Locksmith questions in Vancouver

No. Building fobs, and lobby, parkade and common-area keys, belong to your strata or property manager. We never copy or program them. Ask the strata for a replacement. We work on the lock in your own suite door.

Yes, you need to get us to your door. We do not open lobby doors, parkade gates or elevators. Tell the concierge or property manager a locksmith is coming, or meet us at the entrance. Say which kind of building you are in when you call.

Often it is. Some buildings use restricted keys, and the blanks come only from one registered dealer. The strata or property manager can tell you who that is. If you want another way in, a separate deadbolt on your own suite door may be possible, if your bylaws allow it.

Something that ties you to what is being opened. For a suite or house, photo ID that shows the address, or a tenancy document. For a car, the BC registration and photo ID, checked against the VIN. We ask before we open anything.

The total for your address is confirmed on the call before a technician is sent. Night, weekend and holiday calls can change it, and we say so on the phone.

The number of locks, the kind of hardware, whether a lock opens without drilling, and whether the door or frame needs repair. Tell us what you can see on the call and we say what applies to your door.

Ask what the number covers, what changes it, and what you owe if you decline the work. A very low quote that covers none of that is a warning sign. Ours is confirmed on the call, and the same questions get the same plain answers.

Yes. BC Security Business Licence #B6227, and we are insured. If your strata council or property manager wants that confirmed in writing, tell us when you call.

Where the cylinders can be set up to match, yes. Mixed hardware on an older house often means some locks are re-pinned and others are swapped. We tell you which before we start. Counting the locks before you call helps us quote.

Usually, for the door you live behind, once you can show the tenancy is yours. A rekey stops the old keys working, including the landlord’s, so tell them. Moving in and want it done? Ask your landlord in writing. More on the lock change and rekey page.

A rekey changes the inside of the lock so a new key fits and the old ones stop working. A lock change swaps the whole lock. Rekeying keeps the hardware you already have, so it is often the smaller job.

Often, yes. A long bit key is filed by hand to fit the wards inside that one lock, so it cannot go through a duplicator. If the key is missing, leave the door alone. Forcing it can damage the part we need to measure. See key cutting.

No. That is a mortice lock, common on older Vancouver houses. Most can be cleaned, lubricated and re-pinned to a new key. Replacement is only needed when the case is cracked or the parts are worn through. If the home has a heritage designation, check what it allows first.

Often the door or frame has moved with the damp, so the bolt no longer lines up with the strike. A new lock in the same opening binds again. We tell you which problem you have. See door repair.

Yes, once you can get us down there. We cannot open a gated or residential parkade ourselves, so say on the call that the car is underground and arrange for you or building staff to let the technician in. Give us the level and bay number. More at automotive locksmith.

Often. A blade cut at a hardware counter can open the door but has no chip coded to your car. A worn ignition or a dead fob battery can do the same. We work where the car is parked, with no tow. See car key replacement.

For many keys, yes, and nothing is towed. Some late-model cars can only be programmed with the maker’s own equipment, and for those the dealer is the answer. Give us the year, make, model and VIN and we say which applies.

A person answers 604-227-9083, day or night, and our own technician comes to you. There is over 30 years of combined locksmith experience behind the work. How night calls run is on the emergency locksmith page.

Yes. The technician brings the tools to your door, and arrival is confirmed on the call.

The city of Vancouver and nearby areas, listed on the service areas page. If you are outside what we cover, we say so on the first call.