Snowbird Open and Close
Two seasonal visits a year for absent owners. Open the house in October to December, close it in April or May.
Rekey Locks in Palm Beach County
New keys for the locks you already have, usually without buying new hardware.
What is included
- Rekeying existing knobs, levers, and deadbolts to a new key
- Matching every lock in the home to one key where the hardware allows
- Rekeying after a purchase, a season away, or a staff change
- Rekeying sliding patio door locks and secondary entries
- Mailbox and storage locker locks where the association permits
- Extra keys cut and marked
- Lubricating and cleaning cylinders that have gone stiff from salt air
- Checking that each door latches and the deadbolt throws fully
- Written record of which doors were rekeyed and how many keys you received
How the job runs
- Step 1
Count the doors and check the hardware
We look at every lock you want rekeyed and check whether the cylinders are the same brand and keyway, because that decides whether they can all take one key. You get an upfront quote listing doors and key count before anything is opened.
- Step 2
Rekey on site
Cylinders come out, get repinned to the new key, and go back in. Nothing leaves your property and no hardware is replaced unless a cylinder is too corroded to rekey, in which case we tell you before we do anything.
- Step 3
Test, hand over, and record
Every door tested from both sides, deadbolts checked for full throw, keys handed over with a written note of what was done. Old keys stop working the moment the cylinder is repinned, which is the whole point.
Rekey or replace, and how to tell
Rekeying and replacing solve two different problems. Rekeying changes which key opens the lock you already own. The hardware stays on the door, nothing about the look changes, and it takes minutes per cylinder. Replacing gives you new hardware, which you need if the lock is worn out, corroded through, the wrong grade for an entry door, or simply ugly.
For most calls, rekeying is the right answer. If your locks work, look fine, and are decent hardware, there is no security benefit to buying new ones just because you want the old keys dead. Where we do recommend replacement is a coastal entry door where the cylinder has corroded to the point that it binds, or a builder grade knob doing duty as the only lock on a rear entry.
Why seasonal owners rekey every year
Palm Beach County adds a large seasonal population each winter, with arrivals concentrated from October through December and the peak season running January through March. Over a summer away, a typical unit is entered by a cleaning service, a home watch visitor, a management company, sometimes a repair visit, and occasionally a family member who was given a key years ago and never gave it back.
Nobody in that list is suspect. The problem is simply that the owner has lost track of how many copies exist and who holds them. A rekey at the start of the season resets that to zero for the price of a small service call. It is the single most common lock request we take in the fall, and it pairs naturally with the rest of an open the house visit.
Rentals, turnovers, and lock changes between guests
For rental owners, the same logic runs on a shorter cycle. Keys walk. Guests copy them, cleaners keep them, and a lockbox code that was shared in a message thread stays shared. Owners who rekey between long stay tenants, or who move to a keypad lock so a code can be changed in seconds, stop having that conversation.
We can rekey all doors to one key so a cleaner or manager carries one thing instead of a ring. In an association building we will not touch gate fobs or building master keys, since those are set by the association, but the unit door is yours and we can reset it as often as you want.
Salt air and cylinders that have gone stiff
Along the coast, from Highland Beach to Ocean Ridge to Palm Beach Shores and the barrier island buildings, exposed entry hardware corrodes. Salt works into the keyway and the pin chambers, and the first symptom is a key that has to be jiggled. Owners tend to live with it until the key will not turn at all, usually on the day they arrive for the season.
While a cylinder is out for rekeying is the right time to clean and lubricate it properly. If it is too far gone, we will tell you and quote a replacement instead of repinning a cylinder that is going to fail anyway. Interior locks in the same unit are frequently perfectly fine, so this is usually a one or two door problem, not a whole house one.
What we do not do
We do not do automotive work of any kind. No car keys, no vehicle lockouts, no transponder programming. If you are locked out of a car, we are not the call, and we would rather say that clearly here than have you waste a phone call.
We also do not work on safes and vaults, and we do not touch hardwired access control or community gate systems. Gate fobs, building masters, and controlled entry hardware belong to the association and its own service provider.
Book it on a schedule
Packages that usually include this work.
Rental Turnover
Punch list work between guests: locks reset, walls touched up, blinds and furniture repaired, photo report on completion.
Condo and HOA Program
A standing program for associations and management firms: unit turns, punch lists, painting, and lock work on one monthly invoice.
Senior Home Safety
Grab bars, handrails, lever handles, treads, and night lighting installed and load tested, with a written walkthrough.
Where we work
We cover 39 cities, villages, and towns in Palm Beach County. These are the seven largest.
Rekey Locks by city: West Palm BeachBoca RatonBoynton BeachDelray BeachPalm Beach GardensWellingtonJupiter
See all 39 service areasQuestions about this work
Should I rekey or replace my locks after buying a home here?
Rekey, in most cases. If the hardware is sound and looks the way you want it, rekeying kills every existing key without buying anything new. Replacement makes sense when a lock is worn, corroded from coastal air, or too light for an entry door. We tell you which case you are in at the walkthrough.
Why do snowbirds rekey when they come back each season?
Because over a summer away a unit is typically entered by cleaners, home watch, management, and occasionally a repair visit, and most owners lose track of how many keys exist. A rekey at the start of the season resets that. It is our most common fall lock request and fits naturally into an open the house visit.
Can all my doors be set to one key?
Usually, if the cylinders share a brand and keyway. Mixed hardware collected over decades sometimes cannot all take the same key, in which case we tell you which doors can be matched and what it would cost to change the odd one out. We confirm this before starting, not after.
Do you do car lockouts?
No. We do not do automotive work of any kind, including car keys, vehicle lockouts, and transponder programming. Our lock work is limited to homes, condo units, and the doors on the property. We would rather say that here than have you spend a call finding out.
Can you rekey my building fob or the community gate?
No. Gate fobs, building master systems, and controlled entry hardware belong to the association and are handled by their own provider. Your unit door, patio door, storage locker where the building permits, and mailbox are yours, and we can rekey those as often as you like.
My key sticks and has to be jiggled. Can that be fixed?
Often yes. Near the coast, salt works into the keyway and pin chambers and the cylinder binds. Cleaning and lubricating while the cylinder is out for a rekey usually solves it. If corrosion has gone too far, we will say so and quote a replacement rather than repinning a cylinder that will fail again.
Get a quote for rekey locks
Tell us what you need done and roughly where in Palm Beach County you are. Photos help. We come back with a price, not a sales visit.