brooklyn door is rarely standard.
Every visit ends with a documented photo record, not just a receipt. You get images of the work performed, the hardware installed, and the finished door. Haven Standard Clause 1 applies to every job: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Daniel Novak built the company on that rule in 2002, and it has not changed.
Our work across Brooklyn is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the lock isn’t right, we make it right. No debate about who adjusted what. We return and fix it.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Brooklyn
A rekey in Brooklyn isn’t always a simple pin swap. In a brownstone, it often means disassembling a mortise case that has been in a wooden door since Calvin Coolidge was president. In a new Downtown Brooklyn condo conversion, it might mean installing a Medeco high-security cylinder the board has already vetted. Here’s what we handle most often.
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in Brooklyn presents a specific challenge: most rowhouse doors are thick, usually 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 inches of solid oak or mahogany, and many still carry mortise pockets rather than the standard 2-1/8 inch cylindrical bore a smart deadbolt expects. We install models that work with existing hardware where possible, including retrofit smart locks that attach to the interior thumbturn of a mortise lock without altering the exterior or the freeholder’s door. Before quoting, we verify the door thickness, the existing bore configuration, and the deadbolt alignment. In a building where the door belongs to the landlord, we will not drill into it without written authorization.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry for Brooklyn multi-family buildings usually means a keypad on the unit door or an electronic lock on the common entry. For a two-family in Sunset Park where tenants change every 18 months, a keypad that can be reprogrammed in two minutes removes the need to rekey every time someone moves. We install keyless systems from Schlage, Yale, and other brands we service, and we program the codes with you before we leave. The owner controls the master code. Tenants get their own unique codes. When a tenant leaves, you delete the code and the lock is instantly secure. No hardware to replace. No key to track down.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the most requested upgrade from Brooklyn landlords who manage three or four units in a single rowhouse. A typical installation in a Borough Park two-family or a Bed-Stuy brownstone runs $260 to $480 for the lock, labor, and programming. We recommend keypad deadbolts that retain a physical key override, because the deadbolt opening in an old Brooklyn door rarely aligns perfectly after the first winter, and a physical key gets you in when the motor struggles against a swollen strike plate. The keypad is not a replacement for proper door alignment. It’s layered on top of it.
Biometric Lock
Biometric lock installation in Brooklyn is steady but niche. We install fingerprint locks for homeowners who want to stop carrying keys entirely, and for small offices in places like Gowanus and Dumbo that want access logs tied to individual users rather than shared key sets. The installation requires a stable deadbolt alignment and a clean bore, which is why we inspect the door before quoting. On older rowhouse doors with irregular preps, we may recommend a keypad or smart retrofit instead. A biometric reader on a door that shifts with the seasons becomes more trouble than it saves.
Key Duplication
Key duplication is straightforward for standard keys. For restricted keyways, which are common in Brooklyn co-ops and rental buildings, it requires authorization from the property owner or managing agent. We duplicate restricted keys from Medeco and Mul-T-Lock only with a signed authorization card on file, because a copied key in a Brooklyn multi-unit building is a building-wide security problem, not just a personal inconvenience. We cut keys on-site from our vehicles so you don’t need to make a second trip.
Electronic Lock
Electronic lock installation covers a range from simple motorized deadbolts to full access-control panels for commercial storefronts along Flatbush Avenue or court-ordered controlled entry systems. For a Brooklyn co-op board, we will assess the existing mortise lock before recommending an electronic upgrade. Some pre-war doors can accept a surface-mounted motorized throw. Some cannot. We’ll tell you which is which and quote the work in writing before anything is ordered.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Brooklyn
We install and service locks from the brands most common in Brooklyn buildings: Medeco and Mul-T-Lock for high-security applications, Yale and Baldwin for quality entry hardware, plus Schlage and Kwikset for everyday deadbolts and knobs. We carry a large stock of parts for pre-war Yale and Corbin mortise locks in our vehicles, because sourcing a 1930s case bolt online doesn’t help when a tenant is locked out on a Sunday night in Park Slope. If a part is discontinued, we source from salvage hardware suppliers who specialize in New York City pre-war stock. You don’t pay for that search. You pay the price we quoted before the job started.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Brooklyn Homes
Some problems repeat across hundreds of Brooklyn doors. These are the ones we see most often.
- Mortise lock rekeys on multi-unit brownstones. A single building in Bed-Stuy or Prospect Heights can have three different lock generations across three floors. We rekey each lock to a single master key where the landlord wants it, or to individual keys per unit, and we document which cylinder went where before we leave the stoop.
