Lock Repair in Vancouver
A lock that sticks, wobbles or refuses to turn is usually telling you it can be saved — not replaced. We diagnose and repair deadbolts, handlesets, mortise locks and patio hardware across Greater Vancouver, and quote the fix before we touch a screwdriver. Licensed, bonded and fully mobile, with an average response of about 20 minutes.
What a lock repair actually fixes
Most locks don’t fail all at once — they get harder to turn, the key needs jiggling, the bolt catches before it throws, or the handle sags on its spindle. Underneath that is usually a fixable cause: a strike plate that no longer lines up because the door has swelled or the hinges have dropped, a dry or gummed-up cylinder, a worn spring or pin stack, or a mortise body that’s lost tension. Left alone, a sticky lock eventually seizes at the worst possible moment. Caught early, it’s a straightforward repair.
We start by finding out why the lock is misbehaving rather than swapping it on sight. In a lot of Vancouver homes — the older character houses in Kitsilano and Mount Pleasant especially — the hardware is worth keeping, so we realign, clean, lubricate and rebuild before we ever recommend replacement. When a lock genuinely is beyond economical repair, we’ll say so plainly and quote the replacement instead of dressing up a temporary fix.
What a lock repair covers
- Strike & alignment fixes. Re-seating strike plates, adjusting sagging hinges and easing swollen doors so the bolt throws cleanly again.
- Sticking & seized cylinders. Cleaning, dry-lubricating and rebuilding worn pin stacks so the key turns smoothly without force.
- Loose handles & deadbolts. Tightening or replacing spindles, set screws and mounting hardware so nothing wobbles or spins.
- Broken-key extraction. Removing a snapped or stuck key from the cylinder and cutting you a fresh working copy on the spot.
- Mortise & patio locks. Rebuilding mortise-lock bodies and freeing seized sliding-door and patio latches common on older Vancouver units.
- Repair-versus-replace call. An honest verdict on whether the lock is worth saving, with the replacement price quoted upfront if it isn’t.
From diagnosis to a lock that just works
Diagnose the fault
We test the door, cylinder and strike to find the real cause — alignment, wear or a seized mechanism — not just the symptom.
Quote before we start
You get a fixed, upfront price with no call-out surprises or after-hours markup, and repair-versus-replace laid out clearly.
Repair & test
We realign, clean, lubricate or rebuild on-site, then cycle the lock with the key and thumbturn until it works every time.
Non-destructive, and honest about cost
A good repair beats a rushed replacement almost every time — it keeps the hardware you chose, costs less, and doesn’t leave you with a lock that doesn’t match the rest of the door. We work non-destructively first, freeing seized mechanisms by pick or bypass rather than drilling, and if drilling ever is the only route we quote it before we start. The price is agreed upfront and holds whether we come at noon or 2am, because we’re open 24/7 with no after-hours markup.
Licensed, bonded & insured · BC Security Worker Licence #E106677 · fixed, upfront pricing agreed before any work.
