Break-in repair in Vancouver
Kicked doors, split frames, and locks forced in a break-in or an attempt.
The immediate problem is not the lock. It is that the building no longer closes. Call the police first, then call us. The first objective is a door that shuts and locks again.
First, a door that closes and locks again.
Board-up over a broken glass panel, sidelight or window
Plywood cut, fitted and fixed over the opening so the building is closed. It is temporary and looks it, but it holds until glazing is arranged, and it usually satisfies an insurer's requirement to secure the premises.
A deadbolt that locks again before the repair visit ends
The priority is a working lock on a door that shuts, even if the full frame repair happens later. Common cylinders and deadbolts ride on the van.
Hinge screws and latch alignment on a door that was forced
A kicked door usually moves at the hinges as well as the strike. Longer screws into the framing and a realigned latch often bring a door back into square without replacing it.
Using the existing holes in the door
Where a new lock can go into the existing preparation, it does. You have enough to sort out without a door that looks like it has been repaired twice.
Your insurer will ask for paperwork. We can hand you most of it.
Photos of the damage before work starts
Taken before anything is touched, and sent to you. Take your own as well, from a few angles, including the wider door and frame. The repair removes the evidence, which is the point of it.
An invoice with parts and labour itemized
Parts and labour listed separately, with each lock identified. A single lump sum is harder for an adjuster to process and slower for you.
Keep the police file number with the invoice
Get the file number from the attending officer or from the online report, and keep it with the invoice. Insurers ask for it almost every time.
What a locksmith cannot tell you about your insurance policy
Whether you are covered, what your deductible is, or whether to claim at all. We document the damage and the work properly. The rest is between you, your broker and your adjuster.
A kicked frame is sometimes a repair and sometimes a carpenter.
A heavier strike plate where the old one tore out of the jamb
The usual failure point. A reinforced strike with three-inch screws into the framing stud is far stronger than what was there, and it is the part that decides whether the door holds next time.
Frame reinforcement for a split or cracked door jamb
Where the jamb has split along the grain, a reinforcement plate or jamb repair kit can bind it back together and carry the new strike. It is a real fix, not a patch, when the split is clean.
A new deadbolt when the break-in bent or snapped the old one
A bolt that has been forced is compromised even if it still throws. It gets replaced rather than reused.
When the frame is past saving and a carpenter takes over
Sometimes the honest answer is that the jamb is destroyed and needs replacing properly. We will say so, secure the opening in the meantime, and not pretend a strike plate will hold in splintered wood.
The doors that held still have keys out there somewhere.
Keys taken from a hook, a drawer or the car during the break-in
Check the hook by the door, the kitchen drawer, the bowl and the spare set in the car. If any keys are gone, the doors that were not forced are now the problem.
Front, back, garage and suite doors rekeyed on the same visit
Rekeying every cylinder in one visit is the efficient way to close this off, and it costs far less than doing them separately. See emergency rekey.
Replacing a cylinder too damaged to rekey
A cylinder that has been drilled, punched or levered cannot be repinned. That one gets replaced; the others get rekeyed to match it, so you still end up on one key.
What a break-in repair quote turns on.
Starting figures are on the price guide.
See starting pricesFrame damage or damage to the lock alone
A forced cylinder on an intact frame is a small job. A jamb that has split the length of the strike is a different one.
Board-up materials if glass was broken in the break-in
Sheet material, fixings and the time to cut and fit it, quoted as its own line.
How many locks get rekeyed or replaced afterwards
Counted door by door, with the per-door cost falling as the number rises.
Tonight, or a next-morning repair
Evening and weekend call-outs are by appointment. Securing the building is usually the tonight part; the full repair is often better, and cheaper, in daylight. We will say which parts need doing now.
What people ask after a forced door in Vancouver.
Should I call the police before a locksmith?
Yes. Report it first and get a file number. If anyone might still be inside, do not go in. Call 911 from somewhere else. Police may want to see the scene before the door is repaired.
Will the same locksmith board up the window and fix the lock?
Yes, both in the same visit. Securing an opening is part of the job, not a separate trade to chase at nine at night.
Do I need a rekey if the break-in came through a window, not the door?
It depends on whether a key may have gone. Check the usual spots, the car and any hidden spare. We will look at what was disturbed and say whether a rekey is worth it.
Can you fit a stronger deadbolt than the one that was forced?
Yes, and the strike and screws matter at least as much as the lock. A Grade 1 deadbolt into a reinforced strike anchored in the framing is a substantial step up from a consumer bolt into trim.
Does the strata or the landlord book the break-in repair, or do I?
For a unit door in a rental, the owner or the tenant can authorize it. For strata common property (a lobby, a parkade, a storage room), it is the strata. For your own home, it is you.
What if I am a tenant and the break-in happens at night?
Call anyway. After-hours visits are by appointment. When we attend, we will secure the opening and sort the authorization out.
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.