Should I rekey if I think the keys are just misplaced in my house?

If anything on the ring showed your address, treat the keys as gone. Rekeying makes the old keys useless, so it does not matter whether they are found later.

Do Homestead locksmiths need a state license?

Florida has no statewide locksmith license. The trade is regulated at the county or city level, and Miami-Dade has historically required local registration or permits. Rules change, so check with the county or city licensing or consumer protection office. One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service, and the locksmith is an independent.

My car key was on the ring with my house keys. What now?

That turns one job into two, so mention it when you call. For the vehicle, the locksmith will ask for photo ID and proof of ownership, such as the title or registration.

I live out in Redland with a long driveway gate. Can that be included?

Tell us about every lock on the ring, including gate locks and outbuildings. Rural and acreage properties often have more locks than a house on a standard lot, and listing them all means one estimate covers the full job.

Every job starts with a free estimate. The locksmith gives you the price before any work begins, and you approve it first.

Urgent

Lost Keys, booked with one call, in Homestead, FL

Homestead was ground zero for Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and much of the housing here was built or rebuilt after it. If you have lost your keys and do not know where, the job is usually the same in these homes. The locks are rekeyed so the lost keys stop working, and every exterior door is brought onto one key. Plan around what else was on the ring, because a car key, a mailbox key or a gate key each adds to the work.

Call now · (866) 690-5848

Phones answered around the clock · free estimate

Keys go missing in every city. What is particular to Homestead is the mix of locks on one ring. Many homes here are concrete block and stucco with attached garages. Townhomes and condos in newer developments bring shared entries, mailbox locks and amenity locks. HOA and gated communities are widespread. Humidity and salt air also wear on cylinders, and where one is too worn to rekey, it may need replacing instead.

While you wait — please don't

Do not wait to see if the keys turn up. Keys lost with anything showing the address should be treated as keys in a stranger's hands.
Do not go back to the old keys if they reappear. A key found again later does not undo the time it was out of your hands.
Do not leave anything off the list. A car key, mailbox key or shared-entry key on the same ring changes the job, so say everything that was on it.
Do not agree to work before you hear the price. The locksmith gives the price first, and you approve it before anything starts.

What the technician does

You describe the ringTell us which doors, which locks and which other keys were on it. We arrange the job with an independent locksmith, who is the one doing the work.
You get a free estimateThe locksmith gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing begins until you approve it.
Identification is checkedThe locksmith asks for identification and proof that you are entitled to enter the property or the vehicle before opening anything. This is why the page cannot be used as a how-to, and it protects you too.
Locks are rekeyed or replacedRekeying makes the lost keys useless. Where a cylinder cannot be rekeyed, it is replaced.
Every exterior door goes onto one keyYou carry a single key for the whole house instead of a handful.
New keys are cut and the rest is coveredKeys are cut for the household. Mailbox and shared-entry locks that were on the same ring are addressed too.

Why this happens in Homestead, FL

The rainy season runs May through October. Properties near Biscayne Bay get salt-laden air that speeds up corrosion on deadbolts and gate hardware. Humidity can also swell wood doors and frames so a deadbolt binds against the strike plate. When your locks are rekeyed, any cylinder that has been worn by this weather can be dealt with in the same visit.

Homestead's properties vary a lot. There is also the Redland area, where acreage can mean long driveway gates and outbuildings. If a lost ring held gate, shed or outbuilding keys, list them all so the estimate covers the whole job. Demand tends to rise before and during hurricane season, from May through November. It rises again in the winter when seasonal residents return. If you are planning this work, booking before those busy stretches gives you more room to choose.

Questions people ask

Should I rekey if I think the keys are just misplaced in my house?: If anything on the ring showed your address, treat the keys as gone. Rekeying makes the old keys useless, so it does not matter whether they are found later.
Do Homestead locksmiths need a state license?: Florida has no statewide locksmith license. The trade is regulated at the county or city level, and Miami-Dade has historically required local registration or permits. Rules change, so check with the county or city licensing or consumer protection office. One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service, and the locksmith is an independent.
My car key was on the ring with my house keys. What now?: That turns one job into two, so mention it when you call. For the vehicle, the locksmith will ask for photo ID and proof of ownership, such as the title or registration.
I live out in Redland with a long driveway gate. Can that be included?: Tell us about every lock on the ring, including gate locks and outbuildings. Rural and acreage properties often have more locks than a house on a standard lot, and listing them all means one estimate covers the full job.
What does it cost?: Every job starts with a free estimate. The locksmith gives you the price before any work begins, and you approve it first.

One call

Call (866) 690-5848 and tell us what was on the ring. The estimate is free, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 690-5848

Nearby

Answers

Free tool

Rekey or replace your locks?

Same problem in nearby cities

Every city we cover in Florida

Something else in this area

One Call Locksmiths arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.