Mobile Locksmith in Parkview

Doors that are older than the locks on them

According to a history published on The Heritage Portal, Parkview was laid out in a gridiron pattern in 1906, and some of the first houses were Edwardian villas wrapped in verandahs. Wikipedia notes that much of the historic architecture remains. In a house that age, the door has usually outlived several locks. You may find:

• a heavy timber door with an old mortice lock that still works, but only with one particular key;
• screw holes and patched wood where earlier locks were fitted and removed;
• a newer cylinder lock or a security gate added in front, which is now the lock you actually rely on.

Our first question is whether the existing lock can be kept. A repair that respects the door is often better than cutting a new pocket into old timber. If you're weighing it up, lock care in established suburbs is a good place to start.

What to try, and what not to try

If an old lock has become stiff:

• check whether it turns freely with the door open. If it does, the door or frame has probably moved, not the lock;
• look for paint over the bolt or the keep in the frame;
• try the spare key, if there is one, to rule out a worn key.

Don't spray just any oil into an old lock, and don't force a key that won't turn: that's how keys snap. If one has already broken off, see broken key extraction. If the door won't stay closed, read why a door won't latch.

Irish street names and Tyrone Avenue

Wikipedia notes that Parkview's streets are named after Irish counties: Kerry, Tyrone, Westmeath, Roscommon and so on. Tyrone Avenue runs through the suburb's small retail strip, which OpenStreetMap labels Parkview Center, and Parkview Library stands at its corner with Athlone Road. If you're calling from the shops, or giving us directions from there, Tyrone Avenue is the easiest reference point. Wikipedia also places the suburb across Jan Smuts Avenue from the Johannesburg Zoo, overlooking Zoo Lake.

New owners and tenants

When a house changes hands or a new tenant moves in, nobody really knows how many keys are out there. Changing the cylinders, or the locks where needed, is the clean fix. See lock replacement. Landlords may want to read key control for landlords before the next tenancy starts.

Call-out and quote

R250 call-out. The technician assesses the job on site and gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing is done until you agree. Payment is by EFT, cash or card, and we'll ask for proof that you live at the house before we open a locked door.

Locksmith services available in Parkview

• Residential locksmith

  Door locks, gate locks and home safes at houses, flats, townhouses and cluster homes, sorted at your front door.

• Lock repairs

  Stiff keys, bolts that catch, doors that won't latch and gate locks that have seized: repaired on site where the fault allows.

• Lock replacement

  New cylinders, deadlocks, nightlatches, multipoint gearboxes and gate locks, supplied and fitted at your door.

• Broken-key extraction

  Half a key left in the door, gate or padlock? We remove the broken piece and check whether the lock still works.

• Emergency lockouts

  Keys inside, a lock that refuses to turn, or someone stuck behind a deadlocked door. Phone any hour and we drive out to you.

• Safe opening

  No code, no key, a keypad that's gone dark or a door that refuses to budge. Home, office and firearm safes opened in place.

All of these are part of our mobile locksmith service in Johannesburg.

Useful guides

• Older Doors, Older Locks: Lock Care in Established Suburbs
• Door Won't Latch or Close Properly: Common Causes
• Key Control for Landlords and Short-Let Hosts

Nearby areas we cover

• Greenside
• Saxonwold
• Westcliff
• Melville

All Johannesburg areas