The phone calls usually start the same way. Someone in Encino just had a manager, bookkeeper, or assistant leave — sometimes on good terms, sometimes not — and now they’re staring at the office safe wondering who else might still have that six-digit code written down somewhere. We hear this a few times a month from businesses along Ventura Boulevard, dental offices near Encino Hospital Medical Center, and shops tucked into the side streets off White Oak. Below are the questions Encino owners actually ask the Locksmith HQ Team when this comes up.
How fast can you get to my Encino office to change the safe combination?
Most of the time, same day. We run trucks through the 101 corridor and the 405 split all day long, so a call from a business near Balboa Park or the Encino Town Center usually gets a tech on-site within 60 to 90 minutes during business hours. After hours and weekends are available too — we just confirm the safe brand and model on the phone so the locksmith arrives with the right tools the first time. If you’re closer to Tarzana or the Sepulveda Basin, expect a similar window.
What does a safe combination change cost in Encino?
For a standard mechanical dial safe — think a SentrySafe, Honeywell, or older Mosler in a back office — the combination change typically runs $95 to $175, plus the service call. Electronic keypad safes (most modern Hollon, AMSEC BF series, or LaGard digital locks) usually fall in the $120 to $220 range because we’re often resetting the master code and any user codes the former employee had access to. High-security TL-15 or TL-30 rated safes from jewelers on Ventura cost more — those get quoted on-site after we see the lock group. Pricing for is given upfront before any work starts.
Do I really need to change the combination if the employee left on good terms?
Honest answer — yes, and your insurance carrier probably agrees. We had a property management office near Hayvenhurst Avenue skip this step two years ago because the assistant who left was a longtime family friend. Eight months later, $14,000 in petty cash and tenant deposits walked out of that safe over a weekend. No forced entry, no police report that went anywhere. Combinations get shared, written on sticky notes, photographed on phones, mentioned to spouses. A safe combination change in Encino costs less than one month of your business insurance deductible.
What about the keys to the front door and back office?
Same logic applies. If the former employee had after-hours access, we usually pair the safe work with a on the exterior doors. Doing both in one visit saves you a second service call fee and gets the whole building secure in one afternoon.
Can you change the combination without the old code?
Yes — but the price changes. If the former employee was the only one who knew the combination and didn’t leave it written anywhere, we’re now doing a safe opening before the combination change. On mechanical dials we manipulate the wheels (no drilling on most residential and light commercial safes). On electronic keypads we either bypass the lock or, on cheaper models, swap the entire lock body. Drilling is a last resort and only happens with your written approval. A “lost combo” job on a typical office safe runs $200 to $450 total, depending on the safe.
Should I just buy a new safe instead?
For most Encino businesses, no. A combination change on a decent safe takes 20 to 40 minutes and costs a fraction of a replacement. New commercial safes start around $400 for entry-level and climb past $2,500 for fire-rated models with electronic locks. The exception — if your current safe is a thin-wall “fire box” from a big box store and you’re storing cash or jewelry inventory, that’s a security upgrade conversation worth having anyway. The tech on-site will give you a straight read on whether your safe is worth keeping.
Who actually shows up — is it a real locksmith or a subcontractor?
Our own licensed techs, bonded and insured, driving marked Locksmith HQ vehicles. We don’t farm out Encino jobs to call centers. The same crew handles safe work, lockouts, and rekeys across the rest of our Encino locksmith services, so the person turning your dial has done it a few thousand times before.
If a former employee knew your combination and you’d rather not spend the weekend worrying about it, give the Locksmith HQ Team a call at (818) 398-9391. We’ll quote the job on the phone and have someone at your Encino office before lunch.
