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 Florence-Graham
If you own or manage a rental bungalow or apartment building in Florence-Graham, you already know the drill: a tenant moves out, and the lock needs to be rekeyed before the next one moves in, ideally with paperwork that holds up if there’s ever a Sheriff’s report. Rekeying a typical single-cylinder lock in Florence-Graham runs $75-$135 per cylinder, and a full standard lock replacement including hardware and labor runs $180-$340 per door. We answer the phone live at (331) 310-8471, and we give you a written price before anyone rolls a truck.
Florence-Graham is unincorporated LA County, not a city, and the lock work we do here follows a different pattern than in neighboring incorporated areas. The housing stock is mostly 1920s through 1950s wood-frame rentals: small bungalows, duplexes, and courtyard apartments on streets like Graham Avenue, Compton Avenue, and Firestone Boulevard. Many of those buildings still have the original knob locks, and more than a few have no deadbolt at all. That shapes every service call we make in the 90001 and 90255 ZIP codes.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Florence-Graham’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Since 2002, Novak Lock & Security has worked under a single rule that matters more here than almost anywhere else we serve: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. No dispatcher here is allowed to give you a vague estimate and then have a technician “reassess” at the door. That rule, The Haven Standard Clause 1, was written for exactly this kind of market, where property managers and tenants alike have heard horror stories about bait pricing on lockout and rekey calls.
Our techs working Florence-Graham know the difference between a 1940s mortise lock that can be rekeyed cleanly and one where the rim cylinder is so worn that new pins will wobble and fail within a year. They also know that many of these original doors have warped in South LA’s dry heat and Santa Ana wind cycles, which means a lock that worked fine in January can bind by June. That local knowledge means you are not paying for a repeat service call two months later.
Every visit ends with a documented photo record of the work, left with you at the job site. Every rekey includes a printed receipt showing the date, the cylinder count, and the pinning. When a landlord on Compton Sheriff’s beat asks for rekey documentation acceptable for a case number, we hand it over without being asked twice.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Florence-Graham
Smart Lock Installation
Property managers across Florence-Graham have started asking about smart locks for the same reason they ask about deadbolts: key control. On a 1940s bungalow door, a smart lock typically requires a retrofit plate and sometimes a faceplate rebuild, because the original door prep does not match a modern ANSI footprint. A smart lock install in Florence-Graham, including the lock and labor, usually runs $320-$550 for a quality Schlage Encode or similar. We tell you in writing whether your door can take the lock without a new slab before we start.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry is not a luxury in a rental-heavy community like Florence-Graham. It is a turnover management tool. Instead of cutting new keys every time a tenant leaves, the property manager changes a code. On older wood doors, keyless entry means a motorized or push-button deadbolt that replaces the existing bolt, and the install usually takes under an hour when the door is sound and the strike plate aligns. Plan on $250-$450 per door depending on the grade of hardware.
Keypad Lock
For duplexes and courtyard apartments along streets like Graham Avenue and Miramonte Boulevard, keypad locks solve a persistent problem: multiple tenants, one shared entry, and keys that walk away. A mechanical keypad deadbolt (no Wi-Fi, no battery dependence beyond the bolt motor) runs about $140-$220 for the hardware plus $99-$140 for installation. We stock keypad deadbolts rated for the kind of wood-frame doors common to Florence-Graham’s older rental stock, including thicker strike plates that handle frame shift better.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks on Florence-Graham rental properties are still uncommon, and for good reason: the fingerprint readers are sensitive to the fine dust and dry conditions that come with South LA’s climate. For homeowners who do want one, we recommend pairing the biometric reader with a mechanical key override, because a reader that fails in a heat wave should not lock you out of your own house. Installs run $380-$650, and we will tell you plainly if your door is a good candidate or a bad one.
Trusted Brands We Service in Florence-Graham
We work on the hardware that Florence-Graham’s older buildings actually have, and the hardware that makes sense to add. That means a lot of original Schlage, Baldwin, and Kwikset, and increasingly, keypad and smart locks from Yale. When a property manager wants high-security cylinders that cannot be picked or bumped, we advise Mul-T-Lock, and we handle the full pinning and key control in-house. We keep common service parts for these brands stocked on the van, so a rekey on a 1940s Schlage mortise cylinder does not turn into a “we’ll order the pins” two-day wait.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Florence-Graham Homes
- Warped wood-frame doors that bind in dry heat. South LA’s lack of humidity and the Santa Ana wind cycles cause 1920s-1950s wood-framed rental doors to shift. A deadbolt that seats in winter can bind against the strike plate by August, and tenants respond by forcing the bolt, which strips the cylinder. Rekeying fixes the key, but not the alignment; we often rebuild the strike plate at the same time.
