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 Kendall
Lock installation and rekey in Kendall typically runs $65 to $180 per cylinder for standard residential hardware, and most jobs are completed within one visit. Smart lock and keyless entry installs on impact-rated doors run higher, usually $225 to $450 including programming, because of the extra work involved with multi-point mechanisms. Call (331) 310-8471 and a live person answers, day or night. We give you a written price before anyone drives to your street, whether you’re off Kendall Drive, in The Hammocks, or near West Kendall.
We built our reputation in Kendall on one rule: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Haven Standard Clause 1. Daniel Novak put that rule in writing in 2002, and every technician who wears the Novak name is bound by it. If you live in a 1970s CBS home near Kendall Regional or a rebuilt post-Andrew townhome in Calusa, we treat your door the same way: we look at the actual hardware, name the problem, and quote the fix before a single tool comes out.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Kendall’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Kendall is a specific place to work locks. The housing stock here is dominated by concrete block homes built from the 1970s through the 1990s, and a huge share of them now carry impact-rated doors with multi-point locking systems installed after Hurricane Andrew. That means the standard “drill and swap a deadbolt” approach doesn’t work on a lot of Kendall doors. A Hoppe multi-point mechanism on a PGT door is not the same animal as a Kwikset deadbolt on a hollow steel door. You need a locksmith who can look at the full system, not just the keyhole.
Our technicians live and work in South Florida. They know what summer humidity does to an aluminum frame, and they know what a MACO gearbox sounds like when it’s failing. That local knowledge is why Kendall homeowners keep our number saved. We answer the phone with a person, not a recording, around the clock. When a multi-point lock jams at 11 p.m. in Kendale Lakes, you don’t have time to navigate a phone tree.
Every job ends the same way: a documented photo record of the work, left with you before the truck pulls away. Not as an upgrade. As standard procedure. That’s the Haven Standard in practice, the same quality framework applied across all ten Haven brands. Daniel Novak built this company on evidence, not promises. Bring us a competitor’s written estimate and we’ll review it free.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Kendall
Most Kendall homeowners don’t need a generic locksmith. They need someone who can handle the intersection of old hardware, new technology, and impact-rated construction. That’s the work we do every day. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team covers the full range, from a straightforward cylinder rekey to a full smart lock retrofit on a PGT door.
Smart Lock Installation
Smart locks are the most common upgrade we install in Kendall, and the most common one we’re called to fix after someone else installed it wrong. An impact-rated door with a multi-point system puts real torque on the lock body. A smart lock bolted to a warped aluminum frame will bind within months. We re-seat or adjust the door first, then install the lock, then program it with you while we’re both standing there. In Kendall, we regularly install Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, and August locks on post-Andrew doors after correcting the alignment issues that killed the previous lock.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry systems make sense for Kendall’s weather and lifestyle. You’re not fishing for keys in a summer downpour. But keyless entry on an impact door means the electronic deadbolt has to work in sequence with a multi-point mechanism that may be 15 years old. We test both before and after the install. If the multi-point gearbox is failing, we tell you, in writing, what it costs to address it now versus what it costs to wait until the door won’t open at all.
Keypad Lock
A keypad lock is a straightforward upgrade on most standard doors, but on a Kendall impact door, the install starts with examining the frame. A Hoppe or MACO mechanism that’s slightly out of alignment will make the keypad lock’s bolt throw inconsistently. We check latch alignment against the strike, shim or re-seat as needed, and only then mount and program the keypad. You get a lock that actually locks, not a keypad that works on Tuesday and fights you on Thursday.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks are less common in Kendall’s residential market, but we install them for homeowners who want fingerprint access on a garage entry or a home office door. The South Florida humidity is hard on fingerprint readers, so we recommend sealed units rated for outdoor installation and explain the maintenance honestly before you spend anything. If a biometric lock isn’t the right answer for your door, we’ll say so and give you a better option.
