Skip to content
DavisvilleLock & Key Co.Open 24/7 (289) 217-4629
Hands holding a lock cylinder and a ring of keys above a worn workbench with another cylinder and loose keys. — Lock Rekeying, North Toronto

Change or rekey · North Toronto

Lock Rekeying

One key for the front door, another for the back, a third for the side door into the garage, and a fourth for the shed. You stand on the step every evening flipping through them in the dark, trying each one until something turns.

In plain words

For landlords and tenants, rekeying is the tidy way to handle a change of occupancy. A departing tenant may have copied a key or simply forgotten to return one, and a fresh pinning means the incoming tenant is the only person holding a working key. Tenancy rules in this province expect a landlord who changes locks to give the tenant a replacement key and a tenant to have the landlord's consent before changing them, so a locksmith asks who is requesting the work and makes sure both sides end up with a key. A small record of the doors and key count keeps everyone clear.

Sound familiar?North Toronto

The call
The previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not. The house is yours now, but you have no idea how many copies were cut over the years or who still has one in a drawer somewhere.

NextHow the visit goes

Lock Rekeying · North Toronto

How the visit goes

Person in a green cap holding a brushed-metal deadbolt against a dark door while a yellow drill rests below it. — North Toronto
  1. Scene 1

    The condition of every cylinder

    A cylinder about to be pinned to a new key should be worth pinning. The locksmith turns the existing key in each lock and feels for a plug that drags, soft springs, a wobbling cam or a keyway packed with grit and old oil. A cylinder in good order is rekeyed as it is. A worn one is cleaned and given fresh springs while it is apart, and one that has truly worn out is pointed out so you can choose a replacement rather than have new pins dropped into a tired lock. A bolt that binds against its strike gets noticed here too, so the strike can be adjusted while the locksmith is at the door.

  2. Scene 2

    Taking the cylinder out of the lock

    Each type of lock releases its cylinder in its own way, and the locksmith works door by door, finishing one before opening the next, so every entry stays lockable throughout. On a knob or lever set, the handle comes off after a retaining clip or set screw is released, and the cylinder slides out of the handle. On a deadbolt, the interior thumb-turn and housing are removed and the cylinder is withdrawn from the outside body. On an older mortise lock, a small set screw on the door edge is backed out and the cylinder unthreads from the case. Nothing is pried or forced; the door and trim stay untouched throughout.

  3. Scene 3

    Living with one key for the house

    If the visit brought your doors onto a single key, daily life gets a little simpler: one key opens the front door, the back, the garage's side entry and the shed, and the ring in your pocket shrinks to the car key and one for the house. Anyone you give a key to gets the same freedom, which is convenient for family and worth thinking about for anyone who should only reach one door; that is what a separate group is for. Keypads and smart locks keep their codes, and their override cylinder now takes the same key. If you add a door later, its cylinder can be pinned to match.

In the van

  • Key gauge
  • Replacement cylinder for odd keyways
  • Cylinder shim
  • Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
  • Plug follower

What shapes the quoteDavisville Lock & Key Co.

Mailboxes, padlocks and cabinets
Small cam locks on mailboxes and cabinets are usually replaced rather than repinned, and padlocks vary in whether they can join the house key; each of these is priced as its own item.
Smart lock override cylinders and codes
Pinning the backup cylinder of a keypad or app lock to the house key is a small extra task, and reviewing or deleting user codes at the same time is another, each named in the quote.
Interior doors added to the plan
Bedroom, office or storage-room locks brought onto a key are lighter work than exterior deadbolts, but each is still a cylinder to pin and test, and the count includes them.

FeesSame any hour

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(289) 217-4629

Ask us anything about locks

Can the garage side door, shed and gate be included?

Yes, and they usually should be, because a side door into the garage is the opening most often forgotten and left on an old key. Any pin-tumbler cylinder on the property can be pinned to the house key if its keyway allows: the man-door into the garage, a shed, a keyed gate latch, and many padlocks. A mailbox lock is usually a small cam lock that is replaced rather than repinned. Mention every opening when you book so the right blanks and cylinders are in the van.

Will my door hardware look any different afterwards?

No. The work happens inside the cylinder, so the bolt, handle, finish and strike plate stay exactly as they are, and nothing new is cut into the door. The only visible change is the key in your hand. If a cylinder does have to be replaced, because its keyway is incompatible with the others or it has worn out, the locksmith picks one in a matching finish so the door keeps a consistent look.

I rent. Can I have my locks rekeyed?

Yes, with your landlord's agreement, which is what the tenancy rules here expect before a tenant changes a lock. Most landlords are glad to consent when a key has gone missing or a former roommate has moved out, and the locksmith will want to hear that the landlord knows and will be holding one of the new keys. The rekey itself runs the same as for an owner, and a short note listing the doors done is handy to pass to the landlord.

North Torontoinformation

TorontoOntario

Town
North Toronto, Toronto
In business
27 years
Hours
Open 24/7
Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

2021 census: what it means at the door

Every square is one home in a hundred.

  • 58 in 100 homes · older homes
  • About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Old brass keys wear thin, and a key that has bent for years finally lets go in a cold cylinder. In older housing stock this is a regular call, so the locksmith is ready to extract the piece, check the cylinder and cut a new key from the code.
  • Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).Condo boards commonly set rules about what may be changed on the outside face of a suite door. A locksmith experienced with attached housing knows to keep the visible hardware within those rules while still upgrading the cylinder and strike behind it.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile

Open North Toronto in Google Maps

On-site assessment

Request a visit.

One key for the front door, another for the back, a third for the side door into the garage, and a fourth for the shed.

(289) 217-4629, open 24/7.