Door lock repair
Door Lock Repair
Keys that turn hard, bolts that will not throw, handles that spin. The most frequent single finding on a New Jersey inspection, and usually the quickest thing on this site to put right.
- Typical visit
- Under two hours
- Often
- Alignment, not new parts
- Not offered
- Rekeying and lockouts
- Estimate
- Free, fixed in writing
First question
Whose lock is this, actually?
New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, with a very large share of renters, two and three-family houses and condominium units. Before anything else it is worth establishing whose repair this actually is.
If you rent
Tell your landlord or managing agent first
In almost every tenancy the fabric of the building — doors, windows, frames and the locks in them — is the owner's responsibility rather than yours. We are happy to take the call either way, but a tenant paying out of pocket for a landlord's repair is a thing we would rather flag than quietly bill for.
If you are the landlord
You own it, and the clock may be running
Doors that will not lock, windows that will not open and missing screens are among the most common findings on a municipal inspection at change of tenant. Getting them done between tenancies is both cheaper and considerably less stressful than getting them done against a deadline.
If you are in a condo or co-op
The association may own the opening
In most New Jersey condominium arrangements the exterior of a unit, including windows and entry doors, belongs to the association rather than to you — though interior doors, shower enclosures and interior hardware usually do not. Check your documents before you commission anything exterior.
If you own the house
Then it is simply yours
Which makes it the straightforward case. The only thing worth checking is whether you are in a historic district, because that can affect what you are permitted to change on a street-facing elevation.
Inspections
What an inspection looks for on locks
Locks are where most inspection findings land, and the overwhelming majority of them are alignment rather than hardware. They are also the ones that cause the most panic for the least reason.
| Common finding | What it usually takes to clear it |
|---|---|
| A deadbolt that will not throw fully | Almost always a strike out of register because the slab has dropped. Repositioned in minutes, usually with no new hardware. |
| A lock on an exit door needing a key from inside | A genuine safety finding and one we take seriously. Anything we fit on an exit door opens from inside without a key or a tool. |
| A strike plate held by short screws | Common and easily improved. Long fixings into the framing behind cost nothing extra and make a measurable difference. |
| A missing or non-functioning entry lock | Replaced with hardware appropriate to the door rather than the cheapest thing that fits. |
| Bedroom and interior doors that will not latch | Low drama, frequently raised, and usually a strike plate moved two millimetres. |
Requirements differ from town to town and they change, so treat this as the pattern we see rather than as your municipality's list. Your local construction or housing office is the authority on your address.
Getting to you
How we actually get to your door
The practical problem here is the opposite of a rural state's. Nothing is far away; a great deal of it is simply hard to get at. Telling us which of these you are saves a wasted visit.
Row and attached houses
Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City and the older parts of almost every town. No side yard, no rear access, and frequently nowhere to put a ladder. Upper-floor work is done from inside with the sash removed, and we plan that before we quote rather than discovering it on the day.
Two and three-family houses
Enormously common across north Jersey. Several tenancies behind one front door, shared entries that take four households' worth of traffic, and access that has to be arranged with people who are at work. Tell us who holds keys when you call.
Apartment and condo buildings
Loading restrictions, service lifts, certificates of insurance for the management company, and time windows when work is permitted. We deal with all of it regularly, but it is much easier arranged in advance than negotiated in a lobby.
Parking, honestly
In a lot of New Jersey there is nowhere to put a van. If you have a driveway, a permit or a spot we can use, that information is worth more to the visit than almost anything else you could tell us.
Permits
Will this need a permit?
This is the part most contractors are vague about, so here is our position in plain terms.
Repairs, generally not
Repairing what is already there — hardware, glass in an existing frame, a sash, a lock, a threshold — does not usually involve a permit anywhere in the state. It is one of the quieter advantages of fixing rather than replacing.
Replacements, often yes
Many New Jersey municipalities require a permit to replace a door or a window, and the requirements and fees differ from town to town. Rules also change. Your municipal construction office is the authority on your address, and it is worth a phone call before you commit to anything.
What we will not do
We will not tell you a job does not need a permit so that it looks cheaper, and we cannot sign off compliance on your behalf — that is the inspector's role. What we will do is tell you plainly when we think a permit is likely to be involved.
New Jersey conditions
Why New Jersey locks stop working
Movement, salt and traffic.
Humid summers, dry heated winters
The state swings from muggy Augusts to indoor winter air that shrinks timber measurably. The same door binds in one season and shows daylight in the other, which is exactly why planing it is the repair people regret.
Traffic in multi-family buildings
A shared front door in a three-family house can take several hundred operations a week on hardware specified for a single household. Cylinders and latches wear at a commercial rate on residential parts.
Salt air along the shore
From Sandy Hook to Cape May, salt-laden air corrodes hinges, strikes, rollers, balance springs and every small fixing holding them. Hardware that lasts fifteen years in Morris County can seize in five in a block behind the beach, and corrosion-resistant parts are worth specifying.
Road salt, carried indoors
New Jersey treats its roads heavily and most of it arrives on boots. It settles into door tracks, thresholds and slider channels, where it corrodes metal and holds moisture against it. In an attached house with a single entrance, all of that traffic goes through one doorway.
Questions
Lock questions
I have to lift the door to lock it.
The slab has dropped and the bolt sits below the strike. The lock is fine. Hinge repair and strike alignment fix it.
Do you rekey locks or do lockouts?
No. We repair and align locks; cutting keys and getting you back inside is a locksmith's job and we will point you to one.
Our inspection flagged the deadbolt.
Nearly always alignment rather than a failed lock. It is among the fastest findings to clear.
Can you make our doors more secure?
Yes. Reinforced strike plates with long screws into framing rather than trim make a measurable difference and cost very little.
The lock needs a key to get out. Is that a problem?
Yes, on an exit door it is a safety issue as well as an inspection one. We fit hardware that opens from inside without a key.
Is a lock worth a call-out on its own?
Yes, and we are glad to come. Mention anything else while we are there, because most of the cost is the visit.
Coverage
Door lock repair across New Jersey
A mobile service covering the whole state, from Bergen to Cape May. Pick your town below, or call and we will come to you.
Door Lock Repair Across New Jersey
Related
Our other services
Ten services, one trade. Whatever else needs doing can go on the same visit.
Next step
Get your doors locking properly
Free estimates across New Jersey, and most of these are a single short visit.