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 Kendall
We work factory-authorized on Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage hardware, and we stock common replacement parts in our South Florida service vehicles so you’re not waiting a week for a cylinder. For Kendall’s impact-door inventory, that includes the multi-point hardware that generic locksmiths don’t carry. We also service Sargent commercial-grade locks for the HOA and community-access jobs that come up in gated neighborhoods. Whether you’re rekeying a Baldwin mortise lock in a 1980s Kendall home or installing a Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinder on a brand-new impact door, you get the same written price before work starts and the same photo record when it ends.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Kendall Homes
Here’s what actually goes wrong on Kendall doors, based on thousands of calls across the area:
- Multi-point mechanism failure on impact doors. PGT, CGI, and Simonton doors carry Hoppe or MACO multi-point mechanisms. When the gearbox wears, the top and bottom bolts stop engaging, and the lock won’t secure the door properly. A cylinder rekey won’t fix this. The mechanism has to be serviced or replaced, and the lock re-timed to the door.
- Frame expansion from summer humidity. Kendall’s humidity regularly exceeds 75%, and aluminum frames expand during the rainy season. The frame-to-slab misalignment makes the deadbolt throw short or bind. We see this constantly in The Hammocks and Kendale Lakes. The fix is re-seating or adjusting the frame, not forcing the key harder.
- Mismatched hardware on rebuilt doors. After Hurricane Andrew, many homes were rebuilt in a rush. We find impact doors with standard-steel-door lock hardware that was never rated for aluminum frames. The lock binds as the metal expands and contracts. Correct hardware solves it. Another tech will just keep rekeying the wrong part.
- HOA master-key hierarchy breaks. The Hammocks, Calusa, and Kendale Lakes have keys and access systems governed by HOAs. When an unqualified locksmith rekeys one unit’s locks without accounting for the master-key hierarchy, key control is broken across the community. That turns into a full re-tumbler and a lot of angry neighbors. We do it correctly from the first cylinder.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Kendall, FL
Here are the numbers we quote on the phone, in writing, before we dispatch. Rekey of a standard cylinder in Kendall runs $65 to $110 per cylinder. Rekey of a high-security Medeco or Mul-T-Lock cylinder runs $120 to $180 per cylinder. Smart lock installation on an existing door runs $225 to $450, including programming and any minor alignment work needed on the frame. Keyless entry and keypad lock installation runs $200 to $400 per lock. If your impact door’s multi-point mechanism needs service or replacement, that’s quoted separately after we look at the door. What changes the price: the number of cylinders, the lock brand, whether the multi-point mechanism needs attention, and accessibility of the door. What never changes: the quote you got on the phone is what you pay. No call-out surcharge added when the technician steps off the truck. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate, and we’ll put the number in writing before anyone heads your way.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kendall
Novak Lock & Security provides Lock Installation & Rekey in Kendall and surrounding areas across Florida. We also serve customers in Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando, with the same written-price rule, the same photo documentation, and the same 365-Day Done Right Promise in every market. If you’re in Kendall today, we’re already nearby.
Serving Kendall, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kendall 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 Kendall
If the multi-point mechanism is working and only the key needs changing, we can rekey the cylinder for $65 to $110 on standard hardware without touching the rest of the system. If the gearbox is failing, the lock has to be serviced or replaced before or during the rekey. We diagnose this on-site, show you what we found, and quote both paths in writing. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll tell you which situation you have before we arrive.
We work with the community’s existing key hierarchy and rekey cylinders to the correct master-key chart, preserving key control across the property. A single-unit rekey that ignores the master system forces the HOA to re-tumbler every cylinder in the community. We don’t do that to you or your neighbors. Call (331) 310-8471 with your HOA’s lock specifications and we’ll quote the job in writing.
Yes. Florida code requires quick-release egress hardware on interior-mounted security bars, and we install compliant release mechanisms regularly for Kendall homeowners dealing with Miami-Dade code inspection requirements during a sale. We provide written documentation of the install for your inspector or buyer. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll schedule a time to inspect your bars and quote the compliance work.
Usually not. Most Kendall multi-point lock lockouts are caused by a misaligned frame or a failed gearbox, not a jammed cylinder. We can often open the door by removing the interior trim, accessing the mechanism, and releasing the bolts without destroying the hardware. Drilling is a last resort, and we’ll tell you before we do it. If you’re locked out right now, call (331) 310-8471 and a live person will walk you through what to expect.
Yes, if the existing mechanism is in good condition and the frame is aligned. Many smart locks are designed for standard cylindrical deadbolts, not mortise or multi-point systems, so we’ll assess your door and recommend a lock that actually fits how your door operates. We’ve done this in The Hammocks, Calusa, and throughout Kendall. Call (331) 310-8471 with your door type and we’ll quote the right option in writing before we start.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Kendall since 2002.