Smart Lock Installation in Orlando, FL

Will a smart lock fit your door?

Orlando's housing leans recent: 43.3 percent of homes are in buildings from 2000 or later, per the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates. Doors of that age are usually bored for a standard deadbolt, which is what most smart deadbolts are made to replace, so the job is often a straight swap plus a check of door thickness and how the bolt meets the strike.

Older houses take more planning. In a neighborhood like Colonialtown, part of the city since the 1920s, a door may have been bored more than once for earlier hardware, and a smart lock may need a filler plate, an adapter or a different model.

Approvals for renters and hosts

• Renters. In a city where most occupied homes are rented, get the landlord's written approval before installing, and keep the original lock to put back at move-out. Under section 83.53, Florida Statutes, a tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent for the landlord to enter, so the lease may require that management can still get in.
• Home sharing hosts. Orlando's home sharing rules, Chapter 58, Part 5B(19) of the city code, do not allow a home to be set up as a group home, and the city lists key locks, deadbolt locks and other security mechanisms intended to limit access to all areas by all occupants as evidence of one. That concerns locks inside the home; check with the city before adding a smart lock to an interior door.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Heat, storms and a backup key

NOAA projects Florida's summer heat index to rise 8 to 15°F, the largest increase in the nation. Heat can shorten battery life, and a keypad facing afternoon sun runs hotter than one in shade. Choose a model made for outdoor use, mount it under an overhang if the door has one, and change batteries on a schedule rather than waiting for the warning.

Keep a physical key that works. A hurricane can cut power and internet, and a lock whose batteries die while you are evacuated still needs a way in. Pack the backup key with your storm supplies.

The smart lock installation page describes the service, and residential locksmith work covers home doors more broadly. Local notes are on the Orlando page.