Home lockouts in Vancouver
It should end with your lock still working.
Standing on your front step without a key is a bad hour, not a reason for new hardware. Most house locks can be picked or bypassed open. You get the method and price before any work begins.
A few sensible things to try before the house lockout call.
Some of these get people back inside without a locksmith. The rest stop a lockout turning into a repair bill.
Try every other door into your home first
Back door, side door, the door from the garage. People forget the one they never use, and it is often unlocked. Only try doors that are yours, and don't climb in through a window.
Don't force the door or slip a card at the latch
Credit-card tricks work on television. On a real deadbolt they do nothing, and on a real latch they bend the strike, mark the frame and snap the card. Shouldering the door turns a lockout into carpentry.
Note the lock type on the door for the locksmith
The brand is usually stamped on the lock face or the door edge. Knowing whether it is a deadbolt, knob, lever or smart lock, and roughly how old, changes which tools come off the van.
Keep your phone charged and stay somewhere dry
You will need the phone to confirm the job and to let us in through a gate or lobby. If it is raining, wait somewhere covered and give us a description of where you are.
We'll need to know the house is yours before the door opens.
Every licensed locksmith asks. One who does not is a locksmith who will open your door for somebody else just as readily.
A driver's licence with the matching address is the simplest proof and settles it on the spot.
ID locked inside with the keys is common, and it is not a dead end.
Mail addressed to you at the property works, as does a tenancy agreement or mortgage document on your phone, a utility bill in an email, or a landlord, property manager or neighbour who can vouch for you.
Tell us on the phone that your ID is inside, and we will explain what will work before any work begins.
A tenant can authorize entry to the unit they legally occupy. An owner can authorize entry to a property they own and occupy.
A short-term guest generally cannot; that one goes through the host or the building. If the situation is a dispute between two people over the same address, we will not be the ones to settle it.
Why one house lockout costs more than the next.
Four things move it.
Starting figures are on the price guide.
Read the Vancouver lockout cost guide
See starting pricesStandard deadbolt or a high-security cylinder
A common residential deadbolt and a high-security cylinder built specifically to resist picking are different jobs, and the second one takes longer.
Evening, overnight or holiday lockouts
When the call lands changes the rate. It is the one factor you sometimes have a say in. If you are safely somewhere warm and it can wait for morning, say so.
A lock already damaged before we arrive
A key snapped in the cylinder, a lock someone has already attacked with a screwdriver, or a door that has been shouldered. Opening it is one job; putting it right is another.
Rekeying on the spot once you're back inside
If the keys are genuinely lost rather than sitting on the kitchen counter, rekeying while the locksmith is already there costs far less than a second visit.
Questions from people standing outside their own front door.
Can you open a smart lock if the battery died?
Usually, and often without any locksmithing. Many smart deadbolts have external terminals where a 9V battery wakes the motor. If yours has a keyed override, we can pick that. With neither, it is a mechanical job.
I'm locked out of a basement suite, does the landlord need to be there?
Not necessarily. If you are the tenant and can show the suite is yours, that is enough. If you cannot show that, we will ask you to get the landlord or property manager on the phone.
Will picking my deadbolt damage it?
Not normally. Picking works the same pins your key lifts, so a lock in good condition keeps working as before. A worn, damaged or high-security cylinder can change that; if so, you hear it before we go further.
Can you get me into a condo unit if the lobby door is locked too?
We can open your unit door, but the lobby belongs to the strata and we will not pick our way into a common area. Arrange a fob, concierge, neighbour or property manager to get us to your floor.
The key is inside and the door is locked, what happens first?
We confirm the address is yours, identify the lock, and pick or bypass it. Then you check nothing else is wrong with the door, and we tell you plainly whether the lock is fine as it is.
The aim is an open door with the same lock still on it.
Drilling a residential deadbolt takes a few minutes and costs you a lock. Picking it takes a bit longer and keeps the lock. Non-destructive entry comes first wherever the lock and its condition allow.
Picking the house deadbolt instead of drilling it
Picks and tension tools on the cylinder you already have, working the pins the way the key does.
Bypass tools for knobs, levers and latches
Spring latches, loose-fitting doors and some knob sets can be opened at the latch instead of the cylinder, which takes less time and touches the lock even less.
If drilling is ever the answer, you hear it first
Some cylinders are built to defeat picking and occasionally one wins. When that happens you get the reason, what the replacement is, what it costs, and the choice, all before anything is destroyed.
Get back inside first, then sort out the keys.
Call or book online, and you will have the method and the number before any work begins. If the keys are gone for good, a rekey in the same visit retires them.