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 Fort Lauderdale
Lock installation and rekey service in Fort Lauderdale typically costs $65 to $110 per cylinder for a standard rekey, or $180 to $480 for a full lock replacement, quoted in writing before any work starts. Our technicians reach most Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods within 45 to 60 minutes, from Rio Vista to Coral Ridge to Progresso. If your original 1950s or 1960s lock has seized from salt air off the canals, we’ll tell you straight whether it can be rekeyed in place or genuinely needs replacement. Call (331) 310-8471 to speak with a live person who can give you a firm price on the phone.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Fort Lauderdale’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
We’ve rekeyed or installed locks in Fort Lauderdale homes that run the full spectrum: original mortise locks from the 1958 subdivision boom, 1980s condo deadbolts along the Intracoastal, and brand-new smart locks on glass-front houses in Victoria Park. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team knows what’s behind the door before we open it, because we’ve opened thousands of them across Broward County since 2002.
The Haven Standard is the documented quality framework we work under, and its first clause is simple: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Our dispatcher quotes a firm number before anyone is dispatched, and the technician is contractually prohibited from changing it at the door. That rule has been in place since day one, and it’s why Fort Lauderdale homeowners call us back when the next lock wears out.
Every single visit includes a documented photo record left with the customer. You see what we saw: the condition of the cylinder, the strike plate alignment, the deadbolt throw. Nothing hidden in a verbal summary. The technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and they work under Daniel Novak’s direction with the same documented procedure on every job, whether it’s a canal-front rekey or a commercial keypad install near Las Olas Boulevard.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Fort Lauderdale
Smart Lock Installation
Fort Lauderdale’s older CBS construction doesn’t always play well with smart locks. A hollow-core 1960s front door with a worn edge bore and a proud strike plate means a smart lock deadbolt won’t throw cleanly without shimming the strike or replacing the edge bore reinforcement. We handle that adjustment as part of the install, not as an extra surprise. Pricing for smart lock installation in Fort Lauderdale runs $150 to $325 depending on the lock model and door condition, and the written scope covers every step including Wi-Fi or Bluetooth pairing.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry on a Fort Lauderdale home is as much about salt air as it is about convenience. We recommend keypads with sealed numeric pads and corrosion-resistant internal components for canal-front properties, because unsealed units seize within two to three years of constant salt exposure. A keyless entry installation runs $140 to $280 for the labor, plus the cost of the lock itself, quoted in writing. You’ll get one code for the front door, one for the dock gate if you have one, and a documented record of every programmed credential.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the workhorse for Fort Lauderdale short-term rental owners and condo hosts from Lauderdale Beach to Middle River Terrace. We install and program commercial-grade keypad locks that hold up to 100 unique access codes, so you can rotate guest codes between stays without ever cutting a new key. Keypad lock installation in Fort Lauderdale runs $130 to $250 for a standard single-family install. For short-term rental setups with lockbox integration, we quote the full scope in writing before the first screw is turned.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks sense fingerprints and do not rely on cylinders at all, which matters on Fort Lauderdale properties where salt corrosion keeps killing traditional pin-and-tumbler hardware. A biometric lock with a backup key override costs between $180 and $420 to install, depending on door prep. We have installed them on waterfront homes where the owner wanted to stop cutting keys for family, housekeepers, and dock vendors. The enrollment process is included in the written price, and you get a photo record of the completed installation and programmed access levels.
What happens when you call
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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 Fort Lauderdale
We service and install Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy hardware across Fort Lauderdale, and we stock the parts that matter locally. Baldwin mortise bodies from the 1950s are still saveable in most cases, and we keep the tension pins and cylinder springs for them on the van. Abloy and Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinders are the right call for canal-front gates and dock doors, because their disc-detainer mechanisms shrug off the salt and grit that seize a standard pin-and-tumbler cylinder in three to five years. If you bring us a written quote from another Fort Lauderdale locksmith, we will review it at no charge under our free second opinion policy.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Fort Lauderdale Homes
- Seized canal-front cylinders. The salt spray off Fort Lauderdale’s 165+ miles of tidal canals corrodes the internal pins and springs of standard lock cylinders. Homes along the Intracoastal and the finger islands often need the cylinder pulled, cleaned, and rebuilt with corrosion-resistant parts every three to five years, and a simple rekey without that cleaning is a waste of the service call.
- Warped original doors on 1960s frames. The CBS block homes in Rio Vista and Coral Ridge still carry their original hollow-core or steel doors. Forty years of humidity swells the wood and shifts the frame, so a new deadbolt won’t latch without shimming the strike plate or adjusting the hinge alignment.
