Rekeying & Lock Changes
When you move into a new apartment on Flatbush Avenue, discover a broken key jammed in your front door lock, or realize your keys are simply gone, the security of your home, business, or vehicle is suddenly an open question. Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp is a 24/7 mobile locksmith serving every corner of Brooklyn — from Bay Ridge and Bed-Stuy to Greenpoint and Canarsie — and we come directly to your location so you never have to leave your property unprotected to seek help.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
“Our trained and insured technicians specialize in rekeying and lock changes for residential doors, commercial storefronts, and automotive locks. Whether your situation calls for a quick rekey of a Schlage mortise lock, a full door knob lock replacement, or a complete re-pin of a multi-unit building's master key system, we assess your exact setup on-site and confirm a firm, transparent price before any work begins. No surprises, no hidden fees — just prompt, professional service at your door.
What we do
Available 24/7
Day, night, weekends and holidays — a real local locksmith answers and rolls a fully-stocked van.
Fast local response
Based in Brooklyn, we reach the Brooklyn area in well under an hour.
Insured & background-checked
Vetted technicians, up-front pricing, and no surprise add-ons when we arrive.
Damage-free entry
We pick and bypass locks the right way, so most lockouts are solved without drilling anything.
Rekeying vs. Lock Changes: Choosing the Right Solution After a Move or Lost Keys
Rekeying and replacing a lock are two distinct services, and understanding the difference can save you time and help you make the best security decision. When you rekey a lock, a technician adjusts the internal pin tumblers inside the existing lock cylinder so that only a new key will operate it — the lock hardware itself stays in place. This is often the ideal choice when you have just moved into a Brooklyn brownstone or rental apartment and simply want to ensure no previous tenant, landlord, or contractor still has a working key. It is also the go-to solution after a theft or a lost key set, provided the lock body itself is still in good mechanical condition. Rekeying a quality mortise lock — the type commonly found in older Brooklyn multi-family buildings and commercial storefronts — is particularly effective because the cylinder can be re-pinned to a completely new key combination without disturbing the robust internal mechanism that makes a mortise lock so durable and tamper-resistant.
A full lock change, on the other hand, means removing the existing hardware entirely and installing a new lock. This is the right call when a lock is damaged, corroded, or outdated; when a broken key has fractured inside the keyway and compromised the cylinder; or when you want to upgrade to a higher-security option such as a Kwikset SmartKey or a heavy-duty commercial-grade mortise lock. Our mobile technicians carry a wide inventory of residential and commercial lock hardware on every service vehicle, so in most cases we can complete a same-visit replacement — no second appointment needed. If you are unsure which route makes more sense for your specific door and situation, we will walk you through the pros and cons on-site before recommending anything.
Mortise Lock Rekeying & Lock Changes for Brooklyn Homes and Businesses
The mortise lock is one of the most common lock types in Brooklyn's older housing stock and commercial corridors, and it is also one of the most misunderstood. Unlike a standard cylindrical door knob lock, a mortise lock is set into a deep pocket — the mortise — cut into the edge of the door. It houses a complex internal assembly that typically controls both the latch and the deadbolt in a single unit, making it significantly stronger and more pick-resistant than a simple knob-and-deadbolt combination. Buildings along Atlantic Avenue, the side streets of Crown Heights, and older mixed-use buildings throughout Borough Park often have mortise locks that were installed decades ago and are still mechanically sound — they just need to be rekeyed or have their cylinders updated to modern security standards.
Our technicians are experienced with the full range of mortise lock configurations, including single-cylinder, double-cylinder, and key-in-knob variants used on interior and exterior commercial doors. We perform damage-free cylinder extractions wherever possible, preserving the existing mortise case so you do not need an expensive door repair after the service. For commercial locksmith work — retail shops, office suites, warehouses, restaurants — we also handle master key systems, restricted keyways, and high-security cylinder upgrades that integrate with your existing mortise lock body. Whatever combination of door knob lock, mortise lock, and deadbolt you are working with, we treat each job as a unique security assessment rather than a one-size-fits-all swap.
