A practical walk-through of the ten things a licensed locksmith checks first — whether you've just moved into a Newton townhouse, a South Surrey detached, or a Guildford strata unit.
Surrey is one of the fastest-growing cities in BC, and that growth brings a wide mix of housing stock — strata towers near King George Station, sprawling ranchers in Cloverdale, townhouse complexes in Fleetwood, heritage bungalows along 96th Avenue. The security weak spots vary by property type, but the checklist below applies everywhere. Work through it once a year, or any time you move in, change tenants, or lose a key.
A deadbolt is only as good as its throw and its strike plate. Turn the lock and watch the bolt extend — it should travel at least one inch. Anything less and a hard kick can defeat it. While you're there, wiggle the door in its frame: if there's visible play, the frame itself may need reinforcing. Deadbolts on Surrey rentals are often worn from years of subtenants; if you can't tell the last time the cylinders were changed, assume they haven't been.
The previous owner or tenant still has keys — or gave them to a neighbour, a contractor, a dog-walker. You have no way to know. Rekeying reconfigures the existing cylinder to match a new key, cutting off access to all old keys. It costs a fraction of installing new hardware and takes under an hour per door. If the hardware itself is worn or low-quality, a full lock change makes more sense. Either way, do it before you unpack.
Most forced entries in Surrey don't defeat the lock — they split the frame around the strike plate. Standard builder-grade strike plates use short screws that only reach the door casing, not the stud behind it. Replace them with a reinforced strike plate using 3-inch screws that anchor into the framing. This single upgrade dramatically increases kick-resistance on any door, and it takes about 15 minutes with a drill.
Surrey townhouses and ground-floor strata units almost always have a patio or back sliding door. Older ones lift off their tracks with minimal effort. Check that the latch engages fully, and drop a length of cut-down broom handle or a purpose-made security bar into the track as a secondary stop. If the latch is seized, worn, or obviously compromised, replace it — a door repair call covers this.
Window locks in Surrey's older housing stock are often the original builder latches — they keep the window closed, not secured. For any window a person could reasonably climb through, consider a secondary pin lock or a keyed sash lock. Basement windows especially. In strata buildings, check what the strata corporation allows before installing hardware on exterior-facing windows; some require owner-supplied locks to match the building's existing system.
An attached garage is a direct path into the house. Make sure the door from the garage into the living space has a solid-core door with a working deadbolt — treat it like a front door. On the roll-up itself, disable the emergency release cord from the outside (an old trick uses a coat hanger through the top of the door to yank it) by using a zip-tie or a dedicated release shield. If your garage door opener is more than ten years old, consider upgrading to one with rolling code technology, which prevents signal cloning.
Motion-activated lights at the front, back, and side passages of a Surrey home are a strong deterrent. Unlit approaches to back doors and side gates are common in Surrey's denser neighbourhoods around Newton and Whalley. LED motion sensors are inexpensive, install in minutes on existing fixtures, and draw minimal power. Walk the perimeter after dark and identify any shadow zones — those are the ones worth lighting first.
A smart lock lets you grant and revoke access without cutting new keys — useful if you have regular service providers (cleaners, dog-walkers, HVAC technicians) or if you manage a suite. Most quality smart locks also retain a physical key cylinder as a backup. Surrey's strata buildings have specific rules about common-entry locks, but suite front doors are generally the owner's choice. If you're in a detached home or townhouse, a properly installed smart deadbolt with strong battery management works reliably year-round in BC's climate.
Loose key tracking is a security gap that's easy to close. Make a list of every keyholder — family members, suitemates, regular service providers — and account for every copy. Keys left with neighbours "just in case" are easy to forget about. If your list has gaps, rekey. If you regularly need to grant temporary access, a smart lock or a lockbox with a rotating code is safer than cutting another mechanical key.
A professional assessment takes 20–30 minutes and identifies issues a checklist can't: worn cylinders that still turn but are easily picked, strike plates with incorrect screw depth, door frames with hidden rot, window hardware that looks fine but has a broken cam. Surrey homes — particularly those built in the 1980s and 1990s in South Surrey and Cloverdale — often have original hardware that has simply reached end of life. A walk-through gives you a clear priority list and an honest cost estimate before anything becomes urgent.
If you want to work through this checklist with someone on-site, call us or book online. We cover all of Surrey — Newton, Guildford, Fleetwood, South Surrey, Cloverdale, White Rock, and everything in between.
Other posts and services worth reading if this checklist flagged something at your door.
Pick-, drill- and bump-resistant cylinders with keys that can’t be copied at the hardware store. Cut, pinned and registered in-shop.
Residential Security Container (RSC) burglary classification: a key-locked security container designed to provide entry…
Car keys are priced by vehicle. Pick what you need and we’ll collect your make, model & year to text you an exact quote.