- Salt-air corrosion in waterfront neighborhoods. In Bay Ridge, Coney Island, and Brighton Beach, Atlantic salt air works its way into lock cylinders and corrodes pin stacks. The result is a key that sticks, a cylinder that won’t turn, or a deadbolt that freezes. We clean, re-pin, and lubricate, replacing the cylinder only when the corrosion has reached the plug.
- Strike plate misalignment from seasonal wood movement. Brownstone door frames are old-growth wood and they swell and shift with Brooklyn winters. A deadbolt that throws in August may not align by January. We adjust, shim, and occasionally reset the strike plate deeper so the bolt has room to travel.
- Tenant turnover rekeys with restricted keys. The Multiple Dwelling Law obligates Brooklyn landlords to provide working locks and keys at tenant turnover. When the previous tenant may have copies, a simple rekey isn’t enough. We cut new restricted keyways so old copies stop working, and we document the new key count for the landlord’s records.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Brooklyn, NY
Lock rekey in Brooklyn typically runs $19 to $32 per cylinder for standard pin-tumbler locks, with most unit rekeys landing between $65 and $120 when you include the service call. A mortise lock rekey on a brownstone door runs $95 to $185 because it requires disassembly and often includes replacing worn case parts. Smart lock installation in Brooklyn runs $220 to $520 depending on the lock and the door condition. Keypad lock installation runs $260 to $480. Biometric lock installation starts around $350 and tops out near $650. These are honest Brooklyn market ranges. We will quote your exact price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that price is what appears on the invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival. If you have a written estimate from another locksmith, we will review it at no charge and give you a straight comparison.
We Also Serve Cities Near Brooklyn
Our service area extends beyond Brooklyn to Manhattan, Astoria, Elmhurst, and Staten Island. Each market has its own quirks, and our dispatchers know the difference between a Staten Island single-family deadbolt quote and a Manhattan high-rise mortise rekey. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our New York City office. The pricing rules do not change across boroughs.
Serving Brooklyn, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Brooklyn 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 Brooklyn
We rekey each lock separately, generation by generation, and you decide whether each floor gets its own key or every lock gets keyed alike. A 1920s Corbin mortise on the parlor floor can be rekeyed to match a Schlage B-series deadbolt on the third floor only if the keyways are compatible. When they are not, we install new cylinders that share a common keyway, preserving the original trim and case wherever possible. The rekey price is per cylinder, quoted in writing before we start, and the photo record shows each lock’s final state. Call (331) 310-8471 and describe what’s on each door. We’ll give you a firm number.
Yes, using a retrofit smart lock that mounts on the interior thumbturn of your existing deadbolt, or by installing a surface-mounted motorized throw if the door and trim allow it. We do not drill through a freeholder’s door or enlarge a mortise pocket without written authorization. The first step is a look at the door. That happens when we arrive, and if the retrofit isn’t possible, you pay only the service call, not a speculative installation.
The Atlantic salt air in Bay Ridge, Coney Island, and Brighton Beach corrodes the internal pin stacks in lock cylinders much faster than in inland Brooklyn. The pins bind against the key, and eventually the key won’t turn at all. The fix is a full disassembly, cleaning, and re-pinning with corrosion-resistant pins, which typically costs $75 to $145. If the cylinder plug is too far gone, we replace the cylinder outright. Lubricating a corroded lock without cleaning it first makes the problem worse.
At minimum, the existing cylinders must be rekeyed so the departing tenant’s keys no longer operate the locks. If there is any question about how many copies were made, we recommend cutting a restricted keyway so unauthorized duplicates stop working entirely, even if the previous tenant still has a physical key. This is the most common legal rekey we perform in Brooklyn’s rental housing, and we document the new key count and lock status in writing so the landlord has a record under the Multiple Dwelling Law.
We use non-destructive entry methods first: picking the lock, decoding the cylinder, or using a bypass tool on the latch. If the lock cannot be opened non-destructively on a co-op door, we stop and ask the board or managing agent for written authorization before drilling anything. Board-owned doors are not the resident’s property to alter. We document the condition of the door before and after, and typically the new lock installation costs more than a simple lockout, but it never happens without written consent. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll talk you through the options before we touch anything.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in Brooklyn
When you need a rekey, a smart lock install, or a tenant turnover lock change in Brooklyn, you want the price before the van leaves the shop. That’s how we’ve worked since 2002, under Haven Standard Clause 1, and it’s how we’ll work for you. Call (331) 310-8471 now for a free estimate. A live person answers, 24/7, and the price you hear on the phone is the price on the invoice.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, coordinating lock installation and rekey work across Brooklyn and the surrounding boroughs since 2002.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas