Locksmith in Guelph, OntarioKeys nobody copiesbehind your back.
A patented keyway means the blank is not sold at any counter and every extra key needs an authorised name. We register the system to you, number each key and keep the record honest.
Being locked out is stressful enough without a stranger making it worse. When we arrive we introduce ourselves, ask for something that connects you to the address, and explain what we are about to do before we touch the door. Then we open it with the least force the lock allows.
— Maryhill Lock & Key Specialists
You set the paceWe explain, you decide, we work. If you would rather sleep on a bigger change, we do what is needed now and leave the rest for another visit.
The reasoning behind each suggestionEvery recommendation comes with the reason for it, in language that does not require you to know the trade. Ask why as often as you like.
Order restoredTools packed, dust cleared, doors closed properly. We leave your home or business looking as it did, with the lock problem gone.
Hours
HoursOpen 24/7
Nights and weekendsSame fees
In business35 years
VisitsOn-site assessment
Locksmith services
Locks, keys, safes and access
Sometimes the job is obvious: a key snapped in the cylinder, a deadbolt that spins without catching. Other times you know something is wrong but not what to ask for. Either way, start here. Each service page describes the symptoms, the fix and what to have ready.
Cars, houses and shopfronts lock people out in different ways, and this section holds pages for each. What they share is the approach: verify, open with care, test the lock, leave a key that works and say plainly whether anything else needs attention.
Residential services cover the whole life of a house: settling in, changing tenants, replacing worn locks, adding a smart lock, sorting out a stuck mailbox and making sure the garage side door is as solid as the front.
Following a break-in, the instinct is to buy the biggest lock. The better response is to look at how entry was made and strengthen that path first, then consider a cylinder and key system that stops it happening by key rather than by force.
A commercial lockout can mean a locked front door with customers arriving, a jammed back door with a delivery waiting, or a stockroom key gone missing during a shift. Business lockout work opens the door, checks the lock and gets the day back on track.
Your basement tenant has given notice, and a new one arrives on the first. The lock on the separate entrance works perfectly well. You simply want a fresh key for the incoming tenant and for the old one to be retired.
A key turned up in the parking lot with the shop's name on its fob. It came back to you, which is lucky, but it means keys are leaving the building on rings you have never seen, and the shop's locks have not changed since opening day.
After last night's power flicker the card reader beside the clinic door shows nothing. Fobs do nothing, the electric strike stays locked, and the small brass override key that came with the system is in a desk drawer on the far side of the door.
WhyOn storefronts, offices and older houses the hardware is often a mortise lock with a lever, and the jam is frequently inside the case, not the cylinder.
Open 24/7
How a visit goes
The first useful move after losing a key is to think about where it worked rather than where it went. A house key commonly opens more than the front door: the back door, a side entrance, the door from the garage into the house, a shed, a gate padlock, sometimes a storage room or a mailbox.
1 of 3
Counting the doors and keys
We walk the house with you, note every exterior lock and ask which doors you want on one key. That decides the pin work and the number of keys to cut.
2 of 3
Pinning the cylinders
Each cylinder comes out, gets new pins to match a fresh key, and goes back in. Old keys stop working the moment the cylinder is back in place.
3 of 3
Testing every door with every key
We try each new key in each lock, from outside and inside, hand you the set and explain how many copies exist so you know exactly who can get in.
About 44% of homes in Guelph were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
In an area where homes span several eras, one street may have original mortise locks and the next builder-grade cylinders. A locksmith working here carries parts for both, so whichever door he meets, the job finishes in one visit.
49%
Single-detached houses make up about 49% of homes in Guelph (2021 Census).
In areas of mixed housing, landlords may own a house here and a few units there. A locksmith can put all of it under one master system so the owner carries one key while each tenant's key opens only their own door.
My lock is the homeowner-rekeyable type but the working key is lost. Can it still be reset?
Yes. Those cylinders let an owner change the key with a small learn tool, but only while a working key is in hand. Without one, a design such as Kwikset SmartKey is removed and placed in its own reset fixture, returning it to a blank state; other cylinder types are rekeyed by their own method instead. A new key is then set and the lock goes back on. It is a few extra minutes rather than a replacement.
Do I have to prove I live here before you rekey?
Yes, and it is a step that protects you. A rekey changes who can open the door, so the locksmith confirms the person asking has the standing to decide: photo identification matched to the address for an owner, a lease or bill for a tenant, management records for a superintendent or property manager. Say on the phone what you have so the visit starts smoothly.
Can all my doors work on one key afterwards?
Usually, yes. Cylinders that share a keyway family accept the same blank, so they can be pinned to one combination during the rekey. The front door, back door, garage entry and a gate padlock of the same family become a single key. Where a door uses a different family, the locksmith can swap its cylinder for a compatible one in the same visit, or you can choose to keep two keys for that door.
What are the hardware grades I see on the packaging?
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.
