The Villages Lock Change, Rekey & Lockout Services

352 Locksmith is a mobile residential locksmith in The Villages, covering the historic side and Orange Blossom Gardens up to Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing and Brownwood and the new villages down past State Road 44 and out to Sawgrass Grove. We unlock doors, rekey locks so old keys don’t work anymore and replace locks on-site from our fully stocked locksmith van. We are licensed and insured, and will quote the price before we start work.

Call us when you’re locked out of your home. For a rekey or lock replacement, call us and arrange a time that fits in with your morning games.

Lockout in The Villages

Lockouts in The Villages have a local feel. You drive your golf cart back from Lake Sumter Landing and realize your key is on the kitchen counter. Your lanai slider got latched behind you as you watered plants on the birdcage. The villa courtyard gate slammed shut on a windy day and your key was still inside. Snowbirds arrive in November to find their deadbolt won’t budge from months of humidity.

We unlock knobs, deadbolts, sliders and villa courtyard gates using picks and bypass methods, and the lock is restored to working order without drilling when possible. If you left a key stuck in the lock we extract the broken portion and cut a key to match on the spot.

Before calling us, check your garage keypad lock if you have one; the door into the house from the garage is frequently unlocked. Also check with your home watch service and see if the neighbor has the spare key. If that doesn’t help, then call us to avoid climbing in through the lanai. Screen doors can tear easily and falling from the lanai is more of a drop than you expect.

Rekeying the resale or newly built home

When you rekey a lock you keep the lock hardware but change the pin configuration so only a new key will open the lock. This is always what you should do right before closing on your home in The Villages. Resales will have an entire history of keys: the former owner, the realtor lock box, the cleaners, the lawn company, the pest control company and whoever monitored the house over the summer. Rekeying retires every key in that chain for pennies on the cost of new locks.

The same goes for new construction in Fenney, DeLuna, Marsh Bend and St. Catherine’s villages. Construction locks are used by contractors during construction, and your front door has been opened a dozen times already by various tradesmen.

While we’re at your home we’ll also key all doors to one single key: front door, side door to the garage, golf cart garage door and the lanai entrance. This is keyed alike, and means one key on your golf cart, one in your pocket and one with the home watch service, rather than one full ring you must sort through under a porch light.

When replacing the lock makes better sense

There are times when the lock hardware is too cheap to rekey. Builder grade knobs that wobble, deadbolts with short bolts and brass finishes which have pitted in Florida’s air. In cases like these we replace the locks entirely.

Levers are the most common upgrade request in The Villages, and with good reason: a lever opens with an arm or a closed fist, no gripping and twisting a round knob while holding groceries in the other hand. We install Schlage, Kwikset and Yale levers and deadbolts, from simple keyed alike sets to grade 1 deadbolts with a one inch bolt. Every deadbolt receives a heavy strike plate with three inch screws into the studs.

Deadbolt keypad locks are the second most common request. A code is issued to each person, the cleaner has a code that is active only on certain days of the week, and the home watch company code is changed when you switch services. Smart models will send a notice to your phone anytime the door is unlocked, which is quite valuable if you have to keep an eye on the place remotely from Michigan in July.

Snowbird season: keys, codes and home watch

Three things should be done before heading out for the summer. Write down who holds a key or code, change it if you’ve switched cleaning or home watch companies, and ensure the slider is locked with a foot bolt or pin, not the factory latch. We can handle all of these in a single visit in April, and again when you return in the fall to retire your summer keys and codes.

Sliders, lanai doors and screened enclosures

The lanai sliding glass door is the weak point in nearly every home in The Villages, and a slider latch is the weakest lock in the house. We replace worn latches and handles, install keyed slider locks, and add foot bolts or a security bar to prevent lifting or forcing the door. A bird cage screen door provides bug protection, not security, and leave the slider locked while the screen is open.

Locations Served

We serve all of The Villages: the historic side and Orange Blossom Gardens to the north of CR 466, everything along Morse Blvd and Buena Vista Boulevard between 466 and 466A, and the villages down past SR 44 to Sawgrass Grove. We also work in Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood, Oxford, Summerfield and Leesburg.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I rekey or replace the locks on a resale home?

Rekey, unless the locks are worn or you want levers or keypad deadbolts. Rekeying removes all old keys and keeps your current locks.

Can you key my golf cart garage door and front door to the same key?

Yes, as long as the lock brands or keyways match. If not, we will swap one lock cylinder to make them match.

How long does a whole-house rekeying take?

Around ten minutes per door. An average designer home with four doors is complete in less than an hour, including new keys.

Contact 352 Locksmith

Are you locked out anywhere in The Villages? Call us and we’ll come to your door. For a rekey, new levers, a keypad deadbolt or slider locks, call or text us and we’ll quote the job and schedule a visit.