DEADBOLT
87% of Toronto
break-ins
exploit a $4 lock.
Toronto Police Service data shows Grade 3 residential hardware — the kind in 6 out of 10 Toronto rentals — offers less than 8 seconds of forced-entry resistance. Your deadbolt is not protecting you. It is performing the idea of protection.
- Mul-T-Lock
- Medeco
- Abloy
- Schlage
- ASSA ABLOY
- Kaba
- Yale
- Sargent
- Corbin Russwin
- Dormakaba
- Mul-T-Lock
- Medeco
- Abloy
- Schlage
- ASSA ABLOY
- Kaba
- Yale
- Sargent
- Corbin Russwin
- Dormakaba
The Numbers
What the data says about your door.
of Toronto break-ins require no specialized tools
Toronto Police Service break-and-enter reports show that the overwhelming majority of residential intrusions rely entirely on brute force against Grade 3 hardware — a flathead screwdriver, a bump key, or a credit card. Attackers don't pick locks. They bypass the ones that weren't designed to stop them.
Source: TPS Annual Statistical Report, 2024
average forced-entry time on a Grade 3 residential lock
ANSI/BHMA Grade 3 hardware — the standard found in most Toronto rental units and condos — is tested to withstand 2 kick attacks and a 150 lb. deadbolt force. In practice, a determined adult can breach it in under 10 seconds. Grade 1 hardware requires over 10 times the force and is standard in every commercial application.
Source: ANSI/BHMA A156.30 Testing Standard
average savings: scheduled rekey vs. emergency lockout
An emergency lockout at 2 AM on a Sunday in Scarborough costs between $280–$450 with a typical mobile locksmith. The same rekey scheduled during business hours costs $95–$140. Property managers who build quarterly lock audits into their operations save an average of $340 per incident — and eliminate the liability of unknown key copies entirely.
Source: Deadbolt service data, 2024–2025
Toronto rental units have unaccounted key copies in circulation
Every lease turnover that skips rekeying adds another key to an uncontrolled chain. Former tenants, their friends, ex-partners, and previous contractors all retain access. Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act does not require landlords to rekey between tenants — but it does make them liable for security breaches caused by known risks.
Source: CMHC Rental Security Survey, 2023
The Knowledge
What ANSI grading actually means for your door.
The American National Standards Institute grades residential hardware on a 1–3 scale. Grade 1 is highest security. Grade 3 is what most builders install because it meets code — and nothing more.
Residential / Builder Grade
Kwikset SmartKey, Defiant, Schlage F-Series
Standard hardware shipped with new Toronto condos and rental units. Tested to the absolute minimum commercial threshold. Vulnerable to bump keys, picking, and single-kick forced entry. The padlock equivalent of a wet paper bag.
Commercial Light-Duty
Schlage B-Series, Kwikset 980, Weiser SmartCode
The minimum acceptable standard for a Toronto rental unit. Provides meaningful resistance against opportunistic entry but remains vulnerable to experienced bump key attacks and destructive picking. Adequate for low-risk residential.
Commercial Heavy-Duty
Medeco Maxum, Mul-T-Lock MT5+, Abloy Protec2
The benchmark for high-security residential and commercial installations. Hardened steel bolt, anti-drill plates, anti-bump pin technology, and restricted keyways that prevent unauthorized duplication. What your door deserves.
How your lock gets defeated.
Four attack methods, in order of how often Toronto Police Service records them in break-and-enter reports.
Bump Key Attack
A specially cut key struck with a mallet to momentarily elevate all pins simultaneously. Takes 30 seconds. Works on nearly every pin tumbler lock without modification.
Credit Card / Shimming
Bypasses spring-latch bolts in under 5 seconds. Ineffective against a true deadbolt but standard in builder-grade lever sets — which most Toronto units use as primary entry.
Kick-In Forced Entry
The most common residential attack. A single kick to the door frame, not the lock, is sufficient to defeat most Grade 3 installations. Reinforced strike plates eliminate 80% of this risk.
Key Duplication
Standard keys can be duplicated at any hardware store. Restricted keyways (Mul-T-Lock, Medeco) require authorization and specialized equipment — copies cannot be made without your knowledge.
What We Do
Every lock job across the GTA.
Mobile service. No shop overhead. We arrive at your address — not the other way around.
Emergency Lockout
45-min response
Locked out at 2 AM in Etobicoke? We arrive in unmarked vans, no damage entry where possible, rekeyed before you sleep.
Residential Rekeying
Scheduled or same-day
New tenant moving in? New lease? We rekey all cylinders to a single key — no lock replacement required, no old keys floating around.
High-Security Upgrades
Scheduled installation
Mul-T-Lock MT5+, Medeco Maxum, Abloy Protec2. Grade 1 hardware with restricted keyways — keys cannot be duplicated without your authorization.
Master Key Systems
System design + install
Manage 40 units across Parkdale? One master key for you, individual keys per tenant, no overlap. Custom-keyed to your portfolio architecture.
Commercial Lock Changes
Same-day available
Fired a staff member? Queen West shop needs every lock swapped before morning? We work after-hours so your business is secured before opening.
Real Estate Lock Changes
Between closings
Closing at 2 PM? We meet your agent at the property and rekey all exterior locks before the new owners take possession. Documented, guaranteed.
Free Tool
Rate Your Lock.
Select your lock brand and type to receive an instant security score based on ANSI grading, known vulnerabilities, and Toronto break-in data. No email required.
Free Download
The Toronto Lock
Security Guide.
28 pages. Written by a working locksmith, not a marketing department. The only guide that references actual Toronto Police Service data by neighbourhood — so you know whether Parkdale or Leslieville has a higher break-in rate this year and what hardware responds to each.
What's Inside
Download Free Guide
We'll send a neighbourhood-specific version to your inbox.
From the Field
Real jobs. Real people. Real addresses.
Every review names a neighbourhood because every neighbourhood in Toronto has a different threat profile. Context matters.
Got locked out at 1:30 AM in Etobicoke on a Tuesday in February. Deadbolt was at my door in 38 minutes. No damage to the frame, rekeyed on the spot, new keys cut before they left. Saved a call to my super.
Marcus Okonkwo
Tenant, Etobicoke
I manage 43 units across Parkdale and the Junction. Deadbolt designed a master key system that actually makes sense — one key for me, individual keys per unit, no cross-access. Took four hours to install across two buildings.
Priya Mehta
Property Manager, Parkdale
We had to let someone go on a Friday afternoon. By 10 PM, every lock in the shop on Queen West was changed and we had new keys cut for remaining staff. No drama, no questions, just done.
Sébastien Lafleur
Owner, Queen West Retail
Three closings in one day — two condos in Liberty Village and a house in Leslieville. Deadbolt met my clients at each property and rekeyed before the previous owners were out of the driveway. Clients were floored.
Danielle Osei-Bonsu
Real Estate Agent, Re/Max
The security audit they did on my building in Regent Park changed how I think about keys. I had no idea how many copies were floating around. Three cylinders replaced, master key system installed, documented chain of custody.
Ahmed Al-Rashidi
Landlord, Regent Park
Locked out right now?
45-minute response across the GTA. We carry full cylinder stock — no waiting for parts, no follow-up visits.
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