Last month we got three calls in eight days from offices off Ventura Boulevard, all the same story: a business nearby got hit, and now the owners wanted their locks looked at before the weekend. That pattern repeats every time there’s a string of break-ins in Encino — around the Encino Commons plaza, near the Encino Town Center, or in the office buildings clustered between Balboa and White Oak. Below are the questions we hear most often from commercial tenants in that exact situation.
How fast can you actually change the locks on my Encino office?
For a standard suite with three to six commercial-grade locks, we’re usually on-site within 45 to 90 minutes of your call and finished in two to three hours. If you’re in one of the mid-rise buildings along Ventura between Hayvenhurst and Louise, building management sometimes needs to escort us up — that adds 15 minutes but nothing more. Same-day service for a full is the norm, not the exception, especially when there’s a recent incident on the block.
What does a commercial lock change cost in Encino?
Realistic numbers for 2026: a single Grade 2 commercial cylinder rekey runs about $35-$55 per cylinder. A full lock replacement with a Grade 1 mortise lock (the kind you’d want on a glass storefront door near Encino Commons) is typically $185-$320 per door installed, hardware included. High-security keyways like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock push that to $350-$550 per door because the cylinders themselves cost more. A six-door office with mixed hardware usually lands between $900 and $1,800 total. We give a firm quote before we start — no surprise line items.
Should I rekey or fully replace the locks after a break-in two doors down?
Depends on what the locks already are. If the hardware is Grade 2 or better, less than ten years old, and showing no pry damage, rekeying is the smart call — it invalidates every key in circulation (former employees, cleaning crews, the previous tenant’s brother-in-law) for a fraction of the cost. If your suite still has the builder-grade locks from when the property was developed, or anything with a worn-out keyway you can wiggle a screwdriver into, replace. A nearby break-in is the moment to find out which category you’re in.
One thing people forget
The back door and the side door to the loading area. We’ve seen Encino offices spend $400 hardening the front and leave a 1990s knob lock on the rear exit. Burglars know this.
Do I need to upgrade more than just the locks?
Often, yes. If the recent break-in nearby involved a kicked-in door, the lock isn’t what failed — the strike plate and the door jamb did. We swap in three-inch screws and reinforced strike plates as part of most commercial jobs, which is the single cheapest security upgrade that exists ($25-$40 in parts). For glass-door storefronts, we also look at whether the existing deadbolt actually throws into solid material or just into a thin aluminum frame. And if your suite is required by code to have emergency egress hardware, that’s a separate conversation — see our notes on for what the LA Fire Department actually inspects.
Can you do the lock change after hours so we don’t lose a day of business?
Yes, and for offices in the medical and dental suites around Encino Hospital Medical Center we do this constantly — they can’t have us drilling locks during patient hours. After-hours work (between 7 PM and 7 AM, or weekends) carries a modest premium, usually 20-30% over weekday rates, but it lets you open Monday morning with new keys distributed and no downtime. We’ve also done quiet Sunday afternoons for the law and accounting offices along Ventura that share floors with weekend tenants.
What kind of lock should an Encino office actually have?
For most professional offices, a Grade 1 commercial deadbolt paired with a Grade 1 lever lockset is the sweet spot — durable, ADA-compliant, and pickable only with serious effort. For tenants storing client data, inventory, or controlled substances (we work with several medical and legal practices in Encino), we recommend stepping up to a high-security cylinder with a restricted keyway, so nobody can walk into a hardware store and duplicate your key. If you’re managing keys for more than ten employees, ask us about a small master-key system; it pays for itself in convenience within a year. There’s a fuller rundown of options across our Encino locksmith services page.
Ready when you are
If a break-in nearby has you rethinking your office security, a quick walkthrough is free and takes about twenty minutes. Call the Locksmith HQ Team at (818) 398-9391 and we’ll come look at what you have, tell you straight what’s worth upgrading, and quote the job before any work starts.
