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The house is fifteen years old and every exterior door still wears the light hardware the builder fitted: a short bolt, a thin strike held by two small screws, and a knob lock that never suited a street entrance.
Locksmith in Toronto, OntarioAfter a break-in,start with the door.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 804-7704What's happening right now?
Locked out
Safely, right now
- Wait somewhere safe and warm: a neighbour's, your car, a coffee shop.
- Don't break a window or pry the door. It adds damage without getting you in sooner.
- Have a photo ID with your address ready if you can.
Key broke in the lock
Safely, right now
- Don't push the broken piece back in or try the lock again.
- Keep the piece you still have. It helps cut a new key.
Lock won't turn
Safely, right now
- Stop turning hard: a key that bends or snaps makes the job bigger.
- Don't spray oil or glue into it, and don't pour hot water on it in the cold.
Lost keys
Safely, right now
- If your address was with the keys, treat the lock as known to whoever finds them.
- Don't leave a spare key anywhere outside while you wait, under the mat or elsewhere.
Once the police report is done, the door still has to lock tonight. We repair split frames and bent strikes, replace damaged cylinders, rekey anything that might have been compromised, and talk through sensible upgrades once things have settled.
Request a visit
Same fees day or night · 16 years in business
The fix, explained · Toronto
What is the door doing?
EmergencyHome Lockout ServiceThe key slides in and turns all the way round, but the bolt stays put.
The fix
A home lockout service is a visit whose whole purpose is to get you back inside your own home when the door is locked against you. The locksmith first confirms you have the right to be there, usually by matching photo identification to the address or seeing a lease, deed or property-management record.
EmergencyBusiness Lockout ServiceIt is ten to nine, three staff are on the sidewalk with their coffees, and the key that has opened the glass front door for six years will not turn.
The fix
A business lockout service reopens commercial premises when the door is locked and nobody on site can open it. The locksmith begins by confirming that the person asking for entry has authority to act for the business, through identification and a document or a phone call that ties them to the premises.
EmergencyBroken Key ExtractionYou were locking up on the way out when the key broke in the lock.
The fix
Keys break for a reason, and finding that reason is half the visit. A brass key wears thinnest at its deepest cut, and after years of turning it fatigues there until a cold morning or a stiff bolt finishes it.
EmergencyBreak-In Damage Lock RepairThe shop's aluminum door has a bent meeting stile and the hookbolt is jammed half out.
The fix
In a rental or condo the repair involves more than one set of hands. A tenant reports the break-in to the landlord or property manager, who normally arranges the work, because landlords are responsible for repairs and both sides have rules about changing locks and sharing keys.
Call (289) 804-7704Request a visit Break-In Damage Lock Repair
EmergencySeized & Jammed Lock OpeningYou are inside, the deadbolt is thrown, and the thumb-turn will not budge.
The fix
Many jammed locks are not lock problems at all. Wood doors swell in humid weather and shrink in dry winter air, hinges loosen and let the door drop, and a strike plate that was fine in spring is a few millimetres out by autumn.
Call (289) 804-7704Request a visit Seized & Jammed Lock Opening
EmergencyLost Keys — Same-Visit RekeyThe spare under the planter by the side door is gone.
The fix
How much a lost key matters depends on what was lost with it. A ring that dropped into a lake on a canoe trip tells nobody where it fits, so the rekey is a tidy precaution.
Call (289) 804-7704Request a visit Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey
- 16years in business
- 24/7open, every day
- Same feesday, night or weekend
- On siteassessment preferred
How this company came to be
Every home has a door everyone actually uses and a door nobody thinks about. The side entrance by the driveway, the door from the garage, the basement walkout: these are the ones that tend to carry the flimsiest hardware and get the least attention. Part of our first visit is walking the whole perimeter with you, so the effort goes where the traffic and the risk really are.
