Is rekeying the same as replacing the locks?

No. Rekeying changes the internals so the existing lock takes a new key, and the old keys stop working. Replacement is only needed where the hardware itself is worn out, corroded or mismatched, and the locksmith will tell you which is the case before starting.

Can every lock in the house work off one key?

Usually yes, if the exterior hardware is compatible. The aim is one new key for every exterior lock, including the garage side door and any gate or shed. Where a lock cannot be brought onto the same key, the locksmith explains the options and the price first.

What do I need to show the locksmith?

Government-issued photo identification plus something that ties you to the address, such as a deed, lease, closing paperwork or a utility bill. Standard practice in Florida is to confirm entitlement before any lock is opened or changed, and the job is declined if that cannot reasonably be established.

I bought a condo in Miami. Does the association need to approve this?

Condo associations and gated communities are very common in Miami, and exterior or shared-entry work often needs HOA or management approval. Check with your association before booking. Your own unit door is usually more straightforward than anything shared.

Are locksmiths licensed in Florida?

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

Rekey a new home in Miami, FL

You have the keys the seller or the agent handed over. What you do not have is any idea how many other keys are out there. A previous owner, a former tenant, a contractor, a cleaner, a letting agent — any of them could still hold a working key, and the number of copies made over the years is simply unknowable.

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Rekeying fixes that. The locks stay on the doors, the internals are changed, and every old key stops working. In Miami that matters for another reason too. Salt air off Biscayne Bay and near-constant humidity corrode exterior hardware far faster than inland, so the locks on a house you have just bought may already be pitted or stiff. Heat and humidity also swell wood doors and frames, which is why a deadbolt can bind against the strike plate in a home that looks perfectly sound.

While you wait — please don't

Do not assume the handover keys are the only keys. Keys get copied over the years and nobody keeps a list, so the only way to know is to make the old ones useless.
Do not skip the side and back openings. The garage side door, a gate or a shed lock are easy to forget and they let someone reach the rest of the property.
Do not force a stiff or gritty lock. Salt air, humidity and storm grit work into exterior cylinders here, and forcing one can snap a key off inside it.
Do not put it off if you are in a condo or gated community. Miami has a lot of both, and exterior or shared-entry work often needs HOA or management approval before anything is scheduled.

What the technician does

Identification is checked firstBefore anything is opened or changed, the locksmith asks for identification and proof you are entitled to the property — commonly photo ID plus a deed, lease or utility bill tying you to the address. If you have just closed, closing paperwork is the usual thing to have ready.
The locks are looked overThe locksmith walks the exterior openings and checks what is actually there: front and back doors, the garage side door, any gate or shed. Corroded, worn or mismatched hardware is identified at this point.
You get the price before work startsThe estimate is free and the locksmith tells you the price up front. Nothing is started until you approve it.
Exterior locks are rekeyed to one keyThe cylinders are changed internally so every exterior lock opens with the same new key. Where hardware is too worn, corroded or mismatched to rekey properly, replacement is discussed with you first.
Old keys stop workingOnce the work is done, every key from before the handover is dead. It does not matter how many were floating around.
Keys cut for the householdKeys are cut for everyone living there, so nobody is left borrowing one. Tell the locksmith how many you need when you book.

Why this happens in Miami, FL

Corrosion, not cold, is the thing that kills hardware in Miami. Salt-laden air off Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic eats at exterior locks, gate hardware, hinges and metal fasteners, and within a mile or two of the water stainless or coated hardware is close to mandatory. If the home you just bought is in Brickell, Edgewater, Coconut Grove or anywhere along the bay, expect the locksmith to flag exterior cylinders that are already pitted. Inland neighborhoods like Little Havana, Coral Way and Allapattah have a lot of mid-century concrete block and stucco homes from the 1940s through the 1970s, often with a carport or a single-car garage and a side door that gets overlooked.

Timing is worth thinking about. The summer moving season is when rekey work stacks up across Miami, so it is better to book than to leave it. Winter brings the other wave, when seasonal residents come back and open up homes and condos that have sat empty for months — a good moment to reset the keys rather than guess who still has one. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and demand across Miami rises for gate and shutter work in that window too, which is another reason not to leave a rekey sitting on the list.

Questions people ask

Is rekeying the same as replacing the locks?: No. Rekeying changes the internals so the existing lock takes a new key, and the old keys stop working. Replacement is only needed where the hardware itself is worn out, corroded or mismatched, and the locksmith will tell you which is the case before starting.
Can every lock in the house work off one key?: Usually yes, if the exterior hardware is compatible. The aim is one new key for every exterior lock, including the garage side door and any gate or shed. Where a lock cannot be brought onto the same key, the locksmith explains the options and the price first.
What do I need to show the locksmith?: Government-issued photo identification plus something that ties you to the address, such as a deed, lease, closing paperwork or a utility bill. Standard practice in Florida is to confirm entitlement before any lock is opened or changed, and the job is declined if that cannot reasonably be established.
I bought a condo in Miami. Does the association need to approve this?: Condo associations and gated communities are very common in Miami, and exterior or shared-entry work often needs HOA or management approval. Check with your association before booking. Your own unit door is usually more straightforward than anything shared.
Are locksmiths licensed in Florida?: Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and has no state locksmith board. The trade is regulated at county or municipal level instead, and Miami-Dade has historically required local locksmith registration. Requirements change, so verify current rules with the Miami-Dade or city consumer protection or licensing office.

One call

One call to (866) 690-5848 and One Call Locksmiths arranges the rekey with an independent locksmith in Miami — we schedule the work, we are not the locksmith ourselves. The estimate is free, and the locksmith gives you the price for your approval before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 690-5848

Something else in this area

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