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Person touching the sliding metal bolt on a wooden garden gate. — Gate & Building Entry Locks, Ajax

Change or rekey · Ajax

Gate & Building Entry Locks

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.

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In 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.

Sound familiar?

The driveway gate drags a groove into the gravel every time it swings, and the latch stopped catching weeks ago. Now it sits propped shut with a brick, waiting for anyone to walk through and forget to prop it back.

How the visit goes

Gate & Building Entry Locks · Ajax

How the visit goes

Illustrative locksmith scene
  1. 1

    Testing the electronic side of the entry

    Where a buzzer, keypad or electric strike is part of the entry, the check runs through each piece in turn: whether the intercom sends a signal at all, whether the strike receives power when it should, and, where the installed lock actually includes a keyed mechanical override, whether that key still turns smoothly on its own. Treating the electronic and mechanical sides as one system, rather than assuming the fault is wherever it was last blamed, is what keeps a working lock from being replaced when the actual issue was a loose wire or a dead transformer.

  2. 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. 3

    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.

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. 1

    Number of gates or entries involved

    One gate lock is the simplest case. A front gate, a side gate and a shared building entry looked at in the same visit is naturally a longer job with more hardware to work through.

  2. 2

    How many current key holders need new keys

    Keys cut on site are counted individually into the quote. A single household needs far fewer than a multi-unit building entry where every current resident is being issued a fresh key at once.

  3. 3

    Electronic components on the entry

    A buzzer, keypad, electric strike or maglock adds its own diagnostic and testing time beyond the mechanical lock itself, and any electronic part that needs repair or replacement is priced as its own line.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(289) 275-3289

Gate & Building Entry Locks: questions

Advice · (289) 275-3289

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
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.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population

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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