Frequently Asked Questions

A live coordinator answers, takes your address and situation, and connects you with the local team nearest you - no robots, no endless holds. We'll give you a flat price range and an honest arrival window, then send a licensed, badged technician who shows ID at your door. In Los Angeles traffic, timing varies by neighborhood and time of day, but we'll be there when we say or we'll tell you otherwise. The process is built on forty years of learning what homeowners actually need.

A straightforward lockout takes 15-30 minutes once we're at your door. Rekeying a standard home with three or four cylinders runs 45 minutes to an hour. Installing new deadbolts or handling a safe opening takes longer - we'll give you a realistic time estimate when we quote the job. We don't rush. The 400th job gets the care of the first, and we leave when it's done right, not when the clock runs.

Any lock worth its name can be opened by a trained professional - the question is how. We pick first, drill last, and only destroy hardware when there's no other path (severe damage, high-security cores with no keyway access, or certain safe malfunctions). In Los Angeles, where we see everything from 1920s mortise locks in Angelino Heights to modern smart deadbolts in Playa Vista, experience matters. We've been at this since 1984, and there's very little we haven't encountered.

Yes - you have no way of knowing who has copies: previous owners, their relatives, contractors, dog walkers, real estate agents. Rekeying is the fastest, most affordable way to restore key control without replacing hardware that may be perfectly good. In Los Angeles's competitive housing market, where properties sometimes change hands multiple times in a decade, it's a basic security step too many people skip. We can usually schedule it within a day of your call.

We install and service Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Abloy regularly, and we match the brand to your actual security needs and budget. For most Los Angeles residential doors, a Grade 2 Schlage deadbolt with a reinforced strike plate handles the job well. Medeco and Abloy step up to high-security applications - restricted keyways, pick resistance, drill resistance - where key control is critical. We don't push premium hardware where standard grade is sufficient, and we don't install junk that fails in two years.

They suit some households well and others poorly - it depends on who uses the door and how comfortable they are with technology. In Los Angeles, where many families have housekeepers, caregivers, or short-term guests, the convenience of temporary codes can be genuine. But smart locks require battery maintenance, Wi-Fi stability, and firmware updates that some homeowners find burdensome. We'll install what you want, explain the trade-offs honestly, and keep a traditional key override as backup when the design allows.

We can service most mechanical locks built in the last century, including the mortise locks common in Los Angeles's Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Revival homes. Some very old or ornate pieces need specialized parts that aren't manufactured anymore - in those cases, we'll tell you honestly whether repair is practical or if a quality reproduction makes more sense. We work in your house the way we'd work in our mother's: no destruction of original fabric without your clear understanding and consent.

Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires - in California, that's a C-28 Lock and Security Equipment Contractor license through the Contractors State License Board. Our technicians carry photo ID and present it at your door. The person who opens your locks should be the most verifiable person you've ever hired. That's been our position since we started this company, named for the iron box where your grandfather kept the deed.

Yes - every location in our network carries the general liability and workers' compensation coverage appropriate to the work. If something goes wrong (rare, but trades involve physical work in your home), there's a policy behind it and a process that doesn't involve you chasing anyone. We also back every residential job with The Keystone Standard: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If it's not right, we come back. No paperwork battle.

Ask for the contractor license number and check it on the CSLB website. Confirm they quote flat prices before dispatch, not vague estimates that balloon on arrival. A legitimate technician arrives in a marked vehicle, wears ID, and doesn't pressure you into unnecessary drilling or replacement. The $19-ad scam has plagued this trade for years - we built Strongbox as the direct answer to it. If something feels off, call someone else. Your security is worth more than a few saved dollars.

Yes - our phone is answered 24 hours a day, Monday through Sunday, and we maintain the local capacity to handle genuine emergencies: lockouts, break-in damage, safe malfunctions, security compromises after a lost or stolen key. A live coordinator takes your call, assesses urgency, and connects you with the nearest available technician. We don't promise impossible arrival times - Los Angeles traffic is real - but we don't leave you waiting until morning when you're locked out at midnight.

A child or pet locked inside, a break-in that leaves your home unsecured, a key broken off in a lock you need to open now, a safe with time-sensitive contents that won't open - these are emergencies. A single lost key with no reason to believe it was stolen, or a sticky deadbolt you've been meaning to address for weeks, usually isn't. We'll tell you honestly where your situation falls and prioritize accordingly. We've been doing this long enough to know the difference between urgent and merely inconvenient.

We handle automotive lockouts for most makes and models, including key extraction and transponder key programming. Modern vehicle locks are more complex than they used to be - some require specialized tools and codes that not every shop maintains. When you call, tell us the year, make, and model so we can confirm we have what your specific vehicle needs. If it's outside our current capability, we'll say so rather than experiment on your door.

Every residential job carries The Keystone Standard: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If a lock we installed or rekeyed fails due to our workmanship or a defective part we supplied, we come back and make it right at no charge. No forms to mail, no manager to escalate to, no he-said-she-said. Commercial and safe work carries terms appropriate to the scope - we'll detail those in your written estimate. Standing behind our work is one of the four values in our K.E.Y.S. code, and we mean it.

Call us. Within the 90-day Keystone Standard period, we handle it. Beyond that, we'll still take your call, diagnose honestly, and charge fairly if the issue isn't workmanship-related. We've been in this network since 1984, and we plan to be answering phones in thirty more years - that only works if people trust us to be straight with them. No surprises on the bill, no disappearing act when something needs attention.

Yes - Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Abloy all carry their own product warranties against manufacturing defects, typically one year to lifetime depending on the product line. We pass those through to you and help facilitate any claim if a defect shows up. Our 90-day Keystone Standard covers installation and our labor; manufacturer warranties cover the hardware itself. We'll explain which applies to your situation if an issue arises.

We quote flat prices on the phone - the direct answer to the scam this trade is infamous for. Our technicians are licensed, badged, and ID-checked at your door. We've built our name on forty years of Krafted right work, Every time consistency, Your home first respect, and Standing behind it accountability. Named for the iron box where your grandfather kept the deed, we still believe a company that plans to be in town in thirty years acts like it. Call (877) 664-8139 for a free estimate and see the difference.

Written by Gil Navarro, Owner at Strongbox Lock & Safe Co., serving Los Angeles and communities across California since 1984.