Move day is about busting boxes whilst swearing at that stupid couch that refuses to fit through the door. The locks are one of the things that only very rarely appear on this checklist, which is odd once you think about it. Long before the internet gets set up or the beds unpacked, locksmith services have short footing in your new abode on its very first night. Every single human being before you who owned what was once your home had a key, and the majority of them copied it at least once. No one and nowhere can tell you the full destination of all those copies in flippers.
Now here is the unpleasant part of purchasing or renting in South Florida. The seller passes over two or three sets of keys at closing, and everyone assumes that is the whole set. It rarely is. There are professional locksmith services for this very void, as someone with a spare does not have to smash glass or pick a lock. The lock turns, and the door unlocks, just like it would for you.
Consider who might still have a functioning version. Not former owners, the owners’ grown children, a guy who remodeled the kitchen, the pet sitter from three summers back, maybe a neighbor who watered the plants one August. Whether in Palm Beach or Broward County, a licensed local business such as Sunshine State Lock and Key can come to the house once and rekey every door. Most of the time, it takes an hour or so and costs less than most new homeowners expect.
Rekeying Locks: Why It Should Be the First Phone Call, Not Afterthought
Rekeying allows for your current hardware to remain intact. A locksmith picks each lock, replaces the internal pins, and gives you a new set of keys that nobody else on the planet possesses. The old keys are just useless metal. Nothing about your doors changes externally.
To be fair, some sellers and landlords do rekey between occupants. It is not paranoia to treat every inherited lock as if it were broken. It’s just math, and if you miss one spare, it negates every other security step you take in that house.
Lock Change: Worn Out Or Builder Grade Hardware
Sometimes rekeying is not enough. The salt air and humidity of South Florida corrode lock internals over years of exposure, and far too many homes still have the builder-grade hardware they installed decades ago. When a lock is slow, loose, or has to be tried 3 times each time, it might be more sensible to replace the whole lock rather than repair it.
A complete lock change is also the ideal time to upgrade. Unlike older cylinders that were never intended to be impervious to picking, bumping, and drilling, modern deadbolts and high security locks resist these attacks. Anyone else buying pre-owned real estate in Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach should be prepared to set aside some money for at least one or two appliances!
Smart Locks and Keypad Entry for an Easier Move-In Week
Moving house is the natural time to stop stashing spares under flowerpots. Smart locks that operate with keypads and/or smartphones allow you to share codes rather than physical keys. The painter receives a code on Tuesday, and that code dies on Wednesday. A physical spare never leaves your possession.
At Sunshine State Lock and Key, we install smart locks from major manufacturers, and an expert technician will provide simple, clear information on which models fit your door and your budget. Others think the app-based stuff is a bit fussy, and that is an entirely fair response. Even an old phone-less plain keypad model beats a spare brass taped under the mat.
Safe Services Also Get a Place on Your Moving Checklist
We typically find closing documents, passports, jewelry, and a few hundred bucks in cash all transported into the new house in less than a week. Giving you a combination dressed away in their brains is of zero benefit if they have even one loophole left behind. Any inherited safe can be opened without damage by a locksmith, and then the lock combination dial is recalibrated to belong only to you. That one job converts a solid piece of equipment from an enigma to the most secure space in your house.
Residential Locksmith Move-In Check
A proper move-in visit goes well beyond the front door. This is what a licensed technician examines:
- All external locks and deadbolts, functioning well with the newly cut keys
- Short screws give way after one good kick, so the experts suggest strike plates and these screws.
- Door alignment (a latch that barely catches will fail in silence over time)
- The exterior garage door toward the house that everyone seems to forget is an outside door.
- All gate or entrance hardware that your community permits for modification
None of this takes long. Most visits end within an hour or two, and before the technician touches a lock, he explains the price. No hidden fees and no pressure to add work you didn’t request.
Before the Arrival of the Furniture Truck: Steps to Take
Schedule the rekey for the day you pick up keys, or the day before if the seller allows early access. That night, sleep well knowing the number of functional keys in existence equals the number you have on your countertop. At your convenience and on your schedule, figure out whether smart locks or high-security upgrades are in the long-term game. And there’s no hurry on the upgrades. The rekey is a real shell of haste.
Sunshine State Lock and Key answers calls around the clock throughout Palm Beach and Broward County at (561) 759-9994. Pricing is up-front on every job, and the company is fully licensed, bonded, and insured. The couch can wait a day. The locks should not.
