After-hours locksmith in Vancouver
Evening, weekend and holiday calls, by appointment.
Outside posted hours the van goes out by appointment. First you get an honest answer about tonight: who is on, where they are coming from, and the after-hours rate. Then you decide: tonight or morning.
Ring the after-hours line, hear the real timing, then decide.
Tell us where you are and what is locked
The address with the unit, buzzer and floor, or the nearest intersection. What is locked, whether anyone is shut out, and what the lock looks like. Two minutes on the phone decides what comes off the van.
A straight answer on timing before you commit
You get a realistic window for your trip, not a number printed on a website. Bridges, the tunnel, weather and the job in front of yours all count, and some of those ease off late at night.
Tonight, or a morning booking
We will tell you which we would choose. If you are safe, warm and not shut out of anywhere, a morning booking at the daytime rate is usually the better deal, and saying so costs us the call-out.
Jobs that are better done in the morning
A lock that is stiff but still locking. A spare key you have been meaning to get. A deadbolt upgrade. A mailbox. None of these improve at midnight, and all of them cost more then.
What happens on the visit.
Opening the door without wrecking the lock
Picks and bypass tools first, exactly as in daylight. The lock you own at 11 p.m. should be the lock you own at midnight.
A rekey or cylinder swap on the same visit
If the keys are genuinely gone, rekeying while the locksmith is already there saves a second visit at a second call-out. Common cylinders and deadbolts ride with us.
Keys cut and tested before we leave
Cut on the van, tested in the door, handed over. You should not be left holding a key nobody has turned in the lock.
A night-call invoice with the after-hours line itemized on its own
The after-hours element appears as its own line rather than folded into a single number. You can see exactly what the hour cost you.
Wait somewhere lit and warm.
A lobby, a café or your car
A building lobby, a neighbour's, an all-night café, or your car if you can get into it. Tell us where you have gone so the locksmith looks for you there rather than at an empty doorstep.
Tell one person where you are
Message someone with the address, the company name and the number you called. Good practice at any hour, and it costs nothing.
Ask for the locksmith's licence at the door
Ask at the door and expect it without hesitation, along with photo identification. A licensed locksmith is used to the question; anyone who bristles at it has told you what you need to know.
Do not climb in through a balcony or window
Every year people climb between balconies or through a window rather than pay a call-out fee. It is the single most dangerous thing anyone does during a lockout, and a locksmith visit costs far less than a fall.
An after-hours quote is built from things you can see coming.
Starting figures and how after-hours affects them are on the price guide.
See starting pricesThe hour of the call
Early evening and three in the morning are not the same call. The later it gets, the more it costs, and you hear which band you are in before agreeing.
Entry alone, or entry plus hardware
Getting you in is one job. Rekeying, swapping a cylinder or fitting a new deadbolt afterwards is another, quoted separately.
How far the van travels
Where the van is starting from, and what is between it and you, from Kitsilano to East Vancouver. On a holiday weekend that can be the largest single variable.
A statutory holiday call
Christmas Day, New Year's Day and the other statutory holidays carry their own rate. It is higher, and it is quoted before any work begins like everything else.
Questions before you book an after-hours visit.
Do you come out on holidays like Christmas Day or Canada Day?
By appointment, yes. Availability on a statutory holiday is genuinely thinner, so call rather than assume, and the holiday rate is quoted before anyone commits.
Who answers in the middle of the night?
Us. Not a dispatch desk selling the job on to whoever bids for it. The person who answers is the person who quotes the work.
Can you rekey on a weekend visit, or only let me in?
Rekeying is standard on a weekend visit. Common cylinders are on the van and keys are cut on site, so a lost-keys situation can be finished in one call rather than two.
Will you still ask for ID at night?
Yes, and more carefully at 3 a.m. than at 3 p.m. If your identification is locked inside, tell us on the phone and we will explain what else will work.
Can I book an evening visit in advance?
Yes, and it is the better way. Call or text 778-655-1957 with the evening you want, and we will say whether that time can be booked.
Same licensed locksmiths, same methods as a Tuesday afternoon.
Nothing about the hour changes the method. The pick set comes out first, and the drill stays in its case unless the lock genuinely defeats picking.
If drilling becomes the answer, you hear the reason, the replacement part and the total before anything is destroyed.
The after-hours locksmith trade has a reputation for a low number on the phone and a different one on the doorstep. That is exactly why the rate, the licence and the method are settled before any work begins.
929 Drake Street, Vancouver.
The Vancouver Locksmith Ltd. · 929 Drake St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2P2 · 778-655-1957. The shop is not open yet. Until it is, the van comes to you, anywhere in the Lower Mainland. Evenings, weekends and holidays are by appointment.
Tell us what is going on, and we'll price it first.
Call, book online or ask for a callback. You will have the method and the number before any work begins.