Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Meet the San Jose Team Behind Novak Lock & Security San Jose
Every lock we touch in San Jose is handled by someone who lives here, works here, and answers to the same standard. Our crew isn’t rotated in from other counties or subcontracted out. These are the people who pick up when you call, show up when you’re locked out, and leave you with a photo record and a written price that matches what you were quoted. No surprises, no handoffs.
Our People
Daniel Novak, Owner
I’ve been running locksmith calls in Santa Clara County since 2002. Started out of a van in East San Jose, rekeying rental units between Alum Rock and Tropicana. Now we handle everything from Kwikset swaps in Willow Glen to Medeco master-key systems for commercial properties downtown. I still go out on jobs when we’re stacked up or when a customer specifically requests it. The thing that still gets me is finding a “high-security” cylinder installed backwards - happens more than you’d think, usually on a door someone paid premium money to secure. I note it, explain it, fix it. Haven Standard Clause 1 applies to me same as everyone else: the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. No exceptions, no matter who’s holding the tools.
Marcus T., Lead Technician
Marcus has been with us seven years, and he’s the one we send when a job’s gone sideways somewhere else. He’s factory-authorized on Mul-T-Lock and Abloy, which means he can cut keys and service cylinders that most shops in San Jose have to order out for. He lives in the Rose Garden area, so he knows which Victorian-era homes still run original mortise hardware and which ones have been retrofit with modern deadbolts that don’t actually engage the strike. Off the clock, he rebuilds vintage motorcycles. That patience with seized bolts translates directly to his work on corroded locksets in older San Jose properties.
Jennifer K., Senior Installer
Jennifer handles our commercial access control and large residential installations - the jobs where one door talks to another and everything needs to work on Monday morning. She’s certified on Schlage Primus and Baldwin’s estate hardware lines, and she’s the person who makes sure a master-key system for a 40-unit complex in North San Jose actually functions the way the property manager was sold. She grew up in the Almaden Valley, so she knows the wind patterns that blow fine dust into keypad mechanisms on south-facing gates. She carries a small brush set for exactly that reason. Her photo records are the most thorough in the company, which is saying something.
David R., Service Coordinator
David answers the phones. Not a machine, not a queue - him, or one of the two other live people we have on rotation. He’s been with us four years, and he’s the one who quotes your price before anyone’s dispatched, per Haven Standard Clause 1. He knows which calls are genuine emergencies and which ones can wait until morning without costing more, and he’s direct about telling you the difference. He lives near West San Jose, bikes to work when the weather holds, and has a habit of remembering repeat customers by their lock situation, not just their address. “Oh, the Baldwin on the Craftsman with the sticky thumbturn” - that’s how he thinks.
Elena V., Apprentice Technician
Elena joined us in 2023 after completing a locksmithing program in the Bay Area. She’s currently working toward her factory authorization on Medeco, which means she’s shadowing Marcus on high-security installs and handling rekeys and lockouts independently. She’s already faster than most techs I’ve seen at decoding a Schlage keyway without pulling the cylinder. She grew up in a family that rented in East San Jose, so she understands the urgency when someone’s changing locks after a roommate situation or a domestic issue. She doesn’t rush - she moves efficiently, which is different. Her photo records are getting there. She asks good questions on the jobs she doesn’t know yet.
One Standard, Every Job
The Haven Standard isn’t a suggestion we pass around at meetings. It’s a documented framework with numbered clauses, and every technician who works under the Novak name in San Jose follows it. Clause 1 is the price guarantee. Clause 3 is the photo record, left with the customer. Clause 5 is the background check and uniform, non-negotiable. These rules travel with our crew whether they’re rekeying a single cylinder in Berryessa or installing an access control system for a medical office near O’Connor Hospital.
We’ve installed or serviced over 60,000 locks, keys, and systems since 2002. Every one had a written price before we started and a documented record when we left. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies regardless of which member of this crew handled your job. If it’s not right, we make it right. That’s not marketing language - it’s the procedure we follow when someone calls back.
Our team is based here, works here, and is accountable here. If you need a locksmith in San Jose, you’ll speak to David or his counterpart first. The technician who shows up will be Marcus, Jennifer, or Elena - background-checked, uniformed, and carrying the same price you were quoted. Call (669) 201-7095 and we’ll give you the number upfront, before anyone’s dispatched.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security San Jose, serving San Jose since 2002.