Is rekeying the same as changing the locks?

Not quite. Rekeying keeps your existing locks and changes the internals so old keys no longer work. Replacing swaps the whole lock for new hardware, which makes sense when the existing one is worn, corroded or does not match the others.

Can every door be on one key?

Usually yes. The aim is one new key for every exterior lock, including the garage side door and any gate or shed. If a particular lock cannot be matched, the locksmith explains why and what the options are before starting.

Do I need to prove the house is mine?

Yes. The locksmith asks for identification and proof that you are entitled to the property before opening or changing anything. A photo ID plus a deed, closing paperwork, a lease or a utility bill in your name is the normal combination in Florida.

Are locksmiths licensed in Orlando?

Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and has no state locksmith licensing board. The trade is regulated at the county or municipal level instead, and requirements vary, so check current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office for the area where the work is done.

Who am I calling when I call you?

One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the work with independent locksmiths across all fifty states, including Orlando — we are not the locksmith and we do not perform the work ourselves.

Rekey a new home in Orlando, FL

You have the keys the seller or the agent handed over. What you do not have is any way of knowing how many other keys are out there. A previous owner, a former tenant, a contractor, a cleaner or a letting agent may still hold one that works. The number of copies is unknowable, and that is the whole problem.

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Rekeying fixes it. The locks stay on the door, the internals are changed so the old keys no longer work, and you get one new key that opens everything. Where hardware is worn out or mismatched, it gets replaced instead. In Orlando that second option comes up more than you might expect, because humidity is hard on exterior cylinders. Central Florida sits in high humidity nearly year-round, with heavy summer rain and daily afternoon storms from June through September, and that constant moisture corrodes lock cylinders and outdoor gate hardware over time.

While you wait — please don't

Do not assume the handover keys are the only ones. Keys copy cheaply and quietly, and nobody keeps a list, so the set you were given tells you nothing about the set somebody else kept.
Do not skip the side and back doors. The garage side door, a gate, a shed or a rear patio door are the ones people forget, and a house is only as secure as the door nobody rekeyed.
Do not force a stiff exterior lock. Humidity and rain can leave a cylinder corroded and tight, and forcing a key in one can snap it off inside and turn a simple rekey into a bigger job.
Do not leave it for months. Summer is the moving season here, so this work stacks up, and booking it is easier than remembering it in August.

What the technician does

Identification is checked firstBefore anything is opened or changed, the locksmith asks 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.
You get a walk-round and a priceThe locksmith counts every exterior lock, including the garage side door and any gate or shed, and checks the condition of each one. You get the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.
Every exterior lock is rekeyed to one keyThe internals of each cylinder are changed so that one new key operates the whole house. Front, back, side and garage doors all match.
Worn or mismatched hardware is replacedWhere a lock is corroded, worn out or simply does not match the rest, replacement makes more sense than rekeying. That is discussed and priced with you before it happens.
Old keys stop workingOnce the job is done, every key held by a previous owner, tenant, agent or contractor is dead metal. That is the point of the visit.
Keys are cut for the householdYou say how many people need one, and keys are cut on the spot so everyone in the house has their own.

Why this happens in Orlando, FL

Orlando is a city of about 320,000 people, and most of it was built in waves — 1920s to 1950s bungalows near downtown, big suburban subdivisions from the 1970s through the 2000s, and new construction still going in on the south and east sides around Lake Nona. What that means for rekeying is that no two jobs look alike. A bungalow in College Park or Lake Eola Heights may have a detached garage or a carport and a mix of hardware added over decades. A newer house in Lake Nona, Baldwin Park or MetroWest usually has matching builder hardware on an attached one- or two-car garage, plus a side door and a fence gate.

Humidity is the other local factor. There is no salt air this far inland, but constant moisture, strong UV and heavy rain still drive rust on exterior lock cylinders and gate hardware, and prolonged heat and humidity swell wood doors and frames so deadbolts bind against the strike plate. Grit driven in by storm rain can work into keyways too. So a rekey visit in Orlando often turns up one or two exterior locks that are better replaced than rekeyed — and you hear that, with a price, before anyone touches them. Demand rises with the summer moving and rental turnover season, so if you have just closed on a place in Conway, Dr. Phillips, Audubon Park or Azalea Park, book it rather than leave it.

Questions people ask

Is rekeying the same as changing the locks?: Not quite. Rekeying keeps your existing locks and changes the internals so old keys no longer work. Replacing swaps the whole lock for new hardware, which makes sense when the existing one is worn, corroded or does not match the others.
Can every door be on one key?: Usually yes. The aim is one new key for every exterior lock, including the garage side door and any gate or shed. If a particular lock cannot be matched, the locksmith explains why and what the options are before starting.
Do I need to prove the house is mine?: Yes. The locksmith asks for identification and proof that you are entitled to the property before opening or changing anything. A photo ID plus a deed, closing paperwork, a lease or a utility bill in your name is the normal combination in Florida.
Are locksmiths licensed in Orlando?: Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and has no state locksmith licensing board. The trade is regulated at the county or municipal level instead, and requirements vary, so check current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office for the area where the work is done.
Who am I calling when I call you?: One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the work with independent locksmiths across all fifty states, including Orlando — we are not the locksmith and we do not perform the work ourselves.

One call

One call to (866) 690-5848 gets a rekey arranged for your new Orlando home, and the estimate is free. The locksmith gives you the price before any work starts, and nothing happens until you approve it.

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.