Locksmith services are always 10% OFF for ALL SENIORS.
Locksmith services are always 10% OFF for ALL SENIORS.
GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services · Toronto & GTA
Who can authorize lock work on an estate property, and what to do with keys, key safes and an empty home.
Related services
Rekeying answers who holds a key; replacement answers whether the hardware suits the door. Compare both.
Learn moreCheck every door before you travel, arrange access you can withdraw, and prepare locks for winter.
Learn moreWhat insurers usually ask about locks, what the answers mean, and how to make the doors match the form.
Learn moreSet up a key safe that carers can use daily without the code becoming a permanent way into the home.
Learn moreSeparate mechanical repairs from key-control changes and document the condition of each affected opening.
Learn moreRepairs, rekeying and replacement hardware for homes, condos and apartments, with attention to the whole door.
Learn more
When someone dies, their home often sits empty while an estate is settled. Somewhere in that process, a practical question comes up: who has keys to the property, and should the locks be changed?
It is not a pleasant question to deal with, and it usually arrives alongside many others. This page sets out what is normally involved, who can authorize the work, and what a locksmith can and cannot do. We try to keep it simple and to avoid adding anything to an already difficult week.
A locksmith works for the person entitled to control the property. After a death, that is usually the estate trustee, sometimes called the executor, named in the will, or an administrator appointed where there is no will. A surviving joint owner or a surviving spouse who owns the home may also be the person entitled.
We ask for identification and something that shows the connection to the property: a will naming the executor, a certificate of appointment, a death certificate together with proof of the relationship, or property documents. Where an estate lawyer is acting, a letter from the firm is usually straightforward.
If several family members disagree about who should hold keys, that is not something lock work can settle. We will decline until the person with authority is clear, and suggest that the estate lawyer confirms it in writing.
Keys tend to be widely distributed in later life. Neighbours, cleaners, home care workers, family members, a personal support worker, a property manager and previous tenants may all hold one. Nobody has a complete list, and some keys were cut years ago.
Rekeying changes which key operates the existing cylinders, so old keys stop working while the hardware stays on the door. It is usually the appropriate step when a property will be empty, when it holds belongings that matter to the family, or when an insurer asks for it. The page on rekey or replace explains the difference between the two options.
Where a key safe or lockbox was used for home care visits, that also needs attention; see key safes for home care visits.
Insurers often treat an unoccupied property differently from an occupied one, and policies commonly set conditions once a home is empty beyond a certain period. Those can include how often the property must be checked and what security must be in place.
Speak to the insurer early and ask what is required. The page on home insurance and lock requirements explains how lock conditions usually work. Get any requirement in writing so the work is done once, correctly.
Beyond the locks, an empty home needs the same attention as one whose owners are away: doors that latch and lock without being forced, windows that close properly, mail collected, and someone checking inside rather than only from the street.
The page on leaving home for winter or vacation covers those checks, and they apply just as well here. Basement windows and side doors are the openings usually forgotten; see basement windows and window wells.
If the home will be shown to buyers, agents will need controlled access rather than a key handed around.
Photos
Photographs from GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services work across Toronto and the GTA. Send a picture of your own door and we can tell you what the visit would involve.
Families often find a locked safe, a locked filing cabinet or a strongbox with no key. These can usually be opened by an authorized person, and we ask for the same authority as for the property itself, since the contents belong to the estate.
Do not force a safe. Damage can destroy documents inside and makes the contents harder to recover. Where the safe is beyond what we handle, we will say so and point you to the right specialist rather than attempting it.
If the person who died was renting, the landlord and the tenancy rules govern what happens to the unit and its keys, and an estate trustee usually deals with the landlord directly. Do not change locks on a rental without the landlord's agreement.
If the deceased was a landlord, the tenancies continue, and tenants' rights are unaffected by the change of ownership. Lock changes at tenanted units follow the normal tenancy rules; see lock repair after a tenant moves out for the handover process between tenancies.
A suite is subject to the corporation's rules. Fobs are programmed by the building and can only be deactivated or reissued by them, and the suite cylinder may have to stay within a master-key system.
Contact the property manager early, tell them what has happened, and ask what they need. The page on buying a condo: suite locks, fobs and building rules covers the same handover questions from the other direction, and lost condo fob or building key explains credentials.
