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 Miami Gardens
We install and rekey locks throughout Miami Gardens, FL, and we know exactly what these homes throw at a locksmith. The 1950s and 1960s CBS construction that dominates neighborhoods from Carol City to Bunche Park means steel door frames, original deadbolts, and decades of subtropical humidity working against the hardware. A rekey in Miami Gardens is rarely just swapping pins. It usually means dealing with a corroded cylinder, a misaligned strike plate, or a landlord who needed it done yesterday because a new tenant is standing in the driveway. When you call (331) 310-8471, a live person answers and gives you a written price before anyone gets in the van.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Miami Gardens’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Novak Lock & Security has been doing this work since 2002, and the Miami Gardens jobs follow the same rule as every other job we take: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. No technician is permitted to change that number at your door. That rule has been in place for over twenty years, and it matters more in Miami Gardens than most people realize. This market has a lot of absentee-owned rentals and high tenant turnover, which means a lot of same-day rekey calls where the person paying the bill is not standing in front of the lock. Landlords need a price they can trust before they authorize work on a property they are not at. We give it to them in writing.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and every visit ends with a documented photo record of the work. Daniel Novak runs the company under The Haven Standard, the same quality and documentation framework used across all ten Haven brands. Haven Standard Clause 1 is the only thing we lead with because it is the only thing that separates an honest locksmith from a bait-and-switch operation: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice.
We answer calls around the clock with a live person. A landlord in Miami Gardens calling at 9 a.m. because a tenant moved out overnight does not have time for a voicemail queue. Neither does a homeowner on NW 7th Avenue who just discovered their back door deadbolt will not turn. We pick up, we quote, we dispatch.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Miami Gardens
Our Lock Installation & Rekey team handles the full range, but in Miami Gardens three jobs dominate the call log: rekeys for landlord turnover, smart lock and keypad retrofits on older CBS homes, and key duplication for rental units where one working key is never enough.
Smart Lock Installation
Most Miami Gardens homes were built long before smart locks existed, and the original steel frames and hollow-core doors do not always play nicely with off-the-shelf smart lock kits. We install Yale and Schlage smart locks daily, but we also correct the underlying alignment problems first. A smart lock bolted to a door with a sagging frame will burn through batteries and strip its own gears. We set the frame, align the strike, and then mount the lock so it actually works for years, not weeks. Smart lock installation in Miami Gardens typically runs $220-$385 including the lock, depending on whether you want Wi-Fi connectivity or a simpler Bluetooth model.
Keyless Entry & Keypad Lock Installation
Keypad locks solve a very specific Miami Gardens problem: keys that circulate through too many hands. Rental units off NW 2nd Avenue, extended family members who need access, housekeepers, contractors. A keypad lets the owner change a code instead of changing a lock. We install keypad deadbolts and lever locks from Schlage and Yale, and we will not sell you a keypad that cannot survive Miami Gardens humidity. Exterior-facing keypads need sealed electronics and corrosion-resistant internals. Keypad lock installation here runs $180-$320 per lock including hardware.
Biometric Lock Installation
Biometric locks read a fingerprint and open the door. They make sense for certain Miami Gardens applications: interior doors in medical offices near the stadium corridor, supply closets, server rooms, or a homeowner who simply does not want to carry anything. The humidity concern applies here too. Optical fingerprint sensors in cheap biometric locks fail quickly in 90% humidity. We specify capacitive or ultrasonic sensors that read through moisture and temperature swings. Biometric lock installation in Miami Gardens runs $260-$420 per door depending on the cylinder grade and whether you need a physical key override.
Key Duplication
Key duplication in Miami Gardens is not always a thirty-second trip to a machine. The original keys for 1950s and 1960s locks were often brass and are now worn smooth. The key code is unreadable, and a standard duplication blank produces a key that does not turn. We cut keys from code, from the lock itself, or by impression when necessary, and we stock blanks for Kwikset, Schlage, Sargent, and Baldwin in the van. Restricted and high-security key duplication for Medeco and Mul-T-Lock requires proof of ownership and works through the factory authorization process. Standard key duplication runs $4-$12 per key; restricted keys run higher and require the owner of record.
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.
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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 Miami Gardens
We are factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage, and we service everything from entry-grade Kwikset to Sargent commercial hardware. What that means for Miami Gardens customers is simple: when we show up with a Schlage deadbolt or a Baldwin handle set, it is genuine hardware, not a knockoff picked up from a discount bin. We carry a working inventory of common Miami Gardens parts on the truck: ANSI Grade 1 deadbolts, rust-resistant strike plates, Schlage and Kwikset cylinders, and marine-grade hardware for exterior gates and shed doors that sit in the wet season humidity.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Miami Gardens Homes
- Corroded pin-and-tumbler cylinders. Miami Gardens summer humidity regularly exceeds 90%, and fifty years of that does real damage to original 1950s and 1970s lock hardware. Pins seize, keys snap off in the cylinder, and the lock simply stops turning. Replacing the cylinder with a brass-bodied unit designed for coastal humidity is the fix, not lubricating a dead lock.
