Rekey Your New Fort Lauderdale Home
Rekeying a newly bought Fort Lauderdale home costs $260 for four standard locks, plus $50 for each lock beyond that. About 3,000 homes and condos changed hands in Fort Lauderdale in 2025 (Miami REALTORS), and with each one nobody really knows how many keys to the place are still out there.
- Licensed & insured
- 6-month workmanship warranty
- About 20 min to you
What $260 covers
- Four ordinary locks switched over to a single fresh key
- The trip
- 2 new keys; more at $5 each, cut on the spot Each additional lock on the same visit: $50.
Move-in lock checklist
- Front, side and back doors — plus the garage's inside door, which gets forgotten most.
- Sliders to the patio or pool — make sure they latch and add a second lock.
- Garage keypad and remotes — reset the code; the opener's manual explains how.
- Gates to the side yard or pool — for a Fort Lauderdale pool we fit self-closing gate latches and door alarms, from $155.
- Smart locks the seller or builder left — factory reset, old users removed, new codes, backup cylinder rekeyed: from $110.
- Impact doors — rekeying is fine; replacing hardware must match the door's approval (details).
- Condos: unit door yes; mailbox and building keys through the association. A knob plus a deadbolt comes to $110 + $50. Before that, check your association's rules on door hardware, and ask whether maintenance carries a master key (condo locksmith).
Mid-century homes
About 42% of houses in Fort Lauderdale were built between 1940 and 1969 (NeighborhoodScout). Locks in those homes are often replacements of replacements; some are worth rekeying, others are past it. We'll tell you which. In Imperial Point, which began in 1960, and in the early-1950s streets of Lauderdale Harbours (Republic Window & Door), we often find a mix of three brands on one house — fixable with one cylinder swap so a single key fits every door.
Questions
Rekey or replace on move-in?
Rekey what works; replace what sticks, wobbles or is corroded (from $155).
Can I have the work done on closing day?
Yes — book ahead and we'll come once you have the keys.
Does a home warranty pay for it?
It depends on the plan — some include a move-in rekey or pay part of it back. Read your warranty terms before you book; our invoice lists every lock, which is what claims usually ask for.
Can I rekey the locks myself?
Only if they're Kwikset SmartKey — you'll see a small slot beside the keyhole, and a reset tool plus a working key does it. Other locks need their pins changed, which is our job.