Rekeying a Retail Unit in Oakville Before Opening Day

Taking over a retail unit means inheriting keys you cannot account for. Landlords, previous tenants, contractors and agents may all have held one. Rekeying before opening day is one of the cheapest security steps a new Oakville tenant can take.

Why rekey at the start

Keys are copied quickly and rarely returned. A rekey changes the inside of the cylinder so the old keys no longer turn, without replacing the door hardware. It also gives you a clean starting point for your own key records.

Plan it around the fit-out

Fit-out crews need access, and every trade adds keys. A workable order is:

1. Confirm with the landlord which doors you may rekey and whether they need a copy of the new key.
2. Rekey the front and rear doors before the fit-out starts, and issue temporary keys to the contractor.
3. When the work is finished, collect the temporary keys and rekey again, or move to a keypad code that can be removed.

Check the door as well as the lock

Older plazas around Kerr Village and Bronte often have aluminum storefront doors with worn pivots and closers. A new cylinder will not help if the door does not line up with the strike. Ask the locksmith to check:

• The top and bottom pivots
• The closer and its latching speed
• The strike and the deadlock throw
• The weatherstripping and threshold

Decide who gets what

Keep a short list of key holders. For a small retail unit, two working keys for the owner and a small number of staff keys are usually enough. If staff turnover is high, a keypad or card access avoids re-cutting keys each time someone leaves.

Rear doors and deliveries

Delivery doors need special attention. They are opened often, and a propped door is a security gap. A closer that latches reliably and an alarm contact on the door help. Keep the door on a separate key so a delivery driver never needs the front key.

Get it done

iProtect Locksmith serves Oakville from a Mississauga base and takes calls 8 AM to 10 PM on 437-295-4001. Read more on retail store locksmith service and commercial locksmith in Oakville.