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Your roommate moved out last weekend. Rent is settled, the room is empty, and the key is still on their ring. You trust them, but the lock on your front door should answer to the people who actually live here.
Locksmith in Toronto, OntarioGood hardware.Honest advice.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 301-2168What's happening right now?
Locked out
Safely, right now
- Stay somewhere warm and safe while you wait, such as a neighbour's or your car.
- 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.
- Hold on to the half you have; it helps with a new key.
Lock won't turn
Safely, right now
- Don't force the key. A bent or broken key makes it harder.
- Don't spray oil or glue into it, and don't pour hot water on it in the cold.
Lost keys
Safely, right now
- Keys lost together with your address? Assume someone could use them.
- Don't hide a spare key anywhere outside in the meantime, not even under the mat.
There is a lot of lock on the market that looks solid and is not. We fit residential and commercial grades we have taken apart ourselves, tell you plainly where the budget option is fine, and where a heavier grade is worth having.
Request a visit
Same fees day or night · 20 years in business
The fix, explained · Toronto
What is the door doing?
EmergencyHome Lockout ServiceSomeone pushed the privacy button on the bathroom door and pulled it shut behind them, leaving the room locked and empty.
The fix
If you rent, a lockout visit works much the same way, with a little extra care around who holds which keys. You show identification and something tying you to the unit, such as a lease or a piece of mail, and the locksmith opens your door.
EmergencyBusiness Lockout ServiceThe heavy glass door has been scraping the threshold for weeks.
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
Two facts shape the job before the locksmith arrives: whether the door is locked or unlocked, and whether any of the key is showing. A fragment that protrudes can often be gripped and drawn straight out.
EmergencyBreak-In Damage Lock RepairThe shop's aluminum door has a bent meeting stile and the hookbolt is jammed half out.
The fix
A failed break-in is still a repair. When a lock holds against a pry bar or a kick, the force goes somewhere: a strike plate bends, screws loosen, the door edge takes a gouge, the deadbolt binds where the bolt met the strike under load.
Call (289) 301-2168Request a visit Break-In Damage Lock Repair
EmergencySeized & Jammed Lock OpeningThe key slides all the way in, exactly as it has for years, and then refuses to turn in either direction.
The fix
On storefronts, offices and older houses the hardware is often a mortise lock with a lever, and the jam is frequently inside the case, not the cylinder. A lever that swings without retracting the latch can point to a broken spring, a worn hub, or another fault in the drive path; a key that stops halfway can point to a bent…
Call (289) 301-2168Request a visit Seized & Jammed Lock Opening
EmergencyLost Keys — Same-Visit RekeyThe renovation wrapped up in the spring.
The fix
A missing key is also the moment a household can stop carrying four. Because a rekey sets a fresh combination in every cylinder anyway, the locksmith can set the same combination in all of them, provided they share a keyway family, so the front door, back door, garage entry and side gate open with one key.
Call (289) 301-2168Request a visit Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey
- 20years in business
- 24/7open, every day
- Same feesday, night or weekend
- On siteassessment preferred
How we approach the work
Hardware only performs as well as the frame it sits in. We see heavy deadbolts screwed into split jambs with screws shorter than a thumb, and we fix that first: a box strike or reinforced plate, three-inch screws into the studs, filled and doweled holes where the wood has given up, and long hinge screws on the other side. Then the rated cylinder goes in and means something.
A straight assessment. If the lock is fine and the door just needs adjusting, we say so. If it has reached the end of its life, we say that too, and show you why.
Options laid out side by side. Repair, rekey, replace or upgrade, with what each involves and what it changes. You pick; we do not steer you toward the biggest job.
Finished, not nearly finished. Every key tested in every lock, every screw tight, every strike aligned, and the packaging in our van rather than your bin.
Talk to us about access for your staff: (289) 301-2168
Locksmith services
The work we take on
We would rather you knew what a service involves before you book it. That is why every page below walks through the checks, the work and what you are left with afterwards, in plain language, with no assumption that you already know the names of the parts.
LockoutsLockout ServicesEmergency locksmithing is quiet work done in noisy moments.Services
Emergency locksmithing is quiet work done in noisy moments. We are used to talking someone through the steps while they stand in the cold, and to leaving a door that closes, latches and locks the way it should.
EmergencyHome Lockout ServiceSomeone pushed the privacy button on the bathroom door and pulled it shut behind them, leaving the room locked and empty.
EmergencyBusiness Lockout ServiceThe heavy glass door has been scraping the threshold for weeks.
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 OpeningThe key slides all the way in, exactly as it has for years, and then refuses to turn in either direction.
EmergencyLost Keys — Same-Visit RekeyThe renovation wrapped up in the spring.
Change or rekeyChange or Rekey LocksWe fit locks to the household, not the other way round.Services
We fit locks to the household, not the other way round. A family with young children wants something a small hand can operate from inside. A couple who travel want a code for the house sitter.
High securityHigh Security LocksInterchangeable-core high security cylinders let a business change a lock in moments by swapping the core with a control key, so a lost key means a…Services
Interchangeable-core high security cylinders let a business change a lock in moments by swapping the core with a control key, so a lost key means a core swap rather than a locksmith visit for every door. The page explains where that suits and where it does not.
