Rekey a new home in Miramar, FL
You just moved in. The seller handed you a ring of keys, maybe two rings, and you have no idea how many more are out there. A previous owner, a contractor, a former tenant or a letting agent may still hold a working key, and the number of copies is unknowable. Rekeying fixes that. Every exterior lock is set to one new key, the old keys stop working, and you decide who gets a copy.
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Miramar homes make this a bigger job than people expect. Eastern Miramar is mostly 1950s and 1960s single-story concrete block and stucco ranch homes with carports or single-car garages. West of the Turnpike, the 1990s and 2000s two-story CBS homes and townhomes usually come with an attached two-car garage, a garage side door, and often a gate. That is several locks, and they are rarely all on the same key already. Florida's heat and constant humidity also swell doors and frames so deadbolts bind against strike plates, and salt-laden air drifting in from the Atlantic a few miles east rusts exposed metal, so some hardware is better replaced than rekeyed.
While you wait — please don't
- Do not assume the keys you were given are all of them. Copies cost almost nothing to cut and there is no record of who has one, so the only reliable reset is a new key.
- Do not skip the side and back doors. A rekeyed front door means little if the garage side door, patio door or gate still opens on an old key.
- Do not force a stiff deadbolt. In Miramar's humidity a bolt can bind against the strike plate, and forcing it can snap a key off inside the cylinder and turn a simple rekey into a bigger job.
- Do not leave it on the to-do list. The summer moving season is when this work stacks up in Florida, so it is worth booking rather than leaving.
What the technician does
- You explain the propertyTell us how many exterior doors you have, whether there is a garage side door, a gate or a shed, and how many keys you need. That is what the estimate is built from.
- Identification and entitlement are checkedBefore any work on the locks, the locksmith will ask for identification and proof that you are entitled to the property. Standard practice in Florida is photo ID plus something tying you to the address, such as a deed, a lease or a utility bill.
- The locks are looked over and pricedThe locksmith checks each exterior lock to see what can be rekeyed and what is worn or mismatched enough to be worth replacing. You get the price before anything starts and you approve it first.
- Every exterior lock is rekeyed to one new keyFront door, back door, garage side door, and any gate or shed lock you want included. Where hardware is too worn or does not match, it is replaced instead.
- The old keys stop workingOnce a cylinder is rekeyed, the keys that came with the house no longer turn it. Whoever still holds one cannot get in.
- Keys are cut for the householdYou say how many you need and keys are cut for everyone living there, so nobody is left borrowing a copy.
Why this happens in Miramar, FL
Timing matters here. Lock work runs year-round in Florida rather than spiking with a first freeze, but volume rises with the summer moving and rental turnover season and again with the winter influx of seasonal residents. If you have just closed on a place in Silver Lakes, Sunset Lakes, Monarch Lakes or Historic Miramar in the middle of summer, book the rekey rather than letting it drift.
Gated and HOA-governed master-planned communities are extremely common west of the Turnpike, which can affect approved door and hardware styles as well as gate access. If your community sets rules on hardware finish or type, say so when you call, and check with your association before any lock is replaced rather than rekeyed. For older eastern Miramar homes, humidity and corrosion have usually had decades to work on exterior metal, so it is normal for some locks to be rekeyed and others swapped out on the same visit.
Questions people ask
- What is the difference between rekeying and new locks?
- Rekeying keeps the lock on the door and changes it so only the new key works. Replacement means fitting new hardware, which is the better call when a lock is worn, corroded or does not match the others. The locksmith will tell you which applies to each door and price it before starting.
- Can all my Miramar doors be put on one key?
- Usually yes. On a typical western Miramar home that means the front door, the back or patio door and the garage side door on a single key, with a gate or shed lock added where the hardware allows it. Tell us every entry point when you call so the estimate covers all of it.
- Do I need to prove I own the house?
- Yes. The locksmith will ask for identification and proof that you are entitled to the property before working on the locks. A deed, closing paperwork, a lease or a utility bill in your name alongside photo ID is the usual way people do it.
- Is a locksmith licensed in Florida?
- Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and there is no state locksmith board. The trade is regulated at county or municipal level, and Broward County has historically required local locksmith registration. Requirements change, so verify current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office.
- Are you the locksmith?
- No. One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service that arranges locksmith work with independent locksmiths across all fifty states. We are not the locksmith and we do not perform the work.
One call
Call (866) 690-5848 and tell us how many doors, gates and keys your Miramar home needs. The estimate is free, and the locksmith gives you the price before any work starts so you approve it first.
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- Lost car key or fob
- Keys lost or stolen
- Key broke in the lock
- Lock is stuck or broken
- New or upgraded locks
- Business locked out
One Call Locksmiths arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.