Residential Locksmith in Johannesburg

Home jobs we take on

• Entrance and back doors where the key sticks, the bolt drags or the door has to be lifted before it will lock.
• Doors that no longer latch when you close them. Our guide to a door that won't latch runs through the usual causes.
• Security gates, trellis doors and pedestrian gates with a lock that's seized or loose. See pedestrian gate lock problems.
• Fresh locks after a move, between tenants, or when an untrusted person still has a key.
• Lockouts, keys broken in the lock, and locks damaged during a burglary.
• Home and gun safes that are stuck, due for a new code or ready for a new lock: see safe opening and safe repairs.

Older houses and their locks

Many of the established suburbs we cover still have original doors. A solid door with a mortice lock can last for decades, but the lock wears, the door settles on its hinges and the bolt stops meeting the keep cleanly. Often the fix is a repair or an adjustment rather than a new door. Sometimes the honest answer is a replacement lock that fits the existing cut-out. Our article on lock care for older doors goes into the trade-offs.

Flats and sectional title

In a sectional title scheme, your unit's front door may be your responsibility while the entrance gate, the lobby door and the pedestrian gate belong to the body corporate. Before you change a lock that other owners use, check the conduct rules or ask the managing agent. For your own front door, have a look at upgrading an apartment front-door lock before you book.

• Blocks of flats: tell us the building name, floor and where a visitor can park or be buzzed in.
• Complexes and clusters: give the guardhouse our details if visitors have to be pre-registered.
• Freestanding houses: let us know about dogs, an electric gate and which door has the problem.

Landlords, tenants and short lets

Every time a home changes hands, keys go missing. You can't know how many copies a previous owner or tenant made. A sensible order is usually the outside doors and the gate first, with internal doors left until later. If you let out a flat or a cottage, our guide to key control for landlords and short-let hosts covers how to keep track of who holds what. Tenants should check the lease and speak to the landlord before changing any lock.

How the technician works out the fix

They look at the type of lock and its condition, how the key feels going in and turning, and whether the bolt lines up with the strike. They also look at the door. A door that has dropped or swollen in summer rain can make a sound lock seem broken, and then the right job is adjusting the door, not buying hardware. You'll be told which it is.

Price and payment

R250 call-out fee. The technician assesses the job on site and gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing is done until you agree. What you pay comes down to the hardware, parts and labour involved. Pay by EFT, cash or card.

Lock brands we work on

These are the lock and security-gate brands you'll find on most Johannesburg doors and gates, sold by Builders, Cashbuild, Leroy Merlin and locksmith suppliers across Gauteng. If yours isn't listed, send us a photo.

• UnionMortice locksets, cylinders, gate locks
• YaleLocksets, padlocks, smart locks
• TrellidorSecurity-gate locks
• CISACylinders, gate and door locks
• Mul-T-LockHigh-security cylinders, padlocks
• dormakabaCommercial locks and key systems
• ABUSPadlocks
• Master LockPadlocks

Brand names belong to their owners and are used only to describe what we work on. We're not an agent of, or endorsed by, these manufacturers.

Where this service is available

We provide residential locksmith as part of our mobile locksmith service across Johannesburg. Areas we're often asked about include:

• Houghton
• Parkhurst
• Linden
• Emmarentia
• Saxonwold
• Greenside
• Highlands North
• Glenhazel

All Johannesburg areas we cover