We confirm who is authorizing the work, then rekey or replace the cylinders you want changed, cut the number of keys you ask for, and record on the invoice which doors were done. If a door does not lock properly, we will tell you, since an empty property should not be left with a door that cannot be secured.
We keep the visit straightforward. If the family would prefer someone else to be present, or the work done at a particular time, say so when you call.
There is rarely a reason to rush this. Unless the property is at risk or an insurer has set a deadline, a week or two makes little difference, and decisions made calmly tend to be better ones. Many families deal with the locks after the funeral, once the estate trustee is confirmed and the immediate arrangements are done.
If the home is occupied by a surviving spouse or family member, the situation is different again: the priority is that the person living there feels secure and can use the doors easily, which may mean simple repairs rather than a rekey. The page on easier-to-use door hardware for seniors covers hardware that suits someone living alone.
If several properties are involved, or a home contains a business, it is worth listing everything before any work starts: the house, a garage or workshop, a rental unit, a storage locker, a safe, and any vehicle keys held with the house keys. Estates often involve more openings than anyone expects, and dealing with them in one planned visit is easier for the family than several separate calls spread over weeks. The estate trustee can authorize all of it at once, and the invoice then provides a single record of what was secured and when, which is useful for the estate accounts and for the insurer. Where the family is spread out, or beneficiaries live in another city, that single record also saves a good deal of explaining later about which property was secured, when, and on whose instruction, which is exactly the kind of question that comes up months afterwards when nobody can remember the details clearly.
Tell us the address, who is authorizing the work, how many doors are involved and whether the property is a house, condominium or rental. If an estate lawyer is acting, we can deal with them directly. Our posted hours appear below, and we do not promise a fixed arrival time.
Keep reading
Normally the estate trustee, also called the executor, named in the will, or an administrator appointed where there is no will. A surviving joint owner or a spouse who owns the home may also be entitled. We ask for identification and something that shows the connection to the property, such as a will, a certificate of appointment, or a death certificate with proof of relationship. A letter from the estate lawyer is usually straightforward.
Normally the estate trustee, also called the executor, named in the will, or an administrator appointed where there is no will. A surviving joint owner or a spouse who owns the home may also be entitled. We ask for identification and something that shows the connection to the property, such as a will, a certificate of appointment, or a death certificate with proof of relationship. A letter from the estate lawyer is usually straightforward.
Not until the person with authority is clear. Lock work cannot settle a dispute between family members, and changing locks for one party in a disagreement can make things worse. Ask the estate lawyer to confirm in writing who is entitled to control the property. Once that is clear, the work is simple. We would rather wait a few days than become part of the disagreement.
Often, yes, particularly if the property will be empty. Keys are widely distributed in later life: neighbours, cleaners, home care workers, family members and previous tenants may all hold one, and nobody has a complete list. Rekeying changes which key works while keeping the existing hardware, which is usually enough. Your insurer may also ask for it once the home is unoccupied.
Remove it or change its code as part of the same review. Key safes used for care visits often have codes known to several agencies and individual workers, and those codes rarely get changed. If the box itself is no longer needed, take it off the wall. If it stays for the estate's own use, set a new code and record who has it.
Often, with the same authority as for the property, since the contents belong to the estate. Do not force it: damage can destroy documents inside and makes recovery harder. Tell us the make and model if you can see them, and roughly how old it is. If the safe is beyond what we handle, we will say so and point you to the right specialist rather than attempting something that could damage the contents.
Not without the landlord's agreement. The tenancy rules and the lease govern what happens to the unit, and the estate trustee normally deals with the landlord directly about returning possession and keys. If the person who died was the landlord rather than the tenant, the tenancies continue and tenants' rights are unaffected, so lock changes at those units follow the normal tenancy process.
Yes. Fobs are programmed by the corporation and only they can deactivate or reissue them, and the suite cylinder may have to stay within the building's master-key system. Contact the property manager early, explain the situation and ask what they need. They can also tell you how many keys and fobs were issued to the unit, which is often more than the family expects.
Treat it like a home whose owners are away for a long period. Make sure every exterior door latches and locks without being forced, check basement windows and side doors, arrange for mail to be collected and snow cleared, and ask someone to check inside regularly rather than only from the street. Speak to the insurer about their conditions for an unoccupied property before the work is arranged.
Describe the door, hardware and service address. Contact GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services to confirm the scope and scheduling for your location.