- Deadbolts misaligned by settling CBS frames. Concrete block walls shift. Steel door frames rust and move. The result is a deadbolt that grinds against the strike plate or refuses to extend at all. We realign the frame, replace the strike with a reinforced version, and then set the lock. Skipping the alignment step means the new lock fails the same way in a year.
- Landlord-deferred rekeying in dense apartment corridors. The rental corridors along NW 2nd Avenue and throughout Carol City generate a constant stream of same-day rekey calls. A tenant moves out, the landlord waits until the new tenant is on the way, and suddenly a routine rekey is an emergency. We handle these jobs without complaint, but we also tell landlords the truth: schedule the rekey before turnover day and pay a standard rate, not a premium.
- Stripped and rusted strike plates on steel frames. The strike plate is the piece of metal the deadbolt slides into. On original Miami Gardens steel frames, these plates are frequently rusted through or held in by screws that will no longer tighten. A new deadbolt on a failed strike plate is false security. We replace the strike with a reinforced, rust-resistant plate and anchor it properly into the frame.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Miami Gardens, FL
Here is what you should expect to pay in Miami Gardens, in writing, before we dispatch.
| Service | Typical Miami Gardens Price Range |
|---|---|
| Rekey existing lock (per cylinder) | $18-$32 |
| Rekey plus new Kwikset or Schlage cylinder | $45-$75 per door |
| Deadbolt replacement (standard grade) | $85-$140 installed |
| Deadbolt replacement (ANSI Grade 1, bump-resistant) | $160-$240 installed |
| Smart lock or keypad installation | $180-$385 including hardware |
| Key duplication (standard residential) | $4-$12 per key |
| Rusted strike plate replacement and frame realignment | $55-$95 |
These are honest ranges for the Miami Gardens market. The price you are quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival and no last-minute upsell on the doorstep. If you bring us a written estimate from another locksmith, we will review it with you at no charge and tell you what you are actually paying for. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate.
Last week our tech was called to a 1962 CBS rental off NW 2nd Avenue in Carol City where a landlord needed rekeying before a new tenant moved in that afternoon. The original Kwikset deadbolt’s pin and tumbler cylinder was so corroded the key would not even insert, and the steel strike plate had rusted through. We installed a new Schlage ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt with a bump-resistant cylinder, realigned the shifted frame, and handed over a key control system with six restricted keys. The tenant was in by 4 p.m. without a single scratch on a door the owner does not have to repair.
We Also Serve Cities Near Miami Gardens
Novak Lock & Security provides Lock Installation & Rekey in Miami Gardens and the surrounding South Florida area. If you are in Hialeah, North Miami Beach, Pembroke Pines, or Hollywood, the same written pricing rule applies: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Miami Gardens is our focus on this page, but our techs run calls throughout northern Miami-Dade and southern Broward every day.
Serving Miami Gardens, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Miami Gardens 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 Miami Gardens
Miami Gardens sits in a tropical monsoon climate where summer humidity regularly exceeds 90%, and that moisture penetrates lock cylinders over time and causes galvanic corrosion inside the pin chambers. Original 1950s and 1960s lock hardware was never built for decades of that exposure, so pins seize, cams crack, and keys eventually will not insert or turn. The fix is a brass-bodied or marine-grade replacement cylinder, not repeated lubrication. Call (331) 310-8471 and we will quote the replacement in writing before we dispatch.
Yes, and this is one of the most common jobs we do in Miami Gardens. The concrete block wall is solid; the steel frame around it is what has failed. We remove the rusted steel, treat the surrounding area, install a reinforced strike plate anchored into the masonry, and then set the new deadbolt. The key is realigning the frame so the bolt throws cleanly. We have done this on hundreds of homes in Carol City, Bunche Park, and Andover. The job typically runs $55-$95 for the strike and alignment, plus the cost of the new deadbolt.
Rekeying a single existing cylinder in Miami Gardens runs $18-$32. Replacing a standard deadbolt runs $85-$140 installed. So if the lock itself is still in good shape, rekeying is usually the cheaper and faster option. If the cylinder is corroded or the deadbolt is original hardware from the 1960s, replacing it is the smarter long-term move. We will tell you which one applies after looking at the lock, and the price you get on the phone is the price you pay. No exceptions.
Yes. We set up master key systems for Miami Gardens landlords who run multiple rental units, including the apartment corridors around NW 2nd Avenue where tenant turnover is constant. A master key system gives you one key that opens every unit, while each tenant’s key only opens their own door. We use Mul-T-Lock and Medeco restricted keyways, which means keys cannot be copied without your authorization as the owner of record. We provide the key control documentation and a written price per lock before we start.
In most cases, yes. The concern with older Miami Gardens homes is not the CBS wall, it is the hollow-core steel door and rusted frame. We assess the door and frame first, correct any alignment issues, and then install the keypad or smart lock. We do not drill extra holes unless the existing hardware requires it, and every keypad install comes with a documented photo record of the work. Keypad and smart lock installation in Miami Gardens runs $180-$385 including hardware. Call (331) 310-8471 and we will give you a firm price on the phone.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Miami Gardens and South Florida since 2002.