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Two people exchanging a key at an open front door, with a disassembled lock cylinder and small parts arranged on a cloth nearby. — Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey, Aurora

Emergency Lockouts · Aurora

Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey

A roommate moved out on bad terms and says the key was left on the counter. It was not.

Call now · open 24/7(289) 802-6293

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In plain words

If you rent, losing a key is handled in three steps rather than one. Tell your landlord first, since a lock change on a rented unit goes smoother when both sides know about it and both end up with a working key. Then the locksmith rekeys the suite door, and any other cylinder that key fitted, with both parties knowing. Finally new keys are cut for you and for the landlord's set, so the arrangement that existed before the loss is restored on a fresh combination. Landlords generally welcome the call; their hardware stays in place and their own key set is refreshed too.

Sound familiar?

A roommate moved out on bad terms and says the key was left on the counter. It was not. You have already changed the Wi-Fi password, but the front door still opens for a key that could be anywhere.

How the visit goes

Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey · Aurora

How the visit goes

Technician in a cap working a screwdriver at a steel lock plate on a navy door, with an open tool bag behind.
  1. 1

    Which cylinders the key actually opened

    The locksmith walks the property with you and tries to think like the key. Front door deadbolt and handle, the back door, a side door, the door between the garage and the house, the shed, a gate padlock, a basement walkout, the door to a storage room or workshop. Each cylinder the missing key fitted goes on a list. Anything it fitted that is not yours to change goes on a second list: a shared lobby door, a parking gate, a community mailbox compartment, a workplace. The first list becomes the scope of the visit; the second becomes a set of calls you can make with the locksmith's help while the work goes on.

  2. 2

    Dealing with the electronic things on the ring

    A rekey covers the mechanical keys; the visit also tidies what sat beside them. If a garage door remote was lost, the opener's memory is cleared at the unit on the ceiling so every remote is forgotten, and the ones still in the household are paired again. A keypad lock that shares a door with a rekeyed cylinder has its user codes reviewed and any code the lost ring's owner knew is changed. A building fob or parking card is reported to the property manager for deactivation, and the locksmith can make that call with you. A car key with a chip is booked as separate automotive work.

  3. 3

    The old key is now a piece of brass

    Whatever became of the lost key, it stopped mattering the moment the last cylinder went back on the door. It still slides into the keyway, because the keyway did not change, but the pins inside no longer line up with its cuts, so it turns nothing. Whoever finds it in a snowbank in April, or already has it in a drawer, holds a shape that fits your lock and does nothing to it. That is the whole purpose of the visit, and it is worth pausing on: the worry that started the day has a definite ending, and you can watch it demonstrated with the old key in your own hand.

In the van

  • Code key machine
  • Key gauge and decoder
  • Cylinder retaining-clip and cap tools
  • Key blanks in common keyways
  • Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant

What affects the quote

  1. 1

    Electronic credentials on the same ring

    Clearing a garage opener's memory and re-pairing remotes, changing keypad codes or helping report a building fob are small tasks the quote names separately.

  2. 2

    Paperwork for a landlord or building

    Where a landlord, condominium or lease requires a written record of the lock change and key count, preparing that note and any key register update is a small named item.

  3. 3

    Restricted or high-security keyways

    Patented and high-security cylinders carry more parts, need dedicated pin kits and issue keys through authorised channels. Rekeying them takes longer and the blanks cost more than common residential ones.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

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(289) 802-6293

Lost Keys — Same-Visit Rekey: questions

Advice · (289) 802-6293

Can I just have another key cut instead?

You can, and it solves being without a key. It leaves the lost one working, though, which is the half of the problem that keeps people awake. Rekeying takes about as much effort as a trip to a hardware store counter and ends with a new key in your hand and the old one retired. If the key was mislaid somewhere it will never be found and named nothing, a plain copy is a fair choice.

Should I rekey when I move into a new home?

Lock manufacturers list moving as one of the main reasons to rekey, and it is easy to see why: previous owners, their relatives, a cleaner, a dog walker and a contractor may all hold copies you know nothing about. Rekeying every exterior cylinder in one visit resets the count to the keys in your hand, and it is a convenient moment to put every door on a single key as well.

What should I do before the locksmith arrives?

Walk the property and note every door the missing key opened, including the garage, shed and gate. Gather any keys you still have, since a working key helps in reading each cylinder. Have identification and, for tenants, something showing the tenancy. Decide roughly how many keys you want and whether you would like all doors on one key. If a garage remote or building fob was lost too, mention it when you book.

York, Ontario

Aurora information

Town
Aurora, York, Ontario
In business
13 years
Hours
Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

What the census means at the door

22%

Newer homes. About 22% of homes in Aurora were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.

Households in newer homes are often keen on keypads, fobs and phone-controlled locks. Standard doors make installation straightforward, and the locksmith spends more of the visit setting codes and pairing devices than on carpentry.

60%

Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 60% of homes in Aurora (2021 Census).

Garage entry doors on detached houses are often the household's real front door, used more than the formal entry. They deserve the same quality of lock, and keying them alike with the house means one key does the whole daily routine.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population

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Request a visit

A roommate moved out on bad terms and says the key was left on the counter.

Call now · open 24/7(289) 802-6293
  • On-site assessment preferred
  • Same fees day, night or weekend
  • 13 years in business