Lock Change After a Break-In
A break-in is one of the most unsettling things a Westbury homeowner or business owner can face. Whether it happened on a quiet residential block off Post Avenue or at a commercial storefront near Old Country Road, the immediate priority is the same: secure the property fast, restore your peace of mind, and make sure the same point of entry can never be exploited again. Westbury Locksmiths dispatches a mobile technician to your door — typically within 20 minutes — any hour of the day or night, because forced entry doesn't wait for business hours.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
Our trained and insured technicians handle everything from emergency boarding and temporary security to a full door lock change on deadbolts, mortise locks, knob sets, and high-security cylinders. We come to you fully equipped, so there's no waiting for a second trip or a parts order. If you've just discovered a broken door frame or a compromised lock, call (516) 400-4528 right now — we answer 24/7 and we'll walk you through exactly what to do while our team is on the way.
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 Westbury, we reach the Westbury 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.
More about our work
Everything you need to know about how we help — at a glance.
Why a Lock Change After a Break-In Is Non-Negotiable
Many property owners make the mistake of assuming a deadbolt that 'still turns' after a forced entry is still secure. It isn't. Forced entry — whether through a kicked door, a jimmied frame, or a defeated cylinder — almost always compromises internal components that aren't visible from the outside. A lock that appears intact may have bent internal pins, a cracked plug, or a housing that no longer engages the strike plate under real pressure. Installing a fresh lock on a compromised door is the only way to know for certain that your security has been fully restored.
Beyond the mechanical damage, there's another concern: if a burglar used a bump key, a pick, or copied a stolen key to gain entry, the existing lock profile is already known to them. A lock change eliminates that vulnerability entirely. Our technicians carry a curated inventory of residential and commercial-grade hardware — including Schlage, Kwikset, and heavy-duty mortise lock assemblies — so the replacement happens during the same visit, not days later.
Emergency Lock Change Services: What Happens When We Arrive
The moment our mobile unit pulls up — whether you're on Maple Avenue in Westbury or a commercial strip on Corporate Drive — our technician begins with a rapid damage assessment. We check the door frame, the lock body, the strike plate, and the surrounding jamb for structural compromise. If the frame itself has been splintered, we address temporary boarding or door reinforcement before fitting new hardware, so the new lock has a solid foundation to work against. Skipping this step is why many post-break-in lock changes fail within days.
Once the structural integrity is confirmed, we move to hardware selection. For residential properties, this typically means a heavy-duty deadbolt paired with a reinforced strike plate using three-inch screws that anchor into the stud — not just the trim. For commercial properties, we often recommend a commercial lock change to a mortise lock system, which integrates the latch, deadbolt, and cylinder into a single tamper-resistant unit housed inside the door itself. We confirm an exact up-front price before any work begins, based on the lock type required, the condition of the door, the time of day, and the parts needed — so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Mortise Lock Replacement and Commercial Locksmith Services After Forced Entry
Commercial properties present a different set of challenges after a break-in. A retail shop, office suite, or multi-tenant building in the Westbury business district often relies on a mortise lock as its primary point of defense — and with good reason. A mortise lock is installed inside a deep pocket (the 'mortise') cut into the door edge, making it far more resistant to prying and forced entry than a standard cylindrical lock. When a mortise lock is damaged in a break-in, it requires a skilled commercial locksmith to remove, measure, and replace it correctly, because mortise pockets vary in depth, width, and backset depending on the door manufacturer.
Our technicians are experienced in servicing and replacing mortise lock assemblies across a wide range of commercial door types, including aluminum storefront doors, solid-core wood doors, and hollow-metal frames common in office buildings. We also handle multi-point locking systems, panic hardware, and electronic access control integration for businesses that need to upgrade their security posture following a forced-entry incident. If your business has a Honeywell door lock with a change code that was compromised, or a smart lock that was reset or tampered with, we can assess and replace or re-program those systems as well.
Boarding, Temporary Security, and the Path Back to Normal
Sometimes a break-in leaves a door or window so badly damaged that a new lock alone isn't sufficient on the same night. Our mobile units carry boarding materials and temporary door barricade hardware so we can secure an opening immediately — preventing weather damage, animal intrusion, and opportunistic secondary break-ins while a permanent repair is arranged. This is especially important for Westbury commercial properties left unsecured overnight near high-traffic corridors like Ellison Avenue or the intersection near Westbury LIRR station, where foot traffic continues well into the night.
We coordinate the temporary and permanent phases so you're never left with a patchwork solution. After boarding is in place, we schedule — or complete on the same visit if conditions allow — the full house lock change or commercial lock change, frame reinforcement, and any hardware upgrades. Our goal is that by the time we leave, your property meets a higher security standard than it did before the incident. Call (516) 400-4528 — we answer 24/7 and our average response time in the Westbury area is around 20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a locksmith call out fee, and will I be charged one after a break-in?
A locksmith call out fee is a charge that covers the cost of dispatching a technician to your location — separate from the cost of parts or labor. The factors that shape the final quote include your distance from our dispatch point, the time of day (overnight and weekend calls carry different rates), the complexity of the job, and the hardware required. What we guarantee is that we give you an exact confirmed price before any work begins. There are no hidden additions once the job is underway.
How much should a locksmith cost per hour for an emergency lock change after a break-in?
Rather than quoting an hourly rate in isolation, we provide a flat job quote upfront that accounts for all relevant variables: the type of lock being replaced (a standard door knob lock versus a mortise lock, for example), the condition of the door frame, any boarding materials needed, the time of call, and travel distance within the Westbury service area. This approach means you know the full cost before we turn a single screw — no per-minute billing surprises.
What locks can locksmiths not open, or are particularly difficult to replace after a break-in?
Most residential and commercial locks — deadbolts, knob sets, mortise locks, lever handles, and even many smart locks — are within the scope of a trained technician. High-security locks rated ANSI Grade 1, certain medeco cylinders, and biometric or networked access control panels may require additional time and specialized tools, but they are not beyond our capability. If a lock type falls outside our current inventory, we will tell you that upfront and source the correct part before proceeding.
Can a locksmith reprogram my key fob or smart lock after a break-in?
Yes, in many cases. If your property uses a smart lock, keypad entry, or proximity fob system that was tampered with or reset during a break-in — including systems with a Honeywell door lock change code or a Defiant lock change code — our technicians can assess whether the unit needs reprogramming or full replacement. For key fob systems tied to electronic access control on commercial doors, we can re-initialize the hardware and re-enroll authorized credentials. Vehicle key fob reprogramming is a separate service; contact us at (516) 400-4528 to discuss your specific setup.
How much is a locksmith if I'm locked out of my house — and is it different from a break-in call?
A standard residential lockout — where the door and locks are intact and you simply need entry — is typically a simpler, quicker job than a post-break-in emergency. The factors that shape the price in both cases are similar: lock type, time of day, travel, and any parts required. A break-in call often involves additional services — frame assessment, boarding, hardware replacement — so the scope (and therefore the quote) will generally be broader. In both situations, we confirm the exact price before starting.
What do I do if I've locked myself out of my house versus if I've just discovered a break-in?
For a standard lockout, first check whether any other entry point (a back door, a garage entry, or a trusted neighbor holding a spare key) is accessible before calling. Never attempt to force a door or window — you risk damaging your own hardware and potentially injuring yourself. For a break-in, the steps are different and more urgent: do not re-enter the property until you've confirmed it's safe, call 911 to file a police report, and then call us at (516) 400-4528 immediately so we can secure the property. A police report also creates the documentation most homeowner and commercial insurance carriers require to process a claim that includes lock replacement costs.