Locksmith service in Paterson 07501

Shared entries, separate keys

Paterson has a lot of multi-family housing, and that layout creates a particular kind of lock problem. The street door is used by everyone, so its cylinder wears out first and its key ends up on a dozen rings. Each unit then has its own deadbolt, and an owner who lives on the first floor may also hold a key to the cellar, the back stairs and the garage. When a locksmith is booked for a house like this, the most useful visit is usually a plan rather than a single lock: rekey the common door, keep each apartment on its own key, and decide who really needs access to the basement meters and the boiler.

What a visit usually involves

A rekey changes the pins inside the cylinder, so the existing hardware stays and old keys stop working. If a deadbolt is loose in the door, sticks when the weather turns, or has a cracked strike plate, repair or replacement comes first. Rekeying starts at $19.00 per lock on the current price list, plus the $29.00 service call fee; the dispatcher gives an approximate estimate on the phone and the contractor confirms the final price before work begins.

Before you call

Count the doors and locks you want handled, note which ones should share a key, and have proof that you own or manage the building. For a tenant, written permission from the landlord avoids a wasted trip.

Paterson's older housing

Much of Paterson's housing stock is more than a century old, and doors have been rehung, painted over and patched many times. Expect the contractor to check how the door sits in its frame before quoting, because a lock only works as well as the door around it.

Typical jobs on this page's topic

• Rekeying the common street door after a tenant moves out
• Separate deadbolts for each apartment on one visit
• Keys cut for new occupants
• Loose or sticking deadbolts on stair doors
• Cellar and boiler-room locks on a different key
• Mailbox lock replacement for the building