Question 1

How fast can you actually arrive?

Accepted Answer

Immediate dispatch, on-site in 15–30 minutes across Toronto — Downtown, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, East York, York — and 20–40 minutes across the wider GTA (Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa). Storms, snow, Gardiner or 401 rush hour and DVP construction can add time. We give you a real ETA on the phone based on where the closest van actually is — never a scripted 'right away'.

Question 2

What is the service call?

Accepted Answer

$29 service call. That is what pays for the van to roll to your door — nothing tacked on for evenings, weekends or holidays. Labour and parts are quoted before we touch anything, especially if the lock turns out to be high-security, snapped, or different from what was described on the phone.

Question 3

Will you damage my door or lock?

Accepted Answer

Almost never. Roughly 95% of residential lockouts open with single-pin picking or a proper bypass tool — no marks on the door, no scratched paint, no cylinder swap afterwards. Drilling is a genuine last resort, only on beat-up or anti-bump-rated cylinders, and only after we tell you it is coming and you say go.

Question 4

Are you actually licensed in Ontario?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Ontario-licensed locksmiths trading since 2013, insured, and working under Ontario's Private Security and Investigative Services Act. Every technician on the van carries their licence. We provide an itemized invoice with the business number so you have a paper trail for insurance or a landlord.

Question 5

Do evenings, weekends or holidays cost more?

Accepted Answer

No. The service call stays $29 at 3 in the afternoon on a Tuesday or at 2 in the morning on a Saturday. Anyone quoting you a vague 'starting at' rate over the phone is baiting — the real number lands once they are on your porch and you are stuck.

Question 6

How do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Debit tap, Interac e-Transfer, cash or Visa/Mastercard on request. Itemized invoice emailed before we leave — formatted for a tenant insurance claim, a Toronto condo corporation, or a small-business expense report.

Question 7

Can you change my locks today?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Vans carry Schlage B60N and B62N deadbolts, Kwikset 980 and SmartKey, Weiser Halifax, Yale YRD256 smart, Baldwin Prestige and Mul-T-Lock MT5+ high-security cylinders in satin nickel, oil-rubbed bronze and polished brass. 90%+ of standard installs finish in one visit under 45 minutes.

Question 8

Do you rekey or is it always a full lock change?

Accepted Answer

Rekey when the mechanism is healthy — new tenant, ex-partner, lost keys, contractor who never gave keys back. Full lock change when the cylinder is worn, the deadbolt is loose in the door, or you are moving up from a basic Kwikset to Schlage or Mul-T-Lock. We tell you which one you actually need, not which one costs more.

Question 9

What high-security locks do you install in Toronto?

Accepted Answer

Mul-T-Lock MT5+ and Interactive+, Medeco Maxum and M3, Abloy Protec2 and ASSA Twin. All patented keyways — copies require a signed card, not a $2 kiosk cut at the mall. Best fit for houses in Rosedale, Forest Hill, The Kingsway, Bayview, and any downtown storefront that has been broken into once already.

Question 10

Do you handle condo doors and mailbox locks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Common in Liberty Village, Yonge-Eglinton, VMC and Square One towers. Mailbox lock changes when a Canada Post community box key is lost, suite deadbolt swaps between tenants, patio-door secondary locks, and condo-approved smart locks (Yale, August) that meet the building's fire-code face plate.

Question 11

Commercial — office, retail, restaurant rekeys?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Offices on Bay Street, retail on Queen West, Yonge and Bloor storefronts, restaurants across King West, warehouses in Etobicoke and Vaughan. After staff turnover we can rekey a full site by end of day, install push-pull paddles or Von Duprin panic bars for fire-code, replace door closers (LCN, Norton) and repair aluminum storefront pivots.

Question 12

Car lockout — do you do automotive?

Accepted Answer

Yes, non-destructive car unlocking with air wedges and long-reach tools. Sedans, SUVs, pickups and most European makes. Trunk unlocks when the fob is dead and the seat-fold release is jammed. We do not cut transponder keys on the road — for a lost fob we recommend the dealer for anything with a rolling code.

Question 13

Locked out at 2 a.m. — will someone actually pick up?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A human dispatcher on the phone at any hour, not a call centre reading a script. If we cannot reach you inside 45 minutes we tell you on the call and you can decide — we will not string you along while a van is 90 minutes out.

Question 14

What is the warranty?

Accepted Answer

Warranty on labour and parts. If a lock we installed fails from a defect or an install error, we come back and fix it. Kwikset, Schlage, Mul-T-Lock and Yale all carry their own manufacturer warranty on top.

Question 15

Do you do move-in and move-out lock changes?

Accepted Answer

This is the most common call we run. Standard package: deadbolt rekey or replacement, knob/lever check, door strike alignment so the latch actually catches, and 3 new keys cut on-site. Realtors and property managers in North York, Vaughan and Mississauga book these weekly.

Question 16

Smart locks — which ones do you actually recommend?

Accepted Answer

Yale Assure Lock 2 (with or without Wi-Fi), August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (retrofit — keeps your existing deadbolt), Schlage Encode. We avoid the cheapest Amazon-brand smart locks because the motor gearing fails inside a year and the keypad backlight burns out. All installs include Wi-Fi setup and one paired user account.

Question 17

Safes — do you open them without destroying the safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes, whenever possible. Manipulation on Group 2 dial locks, scoping on quality Sargent & Greenleaf and LaGard, and combination changes on the spot. Cheap fire safes with bent bolts sometimes need drilling — we tell you before it happens.

Question 18

Do you service Toronto neighbourhoods outside downtown?

Accepted Answer

All of it. Downtown Core, North York (Yonge, Sheppard, Willowdale), Scarborough (Agincourt, STC, Kennedy), Etobicoke (The Kingsway, Islington, Mimico), East York and York — same $29 service call, same immediate dispatch, same 15–30 min target.

Question 19

Do you service the wider GTA?

Accepted Answer

Mississauga (Square One, Port Credit, Streetsville), Brampton (Bramalea, Mount Pleasant), Vaughan (VMC, Woodbridge), Markham (Unionville), Richmond Hill (Yonge, Oak Ridges), Oakville, Burlington, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa. Regional vans staged along the 401, 410, 404 and QEW.

Question 20

Do you leave a receipt for insurance?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Itemized invoice with business number, licence reference, VIN or unit number for automotive, and the exact lock model for residential — everything a tenant-insurance or business claims adjuster wants to see.

Locksmith FAQ — Toronto & the GTA