Emergency Lockouts · Markham
Break-In Damage Lock Repair
The back door looks closed until you touch it. The edge is crushed where a bar went in, the latch is bent sideways, and the door swings free with a gentle push no matter how you turn the key.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 306-0409In plain words
There are really two jobs inside one call. The first is tonight: make the door close and lock so the household can sleep. Where the door and frame are sound that means a new lockset or cylinder; where the jamb has split it means a repair plate over the break or a board across the opening, always arranged so the door still opens from inside without a key. The second job is the permanent repair, often the same visit: a reinforced strike box, long screws into the stud, a strengthened door edge and a deadbolt with a full throw. Both are quoted separately so you decide what happens when.
How the visit goesThe back door looks closed until you touch it. The edge is crushed where a bar went in, the latch is bent sideways, and the door swings free with a gentle push no matter how you turn the key.
Break-In Damage Lock Repair · Markham
How the visit goes
- 1
Does the door still hang true
An impact hard enough to break a strike usually moves the door as well. The locksmith checks that the door sits square in its opening, closes on its weatherstrip without force, and that the bolt lines up with its pocket rather than dragging on the strike lip. Hinge screws are tested for grip, since a kick can pull them from the jamb even on the side that was not attacked, and the hinge leaves are checked for bending. Manufacturers treat strike position, pocket depth and door alignment as working parts of the lock, and a repair that ignores them produces a door that locks badly the day after it was fixed.
- 2
Strengthening the door edge and hinges
Where a pry bar crushed the edge or the wood split around the lock bore, a wrap-around reinforcer is fitted: a steel channel that sleeves the door edge at the lock, ties the two faces together and gives the bolt and latch a solid seat. On the hinge side, the short factory screws are swapped for three-inch screws that reach the framing, and a bent hinge is replaced. Doors that were kicked hard sometimes need a hinge reinforcement plate across the jamb to spread the load. With both edges strengthened, the door no longer has a soft side, and a future kick meets steel and stud at every point that matters.
- 3
For tenants and landlords: who holds what
In a rental the repair closes with keys changing hands properly. Provincial tenancy rules place repairs on the landlord and expect a landlord who changes a lock to give the tenant a key, while a tenant changes locks only with the landlord's agreement. So the locksmith notes who authorized the work, how many keys were cut and to whom they were handed, and leaves a copy for both sides. In a condo or apartment building, the superintendent or property manager receives the same note so master key or fob records stay accurate. Everyone ends the day knowing which key opens the repaired door.
In the van
- Two-part wood epoxy and shims
- Three-inch strike and hinge screws
- Latch guard plate
- Replacement cylinder or core
- Jamb repair plate
What affects the quote
- 1
Distance to the property
Travel is part of every emergency call, and a property well outside the usual service area involves more driving time, which appears in the quote.
- 2
Number of cylinders rekeyed
Every lock a taken key fits is rekeyed individually, so a house with four exterior doors, a mailbox and two padlocks is more work than one front door. Bringing them all onto a single key is part of the count.
- 3
Securing now versus repairing fully
Some households want the door locked tonight and the permanent repair booked later; others want both done at once. The quote separates the two so you can choose either order without surprises.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Break-In Damage Lock Repair: questions
They did not get in. Does the door still need attention?
It does, because the force went somewhere. A lock that held against a kick or a bar often leaves a bent strike plate, loosened screws, a gouged door edge and a bolt that now binds where it met the strike under load. Each of those makes the next attempt easier. The visit checks every part that took strain, replaces what bent, reinforces the strike and hinges with long screws, and confirms the bolt throws cleanly, so the door is stronger than the one that was tested.
My car was stolen with the garage remote and a house key inside. What now?
Treat it as two exposures. The house key is handled by rekeying every lock it fits. The remote is handled at the garage door opener: its memory is erased so every old remote stops working, and new remotes are programmed. If the car had your address on its paperwork, do both before anything else. A locksmith can rekey the doors and, on many openers, clear the remotes during the same visit or show you the learn button on the motor unit.
Should I keep the broken lock and strike?
Yes, unless the insurer has already said they are not needed. Insurers generally ask policyholders to retain damaged property until the claim is settled, and a bag holding the twisted cylinder, torn strike and split wood answers an adjuster's questions more clearly than any description. The locksmith hands them over at the end of the visit along with a written note of what was replaced. Photographs of the parts in place, before removal, complete the record.
Lockout Services
EmergencyHome Lockout ServiceYou reached the front step with the groceries, patted every pocket twice, and the house key is simply not there.
EmergencyBusiness Lockout ServiceThe key went in stiffly, turned a quarter of the way, and came out in two pieces.
EmergencyBroken Key ExtractionThat key had been bending a little for years, and you kept straightening it.
EmergencySeized & Jammed Lock OpeningThe shop's lever handle goes down as usual, but the latch inside the mortise case never pulls back.
EmergencyLost Keys — Same-Visit RekeyYour purse was taken from the back of a chair at a restaurant.
Break-In Damage Lock Repair near you
York, Ontario
Markham information
- Town
- Markham, York, Ontario
- In business
- 33 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 306-0409
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
19%
Newer homes. About 19% of homes in Markham were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Recent builds often have steel or fibreglass entry doors rather than solid wood. They resist warping and take hardware well, and a locksmith fitting a deadbolt or reinforced strike works with the door's construction so screws bite into something solid.
56%
A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 56% of homes in Markham (2021 Census).
Where housing types are mixed, the same lost-key call means different things. In a house, rekey every door on the property. In an apartment, rekey the suite door and check with management about the common entrance. The locksmith asks which it is first.
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The back door looks closed until you touch it.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 306-0409- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 33 years in business