Change or rekey · Brampton
Gate & Building Entry Locks
Every time the courtyard gate closes, it slams hard enough to rattle the fence panels, and the deadlatch never quite drops into the keeper before the spring yanks it the rest of the way.
In plain words
A building outlives its tenants, and every move-out that skips a rekey leaves one more key in circulation that nobody living there today can account for. This service treats that turnover as routine business: the shared entry's cylinder is rekeyed to a fresh combination, new keys are cut for everyone who currently needs one, and any gate on the same property that should share that key is brought along to match. What used to be an open question about who can get in becomes a short, current list.
How the visit goesThe 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. Salt spray off the road and a season of meltwater have left the cylinder pitted and reluctant.
Gate & Building Entry Locks
How the visit goes
Looking for prior damage or an attempted entry
Before any work begins, the locksmith looks for signs that something has already been tried on the gate or door: pry marks near the strike, a scratched or spun cylinder, a bent hasp, or a padlock shackle that has been cut and replaced. Noting this clearly, before touching anything, means the property owner knows exactly what was there beforehand and what the visit actually changed. It also flags whether the surrounding frame or post absorbed damage that needs attention alongside the lock itself.
Coordinating keys across a shared entry
On a property with several gates or a shared building entry, the cylinders that should open on one key are brought onto a common pinning during the same visit, rather than one at a time as complaints come in. Current residents or unit holders each receive a key that matches every door they are meant to use, and a short list is kept of which key opens what. Any gate meant to stay on its own separate key, such as a utility gate the property manager alone uses, is deliberately left off the shared system.
A gate that closes itself properly
The visit ends with the gate or door swinging through several full cycles while you watch: opening from a stop, closing on its own, and settling into the latch without a slam or a rebound. Anything adjusted along the way, such as the closer's speed or the strike's position, is pointed out so you know what changed. From here the gate should close the same way whether it is pushed gently or blown by wind, which is the actual point of a working closer rather than a lock that only cooperates when someone remembers to push it shut.
Gate & Building Entry Locks
In the van
Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
Gate and door closers
Key blanks and code cutter
Plug follower and repinning kit
Gate locks and latches
Gate & Building Entry Locks
What affects 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.
Master key or keyed-alike planning
Setting up a master key system, or bringing several separate locks onto one shared key, involves planning the pinning structure across every cylinder involved, which is more work than rekeying one lock in isolation.
Weather-rated versus standard hardware
Hardware built and sealed for outdoor exposure differs from standard indoor-grade hardware, and choosing the weather-rated option for anything mounted outside is reflected in the parts portion of the quote.
What to have ready
- Is the gate sagging, dragging, or hard to close by hand?
- Is there any sign the gate or lock was recently forced?
- Is the gate wood, metal, aluminum or vinyl?
Gate & Building Entry Locks: questions
QuestionsShould I choose a padlock or a built-in gate lock for a new gate?
A padlock through a hasp is simple to fit to almost any gate and easy to rekey or swap later, which suits a gate that gets occasional use or belongs to more than one type of user, such as a shared laneway. A built-in gate lock with its own latch and cylinder tends to suit a gate used daily, since it operates with one motion instead of fitting and removing a separate padlock each time. Either can be paired with a closer if the gate should shut on its own.
How should I look after a gate lock so it keeps working?
Twice a year, work the lubricant the cylinder maker specifies into the keyway and cycle the key a few times; the wrong product for that model can collect grit or gum up the mechanism instead of helping it. Check that the closer still settles the gate into the latch without slamming, and look at hinges or post hardware for movement, especially after a hard winter. A cylinder that starts needing a wiggle, or a gate that has begun to drag, is worth addressing while it is still a small adjustment.
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 InstallationSomeone tried the door last winter.
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeThe 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.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceThe key turns freely in the round cylinder on the door, all the way around and back, without the bolt shifting at all.