Change or rekey · Toronto
Gate & Building Entry Locks
The padlock on the side gate has gone stiff every winter for three years running, and this year the key simply will not turn past the first few pins.
In plain words
A property that grew its gates one at a time, a shed lock here, a side gate there, tends to end up with a drawer full of keys that only sort of match. This service takes stock of every gate and padlock on the property and works out which ones can reasonably be brought onto a single key, replacing or recombining cylinders as needed. The owner leaves with fewer keys, a clear note of what opens what, and a plan for adding any new gate onto the same system later.
How the visit goesSomeone pried at the gate latch overnight, and now the strike plate hangs by one screw and the cylinder spins loose in its housing. The gate still closes, technically, but a firm shoulder is all it would take to open it from outside.
Gate & Building Entry Locks
How the visit goes
Checking the closer and hinges together
A closer cannot be judged on its own, because a gate that slams or drifts open is often fighting hinges or a post that have moved. The locksmith checks the closer's current adjustment, the condition of its arm and fittings, and then the hinges or pivots the gate hangs from, along with whether the post itself still stands square. Separating a closer problem from a hinge or post problem here avoids replacing a perfectly sound closer that was only ever fighting a leaning post, or the reverse case.
Bringing the closer into proper adjustment
Once the gate or door's swing has been read, the closer is adjusted in stages: overall closing speed, the final push that seats the latch, and how firmly the last few centimetres land. Each change is tested by cycling the gate several times before moving to the next adjustment, rather than guessing at a single setting. Where the arm, fittings or fluid are worn beyond adjusting, the closer is replaced with one sized to the gate's weight and width. The aim is a gate that swings its full arc, slows near the end, and settles into the latch on its own every time.
A seasonal habit worth keeping
A gate or shared entry that was serviced once benefits from a short look each season afterward, particularly heading into winter: cycling the gate to check the closer still settles it into the latch, glancing at the cylinder for the first signs of pitting, and confirming hinge or post hardware has not worked loose. Catching a stiff cylinder or a slow closer in the fall is a smaller job than reaching the same gate once it is genuinely frozen or has sagged further over a winter of neglect.
Gate & Building Entry Locks
In the van
Corrosion-resistant fasteners
Weather-rated cylinders
Gate and door closers
Voltage tester for electric strikes
Hinges, pivots and shims
Gate & Building Entry Locks
What affects the quote
Materials the gate or frame is built from
Wood, wrought iron, aluminum and vinyl gates each take fasteners and mounting approaches suited to that material, and matching the lock and closer correctly to the gate's construction is part of what the quote covers.
Type and grade of the gate or door lock
A basic surface-mounted gate latch, a weather-rated cylinder, a mortise case and a panic device on a building entry each take different parts and different amounts of time to service, and that difference is reflected in the quote.
Corrosion or damage already present
A cylinder that is merely stiff is a lighter job than one that is visibly pitted, seized or cracked from years of weather exposure, and the quote reflects whichever condition the hardware is actually found in.
What to have ready
- Does the entry have a buzzer, keypad or electric strike?
- Is the lock dragging, slamming, stuck, or simply not latching?
- Is this a single household gate or a shared building entry?
Gate & Building Entry Locks: questions
QuestionsHow do you decide whether to repair a gate lock or replace it?
The decision follows what the assessment actually finds rather than the age of the hardware alone. A cylinder that is only stiff or slightly worn is usually serviced and left in place, while one that is pitted, cracked or built to a grade unsuited to its exposure is replaced. The same logic applies to a closer or hinge: adjustment first, replacement only once the part itself has genuinely failed. You are told which category the hardware fell into and why before any work proceeds.
I rent my unit. Can I request gate or entry lock service myself?
You can certainly call about a problem you are experiencing, such as a side gate that will not latch or a buzzer that stopped working, and the locksmith will look into it. Where the fix touches the shared entry everyone in the building relies on, rather than something specific to your own unit, the work is usually coordinated with whoever manages the property, since a rekey or replacement there affects every current resident, not just the person who noticed the problem first.
A tenant moved out of our building. Do we need to rekey the shared entry?
It is worth doing, since a move-out is exactly the situation a rekey is meant to cover: a former tenant's key still operates the same lock everyone currently living there relies on. Rekeying resets the cylinder to a fresh combination and issues new keys to current residents, without requiring a whole new lock in most cases. Bringing any other gates or doors that share that key along at the same time keeps the whole property on one current combination.
Related services
- Deadbolt InstallationYou bought a keypad deadbolt online and pulled the old one off, only to find the hole in the door is a different size and the bolt latch sits at a backset the new kit does not list.
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeSomeone tried the back door while you were away.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceThe brass knob on the front door of your century home turns, but nothing happens on the other side.