- Original knob-lock-only hardware with no deadbolt. Many Florence-Graham bungalows and courtyard units were built before deadbolts were standard. A landlord asks for a rekey, and we find a worn rim cylinder that cannot take new Schlage or Kwikset pins without wobble. In those cases, an honest answer is a mortise lock replacement or retrofitting a deadbolt, not a cheap rekey that will fail.
- No master key system on multi-unit properties. On apartment buildings throughout unincorporated Florence-Graham, the landlord’s single management key has been copied so many times that key control is effectively gone. A standard rekey fixes one unit and breaks everyone else’s. We build small master key systems on site so the manager has one key that works everywhere and tenants have keys that only work on their own doors.
- Sheriff’s case-number documentation after break-ins. Florence-Graham falls under LA County Sheriff patrol, not LAPD. Property managers and tenants who file reports after a break-in or an attempt often need a rekey receipt tied to the incident, showing the date, unit number, and cylinder count. We produce that as standard, not as a special request.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Florence-Graham, CA
We publish our ranges because hiding the price is the thing that makes people hesitant to call. A standard rekey in Florence-Graham runs $75-$135 per cylinder. A full knob or lever and deadbolt replacement on a typical bungalow door runs $180-$340, including hardware and labor. Smart lock installation runs $320-$550. Keypad deadbolt installation runs $239-$360 all-in. If we find a failed mortise lock or a door that needs realignment, we quote the additional work in writing before we touch it, and we show you the worn part.
| Service | Typical Florence-Graham Range |
|---|---|
| Rekey per cylinder (standard Schlage/Kwikset keyway) | $75-$135 |
| Rekey to one key for multiple doors (per additional cylinder) | $65-$110 |
| Standard deadbolt installation (ANSI Grade 2) | $160-$260 |
| Knob/lever replacement (entry grade) | $120-$220 |
| Smart lock installation (self-contained deadbolt) | $320-$550 |
| Keypad lock installation | $239-$360 |
| Mortise lock replacement on 1920s-1950s doors | $280-$520 |
The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. There is no dispatch fee added when the tech arrives, and no “door condition surcharge” that appears later. Daniel Novak built the company on that rule, and the techs who work under it know they cannot override it.
We Also Serve Cities Near Florence-Graham
Our crews work across the South LA metro, including Lock Installation & Rekey in Florence-Graham and the surrounding area. If you manage properties in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, or San Francisco, the same written-price rule and the same documented photo record apply. Call (331) 310-8471 and tell the dispatcher where the property is, and we will tell you the exact price before anyone is dispatched.
Serving Florence-Graham, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Florence-Graham 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 Florence-Graham
If the cylinder is original 1940s or 1950s hardware and the key still turns smoothly, a rekey is usually enough. If the cylinder has play, the key sticks, or the door has shifted so badly that the bolt no longer seats, a rekey will not fix it, and you are better off replacing the lock and rebuilding the strike plate. We inspect first and tell you which one applies, and the price is the same either way because it is in writing before we start.
Yes, with limits. Most Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, and Yale cylinders can be repinned to a shared keyway, but some old mortise-style cylinders cannot accept modern pin sizes. When that happens, we replace the non-compatible cylinder so the whole property ends up on one key, and we quote that replacement before doing it. Call (331) 310-8471 to get a per-cylinder price over the phone.
Your rekey receipt needs to show the date, the property address, the unit number, the number of cylinders rekeyed, and a confirmation that the work is complete. We provide that as a standard document on every rekey, and we will add a line for the incident or case number if the Sheriff’s deputy has already issued one. There is no extra charge for the documentation.
It depends on the door thickness and the existing prep. Most 1940s doors are 1-3/8″ to 1-3/4″ thick, which works, but the original mortise lock footprint does not match a modern deadbolt. We typically retrofit with a faceplate rebuild, and on doors that have warped, we add a thicker strike plate to stop the bolt from binding. We quote the retrofit as part of the install, so you know the total before we begin.
Rekeying means repinning the existing cylinder so the old key no longer works. Changing the cylinder means pulling the old cylinder and installing a new one, usually because the old one is worn past the point where new pins will seat reliably. On older mortise locks in Florence-Graham, we often find the cylinder is too worn for a clean rekey, and replacing just the cylinder is cheaper and more honest than repinning something that will fail in six months.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Florence-Graham since 2002.