A locksmith for Halifax landlords and property managers

Rekeys between tenancies

The day one tenancy ends and the next begins is the one window where you can reset a unit's keys without asking anyone. Copies get cut for partners, cleaners and friends, and they don't all come back. A rekey changes the pins inside the cylinder, so every old key stops working and the lock stays on the door. We do the suite door plus anything else the old key opened, such as a storage cage, a mailroom or a side entrance, and leave you labelled keys for the incoming tenant.

During a tenancy the rules are different. Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Act only allows a lock on an entry door to be altered by mutual consent while the tenant lives there. Our guide to landlord and tenant lock changes in Nova Scotia quotes the condition and explains what it means in practice.

The September crunch

Halifax is a university city, and a lot of rental turnover lands at the end of August and the start of September. If you own flats near the campuses or a handful of converted houses on the peninsula, the same week can bring several move-outs and move-ins. Send us the units and dates early and we'll book the rekeys in order, so you aren't chasing a locksmith on the last day of the month.

Master key systems for buildings and condos

In an apartment building, a condo tower or a row of townhouses, a master key system lets each tenant's key open their own unit and the shared doors they're entitled to, gives your superintendent the common areas, and gives you one key for the lot. Pair it with a restricted keyway and tenants can't have copies cut at a hardware counter, which makes every future turnover simpler.

Tenant lockouts, day or night

Tenants get locked out after a late shift, in a snowstorm, or when the wind slams a door behind them. We answer those calls around the clock, check ID before we open a door, and can phone you first if that's how you want your properties handled. Tenants can also go straight to our house lockout page.

Salt air and building hardware

Entrance locks, door closers and the hardware on parking garage doors take a beating near the harbour and along the coast. Salt and damp corrode cylinders and springs, and freeze-thaw cycles in winter leave locks stiff or seized. If tenants are reporting keys that turn hard at the front door, that's usually the early warning. We service or replace the hardware before it fails on a cold night.

Overhead doors, card entry and the rest

Parking garage doors, service and utility room locks, and fob or card entry at the main door are part of the same job. See commercial garage doors and access control. One supplier knows the whole building, which saves explaining it again every time.

Opening an account

Tell us how many properties and units you manage, who can approve work, and how invoices should be addressed. Every job is priced before work begins, as set out in our price promise.