Baby Point, Chestnut Hills, Humber Bay, Humber Valley, Humberside, Lambton Mills, Old Mill, Six Points and The Kingsway
Identity checked, politely. For openings and key work we confirm you have the right to be there. We explain why we ask, and we ask everyone.
Work you can watch. There is nothing hidden about what we do. Stand beside us, ask questions, and we will show you what the lock looks like inside.
Clean hands, clean floor. We put down a mat where there is drilling, wipe the hardware down and leave the area as we found it, only with a working lock.
Call to discuss your business's keys: (289) 804-7704
Locksmith services
Help with locks and keys
The right service depends on what you want to happen next. Keep the same lock but stop an old key working? That is rekeying. Upgrade to something sturdier? That is replacement. Lost every copy of a car key? That is a different job again. Read on to match your need.
LockoutsLockout ServicesAn after-hours lockout is different from a planned visit, so we treat it differently.Services
An after-hours lockout is different from a planned visit, so we treat it differently. Fewer questions about upgrades, more attention to getting you inside, checking the lock still works and leaving you with something that locks properly behind you.
EmergencyHome Lockout ServiceThe key slides in and turns all the way round, but the bolt stays put.
EmergencyBusiness Lockout ServiceIt is ten to nine, three staff are on the sidewalk with their coffees, and the key that has opened the glass front door for six…
EmergencyBroken Key ExtractionYou were locking up on the way out when the key broke in the lock.
EmergencyBreak-In Damage Lock RepairThe shop's aluminum door has a bent meeting stile and the hookbolt is jammed half out.
EmergencySeized & Jammed Lock OpeningYou are inside, the deadbolt is thrown, and the thumb-turn will not budge.
EmergencyLost Keys — Same-Visit RekeyThe spare under the planter by the side door is gone.
Change or rekeyChange or Rekey LocksFront doors, back doors, patio sliders, garages, mailboxes and the bedroom door with the lock that never worked.Services
Front doors, back doors, patio sliders, garages, mailboxes and the bedroom door with the lock that never worked. Residential services cover every entry point in a house or condo, with choices explained in terms of daily use rather than jargon.
High securityHigh Security LocksRather than one purchase, think of high security as a run of decisions.Services
Rather than one purchase, think of high security as a run of decisions. Which doors, which cylinders, how many keys, who may order more, whether a safe belongs inside. We walk those decisions with you and write the answers down.
CommercialCommercial LocksExit devices, the bars and paddles that let a crowd leave a room by pushing, are commercial hardware with a life-safety job.Services
Exit devices, the bars and paddles that let a crowd leave a room by pushing, are commercial hardware with a life-safety job. We install and repair them and make sure the door still locks from outside while opening freely from inside.
Car keysCar KeysLost the only key?Services
Lost the only key? Ignition getting stubborn? Fob dead even with a new battery?
Bigger photo, sooner job: Emergency Book soon Plan ahead
EmergencyCar Lockout ServiceThe trunk is full of groceries, the cart is back in its corral, and the keys are sitting in the cup holder in plain view.
EmergencyCar Key ReplacementMinus twenty outside, the fob button does nothing, and the door keyhole has a crust of road salt over it because you have not…
Spare Car Key Duplication
Key Fob Programming
Transponder Key Programming
Ignition Lock Repair
Vehicle Lock Repair
Motorcycle & Scooter Keys
Sound familiar?
Small things. Big difference.
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The renovation wrapped up in the spring. The crew was good, the kitchen looks right, and the key you handed the foreman on day one was never handed back. Nobody kept track of who on the crew carried it.
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Two people left over the summer and the keys they handed back came up one short. Nobody is sure whether the missing key was for the front door, the stockroom or both, and the sign-out sheet stopped being filled in a year ago.
Which fix fits?
IfThe shop's back door only latches if someone slams it.
ThenAdjust the closer and realign the strike.
Usually the closer is out of adjustment or the strike has drifted; both are set, not replaced.
IfThe fire exit alarm sounds every time staff use that door.
ThenService the exit device and rethink the routine.