When to Call an Emergency Locksmith: Broken Keys, Security Breaches, and Urgent Lock Failures
Some lock situations cannot wait for a scheduled appointment. A broken key lodged in your front door cylinder at midnight, a landlord dispute that leaves a Brooklyn tenant needing immediate re-entry and re-securing, or a smash-and-grab attempt that leaves a storefront lock damaged — these are exactly the scenarios where having a true 24/7 emergency locksmith on call makes all the difference. Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp answers every call around the clock, dispatching a trained technician to your location whether you are in Sunset Park at 2 a.m. or in Williamsburg on a Sunday afternoon. We do not route you to an answering service — when you call (347) 429-8668, you reach our actual team.
After any potential security breach — a burglary, an attempted break-in, or discovering that keys have been stolen rather than simply lost — the priority is not just replacing what is broken but comprehensively evaluating every point of entry. Our technicians will check the condition of each door's frame, strike plate, and lock body, advise on whether a rekey is sufficient or whether a full hardware upgrade is warranted, and perform the work on the spot so your property is secured before we leave. We also extract broken key fragments from cylinders using specialized tools designed to remove the fragment without damaging the keyway — a service that is often overlooked but is critical for restoring a lock to full working order rather than forcing a premature full replacement.
What Determines the Cost of a Lock Service, and What Our Process Looks Like
A common question we hear is some version of what an emergency locksmith costs, or what the average charge for a locksmith should be. The honest answer is that no responsible locksmith can quote a single flat number for every job, because the final price depends on several real variables: the type and brand of lock involved (a basic door knob lock rekey differs significantly from a high-security commercial mortise lock cylinder replacement), the time of day the service is requested, the travel distance to your location within Brooklyn, and whether any replacement parts or new hardware are needed. What we can promise is that once our technician assesses your lock in person, you will receive a specific, confirmed price before any work starts — there is no obligation to proceed if you are not comfortable with the quote.
We understand that when you are dealing with a security concern — especially after a move or a key loss — questions about finding the best locksmith in Brooklyn or making sure you are working with someone trustworthy are completely reasonable. The right way to evaluate any locksmith is not by hunting for the lowest number but by confirming that the company is insured, that their technicians arrive in marked vehicles, that they verify your ownership or occupancy of the property before performing any work, and that they provide a written or verbal price confirmation before beginning. Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp meets every one of those standards. Our technicians carry identification, arrive in clearly identified vehicles, and will never begin work on a lock without first confirming you have the right to access the property. Call (347) 429-8668 any time — we answer 24/7 and can typically provide an estimated arrival window within minutes of your call.
Our Full Range of Rekeying, Lock Change, and Related Locksmith Services
Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp provides a comprehensive menu of services for Brooklyn residents, property managers, and business owners. Our current service offerings include: residential door rekey, commercial door rekey, mortise lock cylinder replacement, mortise lock installation, door knob lock installation and replacement, deadbolt installation, deadbolt rekey, broken key extraction, master key system setup, master key system rekey, high-security cylinder upgrades, padlock rekey, padlock replacement, mailbox lock replacement, gate lock installation, gate lock rekey, sliding door lock repair and replacement, storefront door lock service, office suite lock change, apartment building common area rekey, key duplication for rekeyed locks, automotive door lock rekey, car key replacement, transponder key programming, ignition cylinder service, car lockout response, house lockout response, commercial lockout response, and security consultation for residential and commercial properties. Every service is performed by trained and insured mobile technicians who come directly to your Brooklyn address — there is no shop drop-off required.
Local Knowledge, Real Familiarity: Serving All of Brooklyn Around the Clock
Brooklyn is not a monolith — it is dozens of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own housing stock, building codes, and lock hardware traditions. The pre-war limestone townhouses in Park Slope often have original mortise lock hardware that requires careful, experienced hands to service without damaging irreplaceable door joinery. The newer mixed-use construction in Downtown Brooklyn and along the Fourth Avenue corridor more commonly features cylindrical deadbolts and electronic access systems. The row houses of Flatlands, the two-family homes of Dyker Heights, and the commercial strips of Nostrand Avenue each present their own mix of lock types and security needs. Our technicians have worked across all of these contexts and understand that a cookie-cutter approach does not serve Brooklyn's diverse building inventory.
