Frequently Asked Questions

Call us at (833) 695-3962 and stay somewhere safe while you wait. Don't try to force a window or kick the door, you'll likely cause more damage than a locksmith would cost to fix. Our coordinator will get your address, confirm a flat price, and connect you with the nearest technician. Most Houston residential lockouts in areas like West University Place, Pasadena, and South Houston are resolved in under 30 minutes once we're on site.

A residential lockout usually takes 15 to 30 minutes, a full-house rekey runs 45 minutes to an hour and a half, and installing a new deadbolt takes 20 to 40 minutes per door. Commercial jobs with master key systems or access control take longer, sometimes half a day for a full office building. We'll give you a time estimate when we quote the job, and we'll be there when we say.

Yes, a trained locksmith can generate a working key by decoding the lock cylinder or disassembling it to read the pin heights. This is standard work for us, though it takes longer than simple duplication and costs more. For cars, we can cut and program transponder keys even when you've lost all copies, using your VIN and specialized equipment. Not every Houston locksmith invests in this capability, so ask before you book.

Have your address ready, plus a description of the problem and the lock or key type if you know it. For vehicles, the year, make, and model matter. For homes, tell us how many doors need work and whether it's a lockout, rekey, or replacement. If you're in a gated community like some parts of Cloverleaf or Deer Park, mention the access situation. The more we know upfront, the more accurate your flat quote will be.

You should at minimum rekey, and we recommend it before you spend your first night. There's no telling how many copies of your keys are floating around from previous owners, contractors, realtors, and neighbors. In Houston's older neighborhoods like parts of Galena Park and Jacinto City, we've found locks with five or six different key codes still in circulation from decades of turnover. Rekeying gives you sole control over who can enter.

For residential security in Houston's climate, we favor Medeco for high-security deadbolts, Yale for reliable mid-grade hardware, and Baldwin for homeowners who want solid security with classic styling. Houston's humidity and occasional flooding can corrode cheap hardware fast, so we don't install grade 3 locks on exterior doors. The brands we carry are chosen because they hold up to Gulf Coast conditions and have parts available when service is needed years down the road.

Medeco locks are worth it if you want pick-resistant, drill-resistant security and you're in a Houston neighborhood where break-ins are a concern. The biaxial pin system and hardened steel inserts make them a genuine deterrent, not just a psychological one. They're not cheap, typically running two to three times the cost of standard deadbolts installed, but the key control is strict, no one can duplicate your key without authorization. We install Medeco in homes from Bellaire to Channelview where owners want that level of protection.

We can service many antique locks, though parts availability determines whether repair or replacement makes sense. Houston's older homes in Montrose, the Heights, and parts of Pasadena still have original mortise locks, rim cylinders, and skeleton-key hardware. When we can source pins, springs, or replacement cylinders, we'll repair. When the mechanism is too far gone, we can often install modern hardware that preserves the original face plates and escutcheons.

Yes, Texas requires locksmiths to hold a Private Security License through the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes a criminal background check and fingerprinting. Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires, and our technicians carry their credentials and show ID at your door. The person who opens your locks should be the most verifiable person you've ever hired.

We carry the general liability and surety coverage required for our trade, and every technician working under our name is required to maintain their own proper coverage as well. When you hire a locksmith, you're letting someone access your home or business, insurance isn't optional, it's basic protection for both of us. Ask any locksmith you call for proof of coverage before they start work.

Ask for their Texas Private Security License number and verify it through the DPS website. Check that their business has a physical address in the Houston area, not just a phone number. Read recent reviews that mention specific neighborhoods like Aldine, Humble, or Deer Park. When our technician arrives, they'll show company ID and state credentials. If someone shows up in an unmarked car and won't produce identification, send them away.

Yes, our phone is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including all holidays. Lockouts don't follow business hours, and we don't think you should wait until morning when you're standing outside your door at midnight in Houston's summer heat or winter chill. Our live coordinator takes your call, confirms a flat price, and connects you with the nearest available technician. Call (833) 695-3962 any time.

Response time depends on your location, traffic, and how many calls are running. Customers in central Houston, West University Place, and Bellaire typically see faster arrival than those in outlying areas like Channelview or Humble during rush hour. We'll give you an honest estimated arrival when you call, and we'll update you if traffic shifts it. We don't promise what we can't deliver.

A lockout when a child or pet is inside, a break-in that leaves your home unsecured, a safe that won't open with critical documents or medication inside, and any situation where your physical safety is at risk. Non-emergencies like scheduled rekeys or upgrading to Mul-T-Lock hardware can wait for business hours and cost less. If you're unsure whether your situation is urgent, call us and we'll help you sort it out.

We apply The Keystone Standard to every job: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If a lock we installed or rekeyed fails because of our workmanship or a defective part, we come back and make it right at no charge. This isn't a favor, it's how we do business. The guarantee is stamped on every invoice, and there's no paperwork battle to honor it. We stand behind it.

Call us at (833) 695-3962 and we'll diagnose the problem. If it's a defect in the hardware itself, we'll work with the manufacturer on replacement under their warranty while handling the labor under ours. If it's an installation issue, we fix it free. Houston's humidity can cause premature wear on inferior locks, which is why we don't install hardware we don't trust. A lock should work the way it's supposed to, and we'll make sure it does.

We guarantee to give you an honest estimate and to communicate if that estimate changes. We don't guarantee specific minute-by-minute arrival times because Houston traffic and job complexity don't cooperate with that kind of precision. What we do promise: we'll be there when we say, or we'll call with an update. No ghosting, no leaving you waiting without word. That's part of our K.E.Y.S. code, Every time, the 400th job gets the care of the first.

The Keystone Standard is our trademarked guarantee, applied to locks: 90 days of coverage on parts and labor, in writing, with no arguing required to make a claim. It's named for the keystone in an arch, the piece that holds the whole structure together. For us, that piece is our word. If we installed it and it's not right, we come back. No forms to fill out, no manager to escalate to, no runaround. That's Standing behind it, the S in our K.E.Y.S. values code.

Written by the team at Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. of Houston, serving Houston, Jacinto City, Galena Park, Cloverleaf, Aldine, West University Place, Pasadena, South Houston, Bellaire, Channelview, Humble, and Deer Park since 2013.