Exit alarms are meant to sound; if staff need that door daily, an arrangement that still lets everyone leave freely is found.
IfThe storefront lock is worn and the key barely catches.
ThenReplace the cylinder with a commercial-grade one.
Storefront cylinders take a beating; a heavier grade is built for that traffic.
IfThe rental van came with one key.
Winter makes its own lockouts.
IfMinus twenty outside, the fob button does nothing, and the door keyhole has a crust of road salt over it because you have not used a metal key in that car…
Losing a key is also a security event, and replacement is the moment to close it.
IfAfter a week of humid weather the back door has swollen in its frame.
A home lockout service is a visit whose whole purpose is to get you back inside your own home when the door is locked against you.
Open 24/7 in Toronto
How a visit goes
Chestnut Hills Lock & Key Specialists
Job ticket · open 24/7
1 Call
Call to discuss your business's keys.
Describe the property, the hardware and what has changed, and the visit starts from what you have seen.
(289) 804-7704 · open 24/7
2 Questions
Verifying the caller
We ask for something that ties you to the premises: a lease, business card, or a call to the owner. Opening a shop for the wrong person is not a risk we take.
3 On the way
In the van
Toronto to Baby Point, Chestnut Hills, Humber Bay, Humber Valley, Humberside, Lambton Mills, Old Mill, Six Points and The Kingsway.
- Key blanks and key cutter
- Cylinder decoder
- Lock de-icer
- Plug spinner
- Pick and tension tools
4 Fixed
Getting you back to trading
Getting the door open. Storefront and office locks vary, so we choose the approach that leaves the hardware intact wherever possible. If the lock itself has failed, we tell you before opening it.
Getting you back to trading. Once inside we check the lock, cut keys if needed and note anything that should be addressed later so your day can carry on.
Same fees day, night or weekend · on-site assessment preferred
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto information
- Town
- Toronto, Ontario
- In business
- 16 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 804-7704
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
58%
Older homes. About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Layers of paint build up on older doors and frames, and a lock that seemed to fail is sometimes a latch glued shut by the last coat. Part of the visit in an older area is freeing hardware, cleaning the edges and checking the door swings true.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
Townhouse rows often share a keyway chosen by the builder. A locksmith can move a household onto a keyway of its own so a neighbour's key, or a key from the construction phase, no longer has any chance of fitting.
Nearby
Ask us anything about locks
Is a smart lock a good upgrade, and what happens when the batteries run out?
For a household with many people coming and going, codes that can be added and removed are a real convenience. Behind the keypad it is still a deadbolt, so grade and strike matter as much as ever. Batteries typically last months and the lock warns you as they fade; depending on the model, a dead battery is handled with a mechanical override key or with external contacts for a temporary power source, so it is worth confirming which one your lock uses.
Do I have to prove I own the home before you change a lock?
The locksmith will ask, and it is a sign of a careful trade. Photo identification with the address, a deed or property tax notice, or a mortgage or insurance document is plenty for an owner. Tenants show a lease and the landlord's consent; landlords show ownership and confirm the tenant will receive keys. It is a short step that protects everyone with a right to that door.
I have just bought a house. What should I do about the locks?
Assume that copies of the old keys exist somewhere and act on the day you take possession. Walk every exterior door with the locksmith, keep hardware that is sound and have it rekeyed to a new key, replace hardware that is worn or too light, and add a deadbolt to any door that lacks one. Ask for everything to be keyed alike so you leave with one key and a known number of copies.
What actually makes a lock high security?
Three things working together. The cylinder has a second locking mechanism, usually a sidebar released by finger pins or rotating pins, plus hardened steel in the path of a drill, so picking, bumping and drilling take far longer than on an ordinary lock. The deadbolt and strike are heavier and fastened into the framing. And the key is cut on a patented or restricted blank that only an authorised person can have copied. Remove any one and the door is weaker than the label suggests.
Open 24/7
Request a visit
Call us about stronger locks.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 804-7704- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 16 years in business