CommercialCommercial LocksStaff turnover is the most common reason a business calls.Services
Staff turnover is the most common reason a business calls. Someone left with a key, or nobody is sure who has copies. Rekeying, a master key system or a keypad each solve that differently, and we will help you weigh them.
Car keysCar KeysA vehicle door lock that has stopped responding to the key, a trunk that will not open, a tailgate latch that sticks.Services
A vehicle door lock that has stopped responding to the key, a trunk that will not open, a tailgate latch that sticks. Vehicle lock repair is the mechanical side of automotive work, separate from keys and chips, and it has its own page here.
Bigger photo, sooner job: Emergency Book soon Plan ahead
EmergencyCar Lockout ServiceIt is a January morning, minus twenty with the wind, and the key will not enter the door cylinder.
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 key slides in and turns all the way round, but the bolt stays put. There is no click, no resistance, just a key spinning in a lock that has stopped listening to it after years of daily use.
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You let a part-time employee go on Friday. The shop key is on a ring in their apartment, or their car, or a friend's kitchen, and on Monday morning the register and the stock room open with it.
Which fix fits?
IfYour smart lock stopped responding and the app shows nothing.
ThenCheck power and pairing before replacing anything.
Dead batteries and dropped connections are the usual culprits; the mechanical key still gets you in meanwhile.
IfThe sliding patio door has only the little flip latch.
ThenAdd a keyed patio bolt or a foot lock.
A secondary bolt pins the door to the frame so it cannot be lifted or forced.
IfYou want a lock on the home office door for privacy.
ThenA keyed or privacy-grade interior lockset.
Interior doors take lighter hardware; we match the rest of the house and the existing bore.
IfYou let a part-time employee go on Friday.
ThenLost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey.
A missing key is also the moment a household can stop carrying four.
IfYou reached the parking lot after a long hike and the pocket that held your car key is empty.
Safety and authorisation frame every car lockout, and both are on your side.
IfThe key snapped at the head while you were turning it in a stiff, frosty door lock.
It helps to think of a car key as several parts sharing one case.
Open 24/7 in Toronto
How a visit goes
Malvern Lock Services
Job ticket · open 24/7
1 Call
Talk to us about access for your staff.
Describe the property, the hardware and what has changed, and the visit starts from what you have seen.
(289) 301-2168 · open 24/7
2 Questions
Making the door safe first
The priority is a door that closes and locks tonight. We assess the frame, the strike and the lock, and secure whatever was forced so you can stop worrying about the opening.
3 On the way
In the van
Toronto to Malvern.
- Broken key extractors
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
- Plug follower and repinning kit
- Pick and tension tools
- Cylinder decoder
4 Fixed
Rekeying or replacing
Sorting permanent from temporary. Some damage needs a proper repair later; some can be fixed on the spot. We separate the two clearly and explain what a lasting fix involves without pushing you into it.
Rekeying or replacing. If keys were taken or the lock was compromised, we rekey or replace before leaving. You end the visit with a door that locks and keys that only you hold.
Same fees day, night or weekend · on-site assessment preferred
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto information
- Town
- Toronto, Ontario
- In business
- 20 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 301-2168
- 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.
Older housing means older frames. Wood that has settled for years leaves strikes slightly out of line, so a bolt drags or needs a lift of the handle. A locksmith expects this and brings the shims, longer screws and strike plates to correct it.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
Attached housing turns over more often than detached, so rekeying between tenants or owners is a constant. Because suite doors tend to be standard, the job is usually a straightforward pin change and a fresh set of keys cut on site.
Nearby
Straight answers
My key fell in the snow in my own yard. Do I still need to rekey?
It is your call, and it is a reasonable one either way. A key lost on your own property is unlikely to be picked up by a stranger, but it will surface in the spring thaw, and until then you are trusting a guess about where it lies. Many households rekey anyway for the certainty, and because the visit also lets them put every door on one key while the locksmith is there.
What should I do before the locksmith arrives?
Walk the property and note every door the missing key opened, including the garage, shed and gate. Gather any keys you still have, since a working key helps in reading each cylinder. Have identification and, for tenants, something showing the tenancy. Decide roughly how many keys you want and whether you would like all doors on one key. If a garage remote or building fob was lost too, mention it when you book.
How long does a whole-house rekey take?
Plan on an hour or two for a typical house with three or four cylinders, including the walk-through, identification, pinning, cutting and testing. Each additional cylinder adds a little, as does swapping a cylinder to bring a mismatched door onto the same key, resetting a homeowner-rekeyable lock or clearing a garage opener. The locksmith gives a realistic window on the phone once the list of doors is known.
How long does the installation take?
A cylinder swap with new keys on one door is a short visit. A new deadbolt, reinforced strike and frame repair takes longer, and several doors keyed to a plan take longer again, mostly in bench time pinning cylinders. The locksmith gives you a realistic estimate once the doors have been looked at, because the frame condition and the door preparation matter more than the count of locks alone.
Open 24/7
Request a visit
Ask about a spare key before you need one.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 301-2168- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 20 years in business