Because we are a fully mobile operation, we do not ask Brooklyn residents or business owners to travel to us during a stressful moment. We come to you — typically within a short window after your call — and we bring the tools and parts needed to handle the most common lock service scenarios on a single visit. Being a genuinely local operation means we are familiar with the parking realities on narrow Brooklyn side streets, the gate and intercom setups common in larger apartment buildings, and the typical door configurations in the borough's many building types. That local fluency translates to faster, more accurate service from the moment our technician arrives at your door.
Frequently asked questions
What does a locksmith actually do during a rekey service?+
During a rekey, a trained technician removes the lock cylinder from your door, disassembles the internal pin tumbler stack, and replaces the driver and key pins with a new combination that corresponds to a freshly cut key. The existing lock body stays in place. The result is that any previously existing key — including copies held by former tenants, previous owners, or anyone else — will no longer operate the lock. For a mortise lock, this process also typically involves extracting the cylinder from the mortise case, re-pinning it on a dedicated pinning mat, and reinstalling it — all without drilling or damaging the door.
What is the meaning of locksmith, and what distinguishes a professional one from an unreliable one?+
A locksmith is a trained tradesperson who installs, repairs, adjusts, and opens mechanical and electronic locking devices. The distinction between a professional locksmith and an unreliable one comes down to a few verifiable factors: the technician should be insured, should arrive in a clearly marked vehicle, should ask for proof of ownership or occupancy before performing any work, and should provide a confirmed price before starting the job. At Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp, we meet all of these standards on every call. We also never perform work on a lock without verifying that the requesting person has lawful access to the property.
How much does an emergency locksmith cost, and what affects the final price?+
There is no single flat rate that applies to every emergency locksmith situation, and any company quoting you a fixed price without knowing your lock type, location, and the scope of the work is likely not being straightforward with you. The factors that shape the final price include the type of lock being serviced — a standard door knob lock rekey costs differently than a high-security commercial mortise lock cylinder replacement — the time of day, travel distance within Brooklyn, and whether any new parts or hardware are required. What we commit to is confirming your exact price on-site before any work begins, so you always know what you are agreeing to before we touch anything.
Who is the best locksmith in Brooklyn, NY, and how should I evaluate a locksmith before hiring them?+
Rather than focusing on marketing claims, evaluate any locksmith by asking these practical questions: Are they insured? Do their technicians arrive in identified vehicles and carry ID? Do they confirm your right to access the property before working? Do they give you a firm price before starting? Do they answer their own phones 24/7 or route you to a call center? Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp answers yes to all of these. We are a locally operated, insured, mobile service with trained technicians who serve Brooklyn around the clock. The best locksmith for your situation is the one who shows up promptly, works transparently, and treats your security as a priority rather than a transaction.
Is it better to rekey or fully replace a lock after moving into a new Brooklyn apartment?+
In most cases, rekeying is the more practical first step after a move, provided the existing lock is in good working condition. A rekey renders all previously existing keys useless and gives you a fresh key combination at a lower overall cost than full hardware replacement. However, if the lock is worn, has a damaged keyway from previous key copies, is an outdated design with known security vulnerabilities, or if you simply want to upgrade to a higher-security lock type such as a mortise lock with a restricted keyway, a full lock change is the better investment. Our technicians will inspect the existing hardware on-site and give you an honest recommendation based on what they actually find — not on what generates more revenue for us.
Can Broadway Locksmith and Automotive Corp handle both residential and commercial lock changes in Brooklyn?+
Yes. Our team handles the full spectrum — from rekeying a single apartment door knob lock in Bushwick to re-keying an entire building's master key system in a commercial property in Red Hook, replacing a storefront mortise lock on Fulton Street, or upgrading the access control on an office suite in Downtown Brooklyn. We are a 24/7 mobile operation, so commercial clients with urgent after-hours needs — a lock that failed after close of business, a security concern following a break-in attempt, a key that went missing with staff turnover — can reach us at (347) 429-8668 any time and get a trained technician dispatched directly to the property.