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Older homes in Florida have their charm, but their locks often tell a different story. If you’ve recently moved into one or are unsure who might still have access to your front door, it’s time to think seriously about a rekey.
In neighborhoods across Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Brevard County, many homes were built in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Over the decades, those front door locks have seen countless key copies made — for family members, neighbors, pet sitters, house cleaners, contractors, and whoever else needed temporary access. The problem is that "temporary" keys have a way of becoming permanent, and nobody keeps track of them all.
What Is Rekeying (and How Is It Different from Changing Locks)?
Rekeying and lock replacement are two different things, and knowing the difference can save you money.
Rekeying means changing the internal pin configuration inside your existing lock cylinder so that old keys no longer work and only new keys will. The lock hardware itself — the deadbolt, the knob, the strike plate — stays exactly where it is. A locksmith removes the cylinder, replaces the pins, cuts new keys, and reinstalls everything. Your door looks the same, the hardware functions the same, but every old key floating around out there is now useless.
Replacing locks means removing the entire lock assembly and installing a brand new one. This is necessary when the lock hardware itself is damaged, outdated, or you want to upgrade to a different style or security level.
For most older homes where the hardware is still in good condition, rekeying is the faster, cheaper, and smarter option. You get complete key control without the cost of new hardware.
Why Older Homes Need Rekeying More Than New Ones
New construction typically comes with fresh locks that only the builder and new homeowner have keys to. Older homes are a different situation entirely.
Previous owners and their key copies are the biggest concern. When you buy an older home, you have no way of knowing how many keys the previous owner made over the years. They might have given copies to extended family, neighbors, a handyman, or a real estate agent. Even if they handed you "all the keys" at closing, there’s no guarantee copies don’t exist somewhere.
Previous tenants are another factor. If the home was ever rented, every tenant who lived there likely had a key — and probably made copies for roommates, partners, or friends. Rental properties can cycle through dozens of keyholders over the years.
Contractor access from past renovations is often overlooked. Major renovation projects typically require giving contractors a key so they can access the home while work is being done. That key was probably copied and shared among the crew, and it’s unlikely anyone collected them all when the project ended.
Lock wear and security degradation is a real issue with older hardware. Locks that have been in service for 20 or 30 years develop internal wear. Pins get rounded, springs weaken, and the cylinder becomes easier to manipulate. A rekey with fresh, precision-cut pins restores the lock’s pick resistance.
The Florida Factor: Humidity and Older Lock Hardware
Florida’s humidity creates unique challenges for older lock hardware. Over years of exposure, internal lock components can develop corrosion, especially in coastal areas of Brevard County where salt air accelerates the process.
When we rekey an older home’s locks, we also clean and lubricate the internal components. This often makes a dramatic difference in how the lock feels — keys that used to stick or require jiggling suddenly turn smoothly. It’s not just a security upgrade, it’s a functional improvement.
Older homes in areas like Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, and Satellite Beach are particularly susceptible to salt air corrosion. If your front door lock has been fighting you every morning, a rekey with fresh pins and proper lubrication might be all it needs.
When to Rekey vs. When to Replace
Rekey when:
- You’ve moved into a previously owned home
- You’re unsure who has copies of your keys
- An employee, tenant, or roommate has moved out
- Your lock hardware is in good physical condition but you need new key control
- You want all your exterior doors on one key
Replace when:
- The lock hardware is visibly damaged, loose, or worn out
- You want to upgrade to a higher security grade (like Mul-T-Lock or Medeco)
- The lock is a builder-grade knob with no deadbolt — you need a proper deadbolt installed
- You want smart lock features like keypad entry or Bluetooth access
- The lock style doesn’t match a renovation or update you’ve done to the home
Getting All Doors on One Key
One of the most common requests we get during rekeys is to put all the exterior doors on a single key. Older homes often end up with different keys for the front door, back door, garage entry, and side door because locks were replaced individually over the years.
During a rekey, we can set all your locks to the same key combination, so one key opens everything. It’s a small convenience that makes a big difference in daily life — no more fumbling through a keyring to figure out which key goes to which door.
What a Front Door Rekey Costs
Rekeying is one of the most affordable locksmith services available. For a standard residential rekey, you’re typically looking at a fraction of what new lock hardware would cost. The service includes removing the cylinder, replacing the pins, cutting new keys (usually two per lock), and testing everything to make sure it works smoothly.
The whole process takes about 15 to 20 minutes per lock. If you’re doing multiple doors, we can usually complete an entire house in under an hour.
Key-En-Lock: Residential Rekeying Across Brevard County
At Key-En-Lock, we handle residential rekeys every day across Melbourne, Palm Bay, Cocoa, Titusville, and all of Brevard County. We’re mobile — we come to your home with everything needed to complete the job on site.
Whether you’ve just moved in, had a roommate leave, or simply haven’t rekeyed in years and aren’t sure who has copies of your key, we can restore your peace of mind in under an hour.
Need your locks rekeyed? Call Key-En-Lock at (321) 224-5625 — we’ll come to you.
