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
Access, lockboxes and lock changes for listings, vacant properties and the hand-over to a new owner.
Related services
Showing keys, lockboxes, small pre-listing fixes and the rekey that should follow every closing.
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Learn moreKeep suitable hardware while changing which keys operate your new home’s locks.
Learn moreWhat to collect at closing, what the corporation controls, and when a suite cylinder may be rekeyed.
Learn moreWhat a locksmith has to establish before opening a door, and what to have ready so the visit is not wasted.
Learn more
Most of the lock work around a sale falls into a handful of situations: getting into a listing when the key or lockbox fails, securing a vacant property, rekeying for a new owner, and sorting out the keys, fobs and codes that come with a condo or a rental. Agents and brokerages call because they are the ones standing at the door with a buyer, a stager or an inspector waiting.
This page sets out how each of those jobs works and what we need from you. The seller's side of the same process, written for homeowners, is on selling your home: keys and lockboxes.
The usual causes are simple: the lockbox code was changed and not passed on, the key inside is the wrong one, the key works the deadbolt but not the knob, or the lock itself has become stiff and the key will not turn.
Before calling, check:
If a door has to be opened, the technician needs authorization from the owner or the listing brokerage. An agent attending a showing for another brokerage cannot authorize entry on their own. Have the listing agent or the owner available by phone, and see proving you are entitled to enter for what is usually accepted.
Where a lockbox itself is jammed or damaged, it can usually be opened. Electronic lockboxes managed through a board or brokerage system are handled through that system first.
An empty house or condo is the property most likely to have keys scattered among cleaners, stagers, contractors, photographers and previous occupants. It is also the one nobody checks every day.
For a vacant listing, it is worth:
More detail is on vacant homes and properties between owners.
The buyer has no way of knowing how many keys the seller, their family, their cleaners or their contractors still hold. Rekeying on or after the closing date is the simple answer, and it is one of the most common jobs we do for new owners. The work and the reasoning are explained on lock changes after moving home and rekeying house locks after moving.
Agents often arrange this as part of the hand-over. The buyer, as the new owner, is the person who authorizes it. If the appointment is booked before closing, it takes place once the keys have passed to the buyer.
For a condo, the suite cylinder is usually the buyer's to rekey, while the building entrances, mailbox and fobs are controlled by the corporation or management office. The full checklist is on buying a condo: suite locks, fobs and building rules.
When a rental property is listed for sale, the tenant still lives there and the landlord's right of entry is limited. In Ontario, a landlord can enter to show the unit to a prospective buyer only with proper written notice, currently 24 hours, and within the hours set by the Residential Tenancies Act. The locks are the tenant's to use during the tenancy and should not be changed to make showings easier.
If the tenant has changed the locks without providing a key, that is a matter between landlord and tenant under the Act, not something to solve by forcing entry. Check the rules on tenants and lock changes in Ontario.
Properties sold by a lender, an estate trustee or under power of sale often come with no keys at all, or with keys nobody can vouch for. The first visit is usually to open the property for the person entitled to it, rekey or replace the cylinders, and leave a known number of keys with the agent or the seller.
For estate properties, the executor or estate trustee authorizes the work. The specific steps are on locks after a death in the family.
Rural and suburban listings often include more than a front door: a garage side door, a shed, a pool gate or a barn. Padlocks and outbuilding locks can be keyed to match the house, so one key goes in the lockbox instead of a ring of unmarked keys. See shed, garage and outbuilding padlocks.
If your brokerage handles listings regularly, it helps to agree a simple routine: who can authorize entry, what proof we receive, how keys are handed over, and how the work is recorded and invoiced. A short note on file means the next call takes minutes to arrange rather than a round of phone calls.
To book, give us the address, the type of property, what needs doing, who is authorizing it and how we can reach them during the visit.
Keep reading
The listing brokerage or the owner can. An agent showing the property for another brokerage cannot authorize entry alone, so have the listing agent or owner reachable by phone.
The listing brokerage or the owner can. An agent showing the property for another brokerage cannot authorize entry alone, so have the listing agent or owner reachable by phone.
Often the key is a worn copy, or the lock binds when the door is closed. Try the key with gentle pressure on the door. If it still will not turn, the key or the lock needs attention.
It is worth it. Vacant properties accumulate keys among cleaners, stagers and contractors. Rekeying at the start gives you a known number of keys.
On or after closing, once the keys have passed to them. The buyer, as the new owner, authorizes the work.
No. The tenant keeps the use of the locks during the tenancy. In Ontario, entry for showings requires proper written notice, currently 24 hours.
Often. Padlocks and outbuilding locks can be supplied or rekeyed on the same keyway, so one key opens the house, garage and shed.
Those are usually controlled by the condominium corporation or management office. The suite cylinder is normally the buyer's to rekey.
Usually. Electronic lockboxes managed through a board or brokerage system should be handled through that system first.
GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services is a mobile locksmith working on homes, businesses and vehicles across Toronto and the GTA, with more than 14 years in the trade. Every review is written by a customer on Google, where you can read them in full.
Areas served: Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Stouffville, Newmarket, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Uxbridge.
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