24 hours, 7 days
Rekeying and lock changes
Rekeying is the cheaper of the two and does the same job whenever the existing hardware is sound, so we tell you which one you need before quoting either. Both are booked jobs done at your address in a single visit.
Starting prices
- Lock change or installation
- from $35
- Lock rekeying
- from $19
Plus a $15 service call fee. Starting prices for the simplest version of the job, so your figure is quoted on the phone. Full price list.
Before you call, have this ready
- The address, or the nearest intersection if you are on a rural route.
- What the door or vehicle is. Year, make, and model for a car.
- Whether anyone is inside, and whether you are somewhere safe.
- Photo identification, and something showing you belong there.
These two get treated as the same service and they are not. Rekeying takes the lock already on your door and re-pins the cylinder so it answers to a new key and every old key stops working. A lock change removes the hardware and puts different hardware on. One costs less and takes minutes. The other is what you do when the lock itself is the problem.
The reason this matters is that being sold the wrong one is the most common way people overpay a locksmith. If your hardware is decent and undamaged, replacing it buys you nothing that re-pinning does not. If your hardware is a worn builder-grade cylinder from 1998, no amount of rekeying makes it a good lock.
What is included
What you actually get
Rekeying existing cylinders
Re-pinned on site so all previous keys stop working, with new keys cut and handed over as part of the job.
Keyed-alike sets
Front, back, side, and garage entry doors brought onto one key, which is usually the point at which a house stops having a drawer of unlabelled keys.
Lock replacement
New deadbolts, knobs, levers, and handlesets fitted properly, including doors that were cut for different hardware.
Strike plate reinforcement
The cheapest genuine security upgrade there is. Long screws through the strike into the frame stud do more than most hardware upgrades cost.
High-security and restricted keys
Where you need keys that cannot be copied at a hardware counter, usually for rental properties or shared buildings.
Advice you can act on without us
If a door needs a carpenter rather than a locksmith, we will say so instead of fitting hardware to a frame that will not hold it.
When you need this
The situations this covers
You have just closed on a property
Every previous owner, agent, contractor, and neighbour who fed the cat is a key you cannot account for.
A tenancy has ended
Rekeying between tenants is quick and cheap, and it is the standard we would want as a tenant ourselves.
A key has gone missing rather than been mislaid
Especially if it was on a ring with an address, a car key, or a fob for the building.
You have too many keys
A house with four different keys on the exterior doors is a house where one door eventually gets left unlocked.
The lock is stiff, loose, or sticking
That is a replacement conversation rather than a rekey one, and it is better had before a key snaps in it.
Where we do this
Rekeying or lock change across the region
Times are typical drives from the Ancaster base in normal traffic.
Straight answers
Questions people ask before they call
What is the difference between rekeying and changing a lock?
Rekeying re-pins the cylinder already on your door so old keys stop working and the hardware stays. Changing the lock replaces the hardware entirely. Rekeying costs less and is the right answer whenever the existing lock is in good condition.
Is rekeying as secure as fitting new locks?
Yes, provided the existing lock is sound. Security comes from the quality of the hardware and how it is fitted, not from how recently it was bought. A well-made cylinder that has been re-pinned is more secure than a cheap new one.
Can all my doors be put on one key?
Usually, as long as the cylinders are compatible or can be swapped for ones that are. This is one of the most common jobs we book and it is normally finished in a single visit.
How much does rekeying cost?
It depends on how many cylinders and what type they are, so you get the figure on the phone once you have described the doors. It is consistently less than replacing the same number of locks.
Can I rekey a lock myself with a kit?
For some brands, yes, and if you enjoy that sort of thing the kits work. The two things people get wrong are mixing pin stacks between cylinders and reassembling a lock that then fails a month later on a door they cannot open.
How long does a lock change take?
A straight swap on a door already cut for that hardware takes minutes. A door that needs new preparation takes longer, and we will tell you which one yours is when we see it, before starting.
Reviews
What people said afterwards
Very professional and prompt. It’s frustrating having to get a locksmith but when someone recommended them, I never knew I would get such expertise in my area. They came in and my nightmare was gone in few minutes. I highly recommend them for locksmith services.
Raul did a very good job. Reasonably priced. Very professional. Highly recommended
Quick and efficient! Tried their best to keep the cost low for their services
Published word for word, including the typos. The rest are on Google.
Talk to a technician, not a call centre
The person who answers is the person arranging the van. You get the price before anyone drives, and it is confirmed at your door before work starts.
Related
Other things we are called for
Residential Locksmith
House and apartment doors opened, deadbolts fitted, worn cylinders replaced, and every key on the property brought back to one set.
Commercial Locksmith
Storefront and office work: master key systems, panic bars, door closers, access control, and rekeying after a staff change.
Smart Lock Installation
Keypad and app-controlled locks fitted to doors that were cut for standard hardware, tested on the door, and handed over set up.
Book a technician
Not an emergency? Leave your number
Rekeying, a lock change, a master key system, or a smart lock going on the front door. Send the details and a technician calls you back with a price and a time.
Locked out right now?
Do not use the form. The phone is answered 24 hours, 7 days, and a call gets a van moving in minutes.
(647) 559-3413