Lockouts · Toronto
Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey
The keys fell out of a gym bag somewhere between the arena and the parking lot.
In plain words
If you rent, losing a key is handled in three steps rather than one. Tell your landlord first, since a lock change on a rented unit goes smoother when both sides know about it and both end up with a working key. Then the locksmith rekeys the suite door, and any other cylinder that key fitted, with both parties knowing. Finally new keys are cut for you and for the landlord's set, so the arrangement that existed before the loss is restored on a fresh combination. Landlords generally welcome the call; their hardware stays in place and their own key set is refreshed too.
How the visit goesYour purse was taken from the back of a chair at a restaurant. The cards can be cancelled by phone tonight, but the house keys were in the side pocket beside a driver's licence that shows exactly where those keys fit.
Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey
How the visit goes
Confirming who is asking for the change
A rekey decides who can open a door from now on, so the locksmith starts by confirming that the person asking has the standing to decide. Photo identification matched to the address does it for an owner. A tenant shows a lease or a recent bill along with identification, and mentions whether the landlord knows. A property manager or superintendent shows the management connection and says which units or doors are theirs to authorise. None of this is suspicion; it is the same care that stops a stranger with a convincing story from having your own locks reset against you. When something is missing, the locksmith says what would settle it and waits.
Bringing every door onto one key
When the household wants a single key, the locksmith pins each compatible cylinder to the same combination in turn, using the same cut key as the reference so nothing drifts between doors. A cylinder from a different keyway family is exchanged for one that matches, or the household keeps a second key for that door if they prefer. Where a home has a keyed garage entry, a shed and a gate on the same list, they follow the same process. The finished set is tried door by door with a single key, and the spare cylinders and old keys are gathered up so nothing that fits the old combination stays in circulation.
When to think about rekeying again
Rekeying is a repeatable act, and after this visit you know what triggers it. Moving into a new home, because previous occupants and their helpers may hold copies. A contractor or tenant leaving without handing a key back. A separation or a change of roommates. A ring lost with anything that names your address. Manufacturers list exactly these moments, and a household that treats them as routine stays in control of its doors for decades with the same hardware. The locks on the door today can be repinned many more times; only the small pins and the keys change each time.
Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey
In the van
Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
Rekeying pin kit
Key blanks in common keyways
Pin tweezers and shims
Plug follower set
Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey
What affects the quote
Condition of the cylinders
A clean, healthy cylinder is repinned as is. One clogged with salt and grit is cleaned first, and a worn or damaged one is replaced rather than repinned, each priced as its own item.
Time and day of the call
A weekday afternoon and a late evening or holiday call cost the same amount for a lost-key rekey. When a stolen wallet makes the visit urgent, the locksmith still confirms the exact figure on site, once the cylinders and keys needed have been looked at.
Travel to the property
Every call-out includes the drive. A house across town and a rural property at the end of a concession road involve different time on the road, and the quote reflects the trip.
What to have ready
- Would you like every exterior door to work on one key?
- Was anything with your address, such as a licence or a mail tag, lost with the keys?
- Is the property a condo or apartment with shared entrance doors?
Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey: questions
QuestionsCan I just have another key cut instead?
You can, and it solves being without a key. It leaves the lost one working, though, which is the half of the problem that keeps people awake. Rekeying takes about as much effort as a trip to a hardware store counter and ends with a new key in your hand and the old one retired. If the key was mislaid somewhere it will never be found and named nothing, a plain copy is a fair choice.
Do I have to prove I live here before you rekey?
Yes, and it is a step that protects you. A rekey changes who can open the door, so the locksmith confirms the person asking has the standing to decide: photo identification matched to the address for an owner, a lease or bill for a tenant, management records for a superintendent or property manager. Say on the phone what you have so the visit starts smoothly.
What is a restricted keyway, and is it worth having?
A restricted keyway uses a controlled key profile whose blanks are supplied only through an authorised channel; the credential required, a letter, a registered account, a dealer agreement or a key card, depends on the system. Rekeying such a cylinder is routine work with the right pin kit. For a household that has just lost a key and wants the next one to be truly countable, it is a sensible upgrade for the main doors, and it can be fitted during the same visit.
Related services
- Business 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.
- Broken Key ExtractionThe key went in like any other morning, you turned it, and something gave with a small metallic click.
- Break-In Damage Lock RepairSomeone smashed the little window beside the door, reached in and turned the thumb-turn.