What is the difference between rekeying and new locks?

Rekeying changes the internals of the lock you already have, so old keys no longer turn it and the hardware stays on the door. New locks mean the hardware itself is replaced. The locksmith will tell you which makes sense for each door before any work starts.

Can all my doors run on one key?

That is the usual goal — every exterior lock rekeyed to one new key, including the garage side door and any gate or shed. Where hardware is worn or mismatched, replacing it is often how you get there. You approve the plan and the price first.

Are locksmiths licensed in Florida?

Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and there is no state locksmith licensing board. The trade is regulated at county or municipal level instead, and Broward County has historically required local locksmith registration. Requirements change, so check current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office.

I bought a condo in Hollywood. Does a rekey cover the building doors?

No. Shared entries, mailbox and amenity locks are usually controlled by the condo association or management, not by you. The lock on your own unit is the one to rekey, and the association can tell you about anything beyond that.

Why do my exterior locks look so much worse than the inside ones?

Salt air and moisture are the main enemy of locks on this coast, and homes within a mile or two of the Broadwalk and the Intracoastal take constant salt spray. Hinges, deadbolts and gate hardware corrode years faster than they would inland. Stainless or coated hardware holds up better.

Rekey a new home in Hollywood, FL

You just moved in and you want the locks changed. The keys you were handed work, but you have no idea how many copies exist. A previous owner, a contractor, a former tenant, a cleaner or a letting agent could still be holding one, and there is no way to count them. Rekeying ends that. The cylinders stay in the door, the internals are changed, and every old key stops working.

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In Hollywood that job is usually bigger than one front door. Much of the city's housing stock dates from the 1950s through the 1970s — one-story concrete-block-and-stucco ranch homes, many with attached one- or two-car garages, side doors, gates and sheds. Hardware on those houses has had decades of salt air and humidity working on it. Near the Broadwalk and the Intracoastal, exterior cylinders and deadbolts rust out years faster than they would inland, so some locks rekey cleanly and others are worn past it and are better replaced.

While you wait — please don't

Do not assume the handover keys are the only ones. Sellers, agents and trades all pass keys around during a sale or a tenancy, and nobody keeps a running list.
Do not skip the side and back doors. A garage side door, a patio door, a gate or a shed is a way in just like the front door, and those are the ones people forget.
Do not force a stiff lock to prove it still works. Humidity swells wood doors and frames so a deadbolt binds against the strike plate, and leaning on it can snap a key off in the keyway.
Do not wait until the week you move in. Summer moving season is when this work stacks up in South Florida, so it is worth booking rather than leaving.

What the technician does

Identification and entitlement firstThe locksmith will ask for identification and proof you are entitled to the property before working on it. Standard practice in Florida is photo ID plus something tying you to the address, such as a deed, a lease or a utility bill.
A walk round every entry pointFront door, back door, patio door, the garage side door, any gate or shed. You get a clear picture of what you actually have before anything is quoted.
The price, before any work startsThe locksmith gives you the price first and you approve it. The estimate is free, and nothing begins until you say so.
Locks rekeyed to one new keyEach exterior cylinder is rekeyed so a single new key runs the whole house. Every key held by anyone before you stops working.
Worn or mismatched hardware replacedWhere a cylinder is corroded, worn or simply does not match the rest, replacement is the sensible option rather than a rekey. On coastal Hollywood properties, stainless or coated hardware is worth the upgrade.
Keys cut for the householdYou get keys cut for everyone living there, so nobody is left sharing one. You decide how many before the work is finished.

Why this happens in Hollywood, FL

Hollywood sits on the Atlantic in a humid subtropical zone, and that is the main thing working against your locks. Salt-laden onshore breezes reach well inland, and year-round humidity corrodes cylinders, pits brass and steel, and seizes padlocks and gate locks left outdoors. Blown sand near the beach and fine grit after a storm work their way into keyways. So in Hollywood Beach, the Playa del Mar area and North Beach, a rekey often turns into a mix — some cylinders rekeyed, a few tired ones swapped out for hardware that stands up to the salt.

Further west, in Boulevard Heights, Driftwood, Emerald Hills or the newer master-planned subdivisions, the salt load is lighter but the heat and humidity still swell doors and frames until a deadbolt drags on the strike plate. Condo owners along the beach and the eastern corridors have another layer to think about: HOAs, condo associations and gated communities are widespread here, and management often controls common doors, mailboxes and amenity locks, so your own unit lock is the part you can rekey. Timing matters too. Work picks up with the summer moving and rental turnover season, and again during the November to April snowbird season when seasonal owners come back and open up homes and condos that sat empty for months.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between rekeying and new locks?: Rekeying changes the internals of the lock you already have, so old keys no longer turn it and the hardware stays on the door. New locks mean the hardware itself is replaced. The locksmith will tell you which makes sense for each door before any work starts.
Can all my doors run on one key?: That is the usual goal — every exterior lock rekeyed to one new key, including the garage side door and any gate or shed. Where hardware is worn or mismatched, replacing it is often how you get there. You approve the plan and the price first.
Are locksmiths licensed in Florida?: Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and there is no state locksmith licensing board. The trade is regulated at county or municipal level instead, and Broward County has historically required local locksmith registration. Requirements change, so check current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office.
I bought a condo in Hollywood. Does a rekey cover the building doors?: No. Shared entries, mailbox and amenity locks are usually controlled by the condo association or management, not by you. The lock on your own unit is the one to rekey, and the association can tell you about anything beyond that.
Why do my exterior locks look so much worse than the inside ones?: Salt air and moisture are the main enemy of locks on this coast, and homes within a mile or two of the Broadwalk and the Intracoastal take constant salt spray. Hinges, deadbolts and gate hardware corrode years faster than they would inland. Stainless or coated hardware holds up better.

One call

One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service covering all fifty states — we arrange the work with independent locksmiths, we are not the locksmith and we do not do the work ourselves. Call (866) 690-5848 for a free estimate on your Hollywood rekey; the locksmith gives you the price before anything starts and you approve it first.

Call now · (866) 690-5848

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