- Dual-access hardware confusion. A Fort Lauderdale condo owner on a finger island has a front entry, a seawall gate, and maybe a dock box key. Every one of those is a different cylinder format. A proper rekey or master-key setup consolidates them into one key, which is not a standard service call in Plantation or Sunrise.
- Post-boat-show lock failures. After the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show every October, we see a wave of yacht cabin locks and boat ignition switches that sat unused for months and now won’t turn. The salt air inside the marina environment attacks the wafer tumblers, and an out-of-town owner discovers the failure exactly when they need the boat ready. We stock marine-specific Abloy and Southco replacement hardware for that specific week.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Fort Lauderdale, FL
We Also Serve Cities Near Fort Lauderdale
If you live just outside Fort Lauderdale, we regularly run service calls to Plantation, Pompano Beach, Hollywood, and Coconut Creek. The corrosion problems shift the further inland you go, but the pricing and the Haven Standard stay the same. Call the same number and we’ll route the nearest technician from our Fort Lauderdale-area coverage.
Serving Fort Lauderdale, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Lauderdale 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 Fort Lauderdale
Can you rekey the original mortise lock on my 1950s Coral Ridge home, or do I need a new deadbolt?
In most cases, the original mortise body can be rekeyed in place. Our technicians remove the mortise cylinder, disassemble it, replace the pin springs and any corroded pins, and rekey it to a new Schlage keyway without touching the door’s original hardware. A mortise cylinder rebuild and rekey in Fort Lauderdale runs $120 to $180. If the mortise body itself is cracked or the case is warped beyond adjustment, we will tell you before we quote any replacement, and the replacement price is in writing before we start. Call (331) 310-8471 and tell us the lock brand you can see on the faceplate.
Why does my canal-front lock seize up every few years when my friend in Plantation never has that problem?
Your friend in Plantation doesn’t live on the Intracoastal. Fort Lauderdale’s tidal saltwater canals push salt-laden air into every exterior lock cylinder, and that salt eats the brass pins and steel springs inside a standard lock. A canal-front lock cylinder typically needs a rebuild or replacement every three to five years, which is a maintenance cycle that just doesn’t happen inland. We stock corrosion-resistant replacement parts, and a rebuild with proper marine-grade lubrication runs $95 to $160 per cylinder. Call (331) 310-8471 for a canal-front corrosion check on every exterior lock.
I need one key to open my front door, my dock gate, and my boat cabin lock. Can you set that up?
Yes. We build what’s called a keyed-alike system, where every cylinder is pinned to the same key code. The front door deadbolt, the dock gate padlock or deadbolt, and the boat cabin lock all accept the same key. This requires the cylinders to be compatible, and for marine applications we recommend Abloy disc-detainer cylinders because they don’t seize the way a standard pin-and-tumbler cylinder seizes on the water. A typical keyed-alike setup for a Fort Lauderdale finger island home with three or four access points runs $240 to $420, including all labor and a documented key control record. Call (331) 310-8471 and tell us how many locks you need on one key.
I just bought a 1960s condo in Progresso and the door is original hollow-core. Can I add a smart lock?
Usually, yes, with door prep. A hollow-core 1960s door has a narrow edge and a shallow bore depth, which means a modern smart lock deadbolt needs a reinforced edge plate and often a shim behind the strike plate so the deadbolt actually throws. We handle that prep as part of the installation. Smart lock installation on a hollow-core Progresso condo door runs $160 to $300, plus the cost of the lock itself, and the written scope includes the door prep so there’s no surprise line item. Call (331) 310-8471 and tell us what year the building went up. We can tell you from the door prep what it will take.
After the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, my yacht’s cabin lock is stuck. Is that a rekey or a replacement?
It’s usually a replacement of the cylinder internals, not a full lock replacement. Boat show season brings out-of-town owners who haven’t touched their vessel in months, and the cabin lock cylinder has seized from salt and humidity inside the marina. We remove the cylinder, assess whether the pins are salvageable, and rebuild it if possible. If the wafer tumblers are too far gone, we install a marine-spec replacement cylinder. A marine lock rebuild or replacement in Fort Lauderdale runs $110 to $220 per lock. Call (331) 310-8471 as soon as you get off the boat.
Get a Firm Price Before We Send Anyone
The rule at Novak Lock & Security is Haven Standard Clause 1: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. No technician arrives at your Fort Lauderdale door with permission to change the number. We serve Fort Lauderdale’s older CBS homes, its canal-front properties, and its short-term rental stock with documented work, a photo record on every visit, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise. Call (331) 310-8471 now. A live person answers, and that person will give you a written price before we dispatch anyone to your neighborhood.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Fort Lauderdale since the company’s founding in 2002.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas
