What we tell our neighbours

Yes, one way or another. If you choose to rekey, the cylinder is set to a new combination and fresh keys are cut for it on the spot, usually two or three, and tested in each door they should open. If you prefer to keep the existing pinning, a new key can be cut to the lock's code or by decoding the cylinder. Either way you are not left relying on a key that is somewhere else. Home Lockout Service

Yes, and it makes the visit smoother. The alarm station is told an entry is expected and the authorised person handles the disarm and password. For access control, the provider can often confirm the controller's status, unlock a magnetic lock remotely, or re-enrol fobs once you are inside, while the locksmith handles the mechanical side and the override cylinder. Nobody's wiring is cut; each party does the part it is set up to do. Business Lockout Service

Whatever the lock's own maker specifies, since cylinders differ: many call for a dry graphite or PTFE spray blown into the keyway and worked in with the key, once or twice a year, while others prohibit graphite and specify their own product instead. General-purpose oils, grease and sprays feel smooth at first but on most cylinders collect dust and clog the pins, which leads back to the sticking that breaks keys. A little goes a long way; too much of any lubricant can also hold moisture. Broken Key Extraction

A security strike is a heavier plate with a formed steel pocket that wraps around the bolt instead of leaving it in bare wood. It is set into the jamb and fixed with long screws, typically three inches, that pass through the jamb and the shim space into the framing, with the longest screws placed nearest the door stop where the bolt bears. Manufacturers specify the pocket depth so the bolt extends fully. The result spreads a kick across the wall stud rather than two small screws. Break-In Damage Lock Repair

A restricted or patented keyway is one whose blanks are not sold to the public, so copies can only be cut by an authorized dealer from a record of who is allowed to have them. Rekeying such a cylinder is the same operation inside, but the new keys are cut from controlled blanks and the count is logged. The benefit is that a key cannot be duplicated at a kiosk without your knowledge, which makes the record of who holds one much easier to trust. Lock Rekeying

Yes. Bring the box, the template and the instructions, and tell the locksmith the model beforehand so the bore and backset can be checked against your door. If the kit turns out to need a larger hole or a different faceplate than the door has, the locksmith adapts the door or suggests a matching model. Hardware bought online sometimes arrives set for a different door thickness, which is a small adjustment on site. Deadbolt Installation

Yes. The deadbolt and the knob or lever are separate locks in separate bores, so one can be replaced while the other stays. The new deadbolt can be pinned to work on the same key as the knob if the keyways are compatible, and its finish can be matched to the knob so the door looks intended. Replacing the deadbolt first is a sensible order, since it does most of the securing. Lock Replacement & Upgrade

It is a lock built as a flat rectangular case that sits inside a pocket cut into the edge of the door, rather than through a round hole bored across it. The case holds the latch, usually a deadbolt, the hub the knob spindle turns, and the springs. On the faces of the door you see the knobs, decorative plates and either a keyhole for a bit key or a round cylinder. Most doors built before the middle of the last century carry one. Vintage Mortise Lock Service

It can. Heat or water exposure sometimes trips a relocker or damages the bolt work independently of the combination lock, so the locksmith checks for that first rather than assuming the lock itself has failed. A safe with fire-rated insulation may also need that lining checked once open, separately from the lock work. Safe Opening & Combination Change

Start with what will be inside it. Cash, jewelry, and firearms mainly need protection from tools and time, so the burglary rating matters most. Paper records and digital backups mainly need protection from heat, so the fire rating matters most, and digital media needs a noticeably lower internal temperature than paper to survive. Many households and businesses end up choosing a unit built to both standards rather than picking just one. Safe Installation & Servicing

Locks and deadbolts are tested against industry standards for security, durability and finish. Commercial hardware is graded 1, 2 or 3 with grade 1 the highest. Residential hardware carries a letter label for each of the three categories, from C for good through B to A for the top level. Security tests include hammer blows and pulling on the lock; durability covers cycle life and seasonal misalignment; finish covers salt, humidity and scratching. Your locksmith translates the label for your door. High Security Locks

Count the people who need each group, add one spare per group for the safe, and stop there. Extra keys cut 'just in case' are the ones that end up unaccounted for. Because the keys are cut to code from the pinning records, more can be produced later to the same standard, so there is no need to stockpile on the day. Restricted keys are ordered by the named signatories when needed. Commercial Rekeying

It depends on the number of doors and levels involved. A small business with a handful of doors and one or two levels moves through assessment, pinning and testing in less time on site than a multi-floor property with several departments and a top-level master, where more doors, more testing and more keys to cut all add to the work involved. Master Key System Design

A keypad code needs no card to lose, but a code shared among several people is effectively no longer individual, and a forgotten code left active is a common weak point. A card or fob tied to one named person avoids that particular issue, since it is switched off individually rather than reset for everyone at once. Many businesses use a code for general areas and a card wherever entry needs to be traceable to one person. Access Control Installation

Panic hardware and fire exit hardware share the same push-to-release action, but fire exit hardware is additionally tested and listed for use on a fire-rated door assembly. That extra listing matters because a fire door has to keep an active latch bolt at all times; it cannot carry a mechanical dogging function the way ordinary panic hardware sometimes can, so the two are not interchangeable on a rated opening. Panic & Exit Hardware

Call 911 before you call anyone else. A vehicle interior can climb past 50°C in about twenty minutes on a mild day, and a cracked window does little, so responders treat a child in a closed car as an emergency and are equipped to get in at once. Then call the locksmith, who will come as backup and can also make sure the car is secured and working afterwards. In winter cold the same rule applies. Car Lockout Service

Adding a key leaves the existing keys in place; the car simply learns one more. The exception is a deliberate all-keys-lost reset or an erase you ask for, which clears every stored key and then registers only the ones you present. For that reason the locksmith asks you to bring every key you own to the visit, so each one can be re-registered and tested rather than left behind and forgotten by the car. Car Key Replacement

Bring whatever document shows your connection to the vehicle in that situation: a company letter or fleet record for a workplace vehicle, a lease agreement for a rented one, or a note from the registered owner for a family member's car. The locksmith is confirming that the person asking for a key is entitled to hold one, which protects the vehicle's owner as much as it protects you. Spare Car Key Duplication

A fob that has gone quiet, but whose mechanical blade still opens the door normally, is very often a battery rather than a programming problem. A fresh coin-cell battery, sized to what that fob calls for, is worth trying before assuming anything electronic has failed. If a new battery changes nothing, the fault sits somewhere else in the fob or the vehicle's memory. Key Fob Programming