Change or rekey · Ajax
Gate & Building Entry Locks in Ajax
The gate to the side yard used to close with a satisfying click. After a winter of frost heaving the fence post, the latch now sits a full inch below where the strike is waiting for it, and the gate swings free no matter how hard it is pulled shut.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 275-3289In plain words
When several households share one street gate or one building entry, a lock change on its own solves little if half the keys in circulation still work afterward. This service starts by mapping who actually needs a key today, checks whether existing cylinders can be keyed alike without full replacement, and rekeys or replaces only what the assessment calls for. Everyone currently living or working behind that door leaves with a key that matches the others, and nobody is quietly left out by someone else's fix.
How the visit goesBetween the front gate, the side gate and the one behind the shed, there are three different padlocks, three different keys, and a growing pile of duplicates in a kitchen drawer that nobody can match to the right lock anymore.
Gate & Building Entry Locks · Ajax
How the visit goes
- 1
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.
- 2
Repairing damage from an earlier attempt or a break-in
Where the gate or door shows signs of prying, cutting or a spun cylinder, the damaged hardware is removed and assessed on its own before anything is rebuilt: a bent strike is straightened or replaced, a compromised cylinder is swapped rather than trusted, and a cut hasp or shackle is replaced with a heavier one if the original was clearly overmatched. The surrounding wood or metal gets checked too, since forced entry often stresses the frame as much as the lock. The finished gate or door is tested to confirm it closes, latches and locks exactly as it should.
- 3
Everyone currently there has a matching key
If the visit involved a rekey, every current resident, tenant or key holder leaves with a key cut to the new combination, and a short written note of who received one. Anyone who moved out before the change is now holding a key that no longer fits whichever gate or door was rekeyed, though it may still turn any other cylinder on the property that kept its old combination. Where several gates or doors were brought onto the same key, each one is tested in your hand before the locksmith leaves, so you are not left guessing which key opens which gate the next time you need one after dark.
In the van
- Cylinder decoder and pick set
- Plug follower and repinning kit
- Key blanks and code cutter
- Strike plates and keepers
- Keyed-alike cylinders
What affects the quote
- 1
Whether the post or frame needs correction
When the underlying cause is a leaning post or a shifted frame rather than the lock itself, resetting, packing or bracing that structure is quoted as its own item alongside the lock work.
- 2
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.
- 3
Materials the gate or frame is built from
Wood, wrought iron, aluminum and vinyl gates each take fasteners and mounting approaches suited to that material, and matching the lock and closer correctly to the gate's construction is part of what the quote covers.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Gate & Building Entry Locks: questions
What should I have ready before the locksmith arrives?
It helps to know which gate or door is affected, roughly how old the lock or closer is, and what exactly is happening: dragging, slamming, refusing a key, or a buzzer that stopped releasing the door. If the entry is shared, a rough idea of how many households or units currently need a working key speeds up the visit considerably. For a building entry, having contact information for a property manager or condo board on hand is useful if a decision needs their sign-off.
How do you decide whether to repair a gate lock or replace it?
The decision follows what the assessment actually finds rather than the age of the hardware alone. A cylinder that is only stiff or slightly worn is usually serviced and left in place, while one that is pitted, cracked or built to a grade unsuited to its exposure is replaced. The same logic applies to a closer or hinge: adjustment first, replacement only once the part itself has genuinely failed. You are told which category the hardware fell into and why before any work proceeds.
Can several padlocks around a property be keyed alike?
Yes, provided the padlocks themselves are a type built to be rekeyed or matched, which is a feature of the specific model rather than something price or quality decides. The locksmith either rekeys the existing padlocks to a shared combination or replaces any that cannot be rekeyed with new ones cut to match. The result is one key working the front gate, the side gate and the shed, instead of a separate key for each, though a utility gate can be left on its own key.
Gate & Building Entry Locks near you
Durham, Ontario
Ajax information
- Town
- Ajax, Durham, Ontario
- In business
- 29 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 275-3289
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
23%
Newer homes. About 23% of homes in Ajax were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
New homes frequently come with strikes held by short screws into soft framing. Replacing them with longer screws that reach the stud is inexpensive work that adds real strength, and it is one of the first things a locksmith checks in a newer area.
65%
Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 65% of homes in Ajax (2021 Census).
Families in houses hand keys to children, cleaners, dog walkers and neighbours. A locksmith can set up a keypad on the side door for the household and keep the front door on a conventional key, so access matches how the family actually comes and goes.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The gate to the side yard used to close with a satisfying click.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 275-3289- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 29 years in business