Smart Lock Installation in Lexington, KY

Check the door before you buy

Smart locks come with fit lists, so measure the door's bore hole and backset and check both against the list before you buy. An original door with a mortise lock has a pocket cut into its edge instead of a bored hole, so a model made for bored doors will not simply swap in. Look for one listed for mortise doors, or ask before any new holes are cut in an original door.

Approvals before you install

• Rentals and apartments. 46.2 percent of Lexington's occupied homes are rented, and 25.9 percent of homes are in buildings of five or more units. Ask the landlord before changing a lock, keep the original lock so it can be refitted at move-out, and remember that a smart lock on your unit door does not change the building's own entry system or fob.
• H-1 historic districts. In an H-1 overlay, exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness under Section 13-7 unless they are ordinary maintenance that leaves the outside looking the same. A keypad on the street face of an original door may not qualify, so ask the Division of Historic Preservation before ordering one. This is general information, not legal advice.

Batteries, cold and a backup key

Batteries in smart locks lose output in hard cold, and NOAA's Kentucky summary counts more below-zero days in the north of the state than in the south. Even so, a lock that worked in October can stall on the first frigid morning, so replace the batteries before winter. Choose a model with a mechanical key override and carry that key rather than leaving it inside the house.

If the real aim is to make old keys stop working, rekeying the current deadbolt is a smaller job. The service itself is described on the smart lock installation page, and local housing notes are on the Lexington page.