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.
From the shop
Mailbox locks are small, but a mailbox is where the bank statements arrive, so we take them seriously. Most residential boxes take a standard cam lock that can be swapped without fuss once the box is confirmed as yours; multi-unit buildings usually need the property manager's go-ahead first. We match the new lock to the box, cut two keys, and note the code for the future.
— Fairbank Lock Experts
Hours
Locksmith services
We open, rekey, repair, replace and install. Under those five verbs sit dozens of specific jobs, from a stuck mailbox lock to a keypad on a warehouse door. The list below covers the ones people ask about most; if yours is missing, ask anyway.
Lockouts
If the key will not turn, the key is in two pieces, or the door was kicked and no longer closes, this is the section. Each page describes how we open, extract or secure, and what we check before calling the job finished.
Change or rekey
Deadbolts, cylinders, strikes and keys are the four things we look at on every home visit, in that order. A weakness in any one undoes the others.
High security
Anti-snap cylinders, hardened shrouds, sidebar mechanisms and ball-bearing drill protection are the vocabulary of high security hardware. We translate that into what it means for your door and stop at the level that fits the risk.
Commercial
Owners sometimes ask whether they need a locksmith or an alarm company. Usually both, for different jobs.
Toronto
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
The brass handleset has gone blotchy and green where the winter salt reaches it, and the coating on the deadbolt is lifting in flakes. It still locks, but it looks tired beside the fresh paint on the door.
Lock Replacement & UpgradeUsuallyUpgrade the deadbolt within the building's rules.
WhyMost buildings allow a better lock in the same finish; we check with management first.
UsuallyHave the mailbox lock replaced through management.
WhyLobby mail units belong to the building, so we arrange it with the property manager.
UsuallyRekey the suite lock.
WhyThe cylinder is re-pinned so only your new keys work; any building access key is preserved.
UsuallyCommercial Rekeying
WhyA business hands out keys as people join and rarely gets every one back as people leave.
UsuallyMaster Key System Design
WhyA master key hierarchy usually has three layers.
UsuallyAccess Control Installation
WhyAn exit door does not stop being an exit once it is wired into an access control system.
Open 24/7
Businesses are locked out by people as often as by hardware. A keyholder is away, a former employee still has a key, a master key has gone missing, or the only spare lives in a drawer behind the locked door.
1 of 3
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.
2 of 3
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.
3 of 3
Once inside we check the lock, cut keys if needed and note anything that should be addressed later so your day can carry on.
Toronto, Ontario
2021 census · what it means at the door
58%Older homes
About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Where housing is mostly older, many entries still have only a knob lock and no deadbolt at all. Adding one is a straightforward job on a solid wood door, and it is the single upgrade that changes most for a house of this kind.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
In buildings, the suite door often has a closer and a heavy frame, and the deadbolt sits in a metal or metal-clad door. A locksmith fitting or rekeying one brings the tools and cylinders that suit that construction rather than a wooden house door.
It depends on the hardware and what else is wired to it. A standard storefront cylinder or office lever on a well-hung door is often a short job once authority is confirmed. A high-security cylinder, a frozen lock, a dropped door or a dead access controller adds time, and so does rekeying several doors afterwards. The locksmith gives you a realistic idea on the phone once you describe the door and the situation.
Yes, and it makes the visit smoother. The alarm station is told an entry is expected and the authorised person handles the disarm and password. For access control, the provider can often confirm the controller's status, unlock a magnetic lock remotely, or re-enrol fobs once you are inside, while the locksmith handles the mechanical side and the override cylinder. Nobody's wiring is cut; each party does the part it is set up to do.
Yes. A business lockout covers every opening the premises relies on: the rear service door with its exit device, a roll-up shutter and its padlock, the compound gate, a mailbox in the lobby and interior doors such as the cash office or server closet. Mention each one when you call so the right padlock shackles, cores and cylinders are in the van, and so cylinders that should share a key are handled together.
No. The blank for a patented keyway is distributed only through the manufacturer's network to locksmiths who hold the system, and the side milling or angled cuts need a machine set up for that line. A kiosk would have neither the blank nor the cut. Extra keys come through your locksmith, cut from code, once an authorised person has approved the order. That routine is a small inconvenience compared with never knowing who has a copy.
On-site assessment preferred
Describe the problem; we'll take it from there. Talk to a locksmith about it.
Open 24/7 · same fees any hour
On-site assessment preferred · (289) 804-2598 · open 24/7
