Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Fast, Reliable Residential Locksmith Across Burbank
Residential locksmith work in Burbank runs about $95 – $260 for most jobs, with rekeying a standard lock at $45 – $90 per cylinder and deadbolt installation at $85 – $180. Our Residential Locksmith team reaches most Burbank neighborhoods in 30 – 45 minutes for lockouts, and we quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched. That matters here because Burbank’s housing stock has a quirk most locksmiths never mention: dozens of Rancho and Magnolia Park homes still carry their original mortise locks and wood doors from the 1940s and 1950s, and those need a different kind of attention than a modern Kwikset knob. Call (910) 714-4287 and you’ll get a live person, a written price, and a technician sent to you by name and photo before the visit.
Why Dunmore Locksmith Is Burbank’s Preferred Residential Locksmith Company
We have worked Burbank’s older residential streets long enough to know that a lock problem here is rarely just a lock problem. On North Avon Street in Magnolia Park, a homeowner called because the original mortise lock on her 1947 front door had frozen. The door had swollen in July heat and the deadbolt binding was so severe she couldn’t turn the thumbturn. Our tech performed non-destructive entry via the existing mortise cylinder, then removed the lock body, cleaned and re-lubricated the mechanism, adjusted the strike plate to the shifted jamb, and rekeyed the mortise cylinder to fresh pins. No drilling, no new hardware. Total time was under an hour and her existing brass mortise lock still works. The alternative quote she’d gotten was full door replacement.
That’s the difference. Burbank customers call us because we diagnose the door, not just the lock. Every quote goes in writing before work starts, and every repair is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair fails, we return at no charge. Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Perry Osgood leads our team, and he holds every technician to the Threshold Standard: background-checked, identity-verified, photo-badged, and sent to you by name and photo before the visit. If anyone arrives who you were not told to expect, that visit is covered at no charge.
Locked Out of Apartment in Burbank
Locked Out of Apartment in Burbank usually means one of two scenarios: an older unit near Olive Avenue or Alameda with entertainment-industry tenants on short contracts, or a single-family bungalow where the original door hardware finally seized. A standard apartment lockout in Burbank runs about $75 – $140 for non-destructive entry during regular hours, and we can typically reach apartments near the studio corridors in under 35 minutes. We start every lockout by trying to pick or bypass the lock without damage. Drilling is a last resort, and we tell you the cost of any replacement hardware before we do it.
Non-Destructive Entry First
Most apartment lockouts in Burbank involve Kwikset or Schlage pin-tumbler cylinders that pick cleanly with the right tools. We carry picks, bypass tools, and air wedges for every common residential format, and our technicians are trained to avoid frame damage on the tight apartment door jambs common in Burbank’s older multi-family buildings. You get back in, the lock still works, and the job is done right.
When Renters Get Locked Out Near the Studios
Property managers along Olive Avenue and Alameda deal with high tenant turnover from production contracts that last a few months and then end, which is why they rely on our Burbank commercial locksmith services for fast rekeying and lock changes. A lockout at 2 a.m. is common after a long shoot day. We answer the phone at any hour, quote the price, and send a named technician. If the lock can’t be picked, we’ll rekey or replace it on the spot and give the manager keys for the next tenant.
Apartment Locksmith in Burbank
An Apartment Locksmith in Burbank handles more than lockouts. The high turnover of renters in apartments near the studio corridors means property managers along Olive Avenue and Alameda are among Burbank’s most repeat rekeying customers, often cycling through tenants and needing fresh pins several times a year on the same units. Rekeying an apartment door in Burbank typically runs $45 – $90 per cylinder, and for a unit with two or three locks we can usually complete the job in one visit. For rental properties, we keep a written rekey log so managers can show exactly when each unit was last changed and who had keys.
Rekeying Between Tenants
When a tenant on a six-month production contract moves out, the manager needs the lock rekeyed before the next lease starts. We rekey standard Kwikset, Schlage, and Baldwin cylinders on site, usually without removing the lock from the door. You get new keys, the old keys stop working, and the job is documented in writing for your records.
Smart Lock Retrofits on Older Doors
Many Burbank apartment buildings from the 1960s and 1970s have solid wood doors that predate smart locks. We can retrofit a keypad or smart deadbolt onto most of these doors without ruining the mortise, though some original mortise pockets in Rancho-area buildings need relining first. We’ll tell you honestly whether a retrofit makes sense or whether you’re better off rekeying the existing hardware.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burbank
We service and install Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware every week across Burbank, and we stock common Kwikset and Yale cylinders in our service vehicles so rekeying and replacement happen on the first visit. Medeco high-security cylinders are special-order, but we’re factory-authorized to install and service them, and we handle the full process from key control registration to final installation. For older Burbank homes with original Baldwin mortise locksets, we keep a selection of mortise cylinders and springs on hand so a 1940s door doesn’t need a full replacement just because a cylinder wore out. If your lock is a Schlage, we service that too. The point is we work on what Burbank homes actually have, not just what’s easiest to swap.
Common Residential Locksmith Problems We See in Burbank Homes
- August deadbolt binding from heat-swollen doors. Burbank regularly exceeds 105°F in summer, and the original wood door stiles in Rancho and Magnolia Park bungalows swell and warp seasonally. Deadbolts that worked in June refuse to turn in August because the strike plate no longer lines up with the shifted jamb. We fix the alignment first, which usually solves the problem without drilling or replacing anything.
- Modern deadbolts installed into original mortise pockets without relining. Contractors sometimes bore a cylindrical deadbolt into a 1940s mortise pocket and leave the cavity too large. The cylinder walks loose within a season, the lock rattles, and eventually fails. We reline the pocket properly and remount the hardware so it stays put.
- Worn Kwikset cylinders on Olive Avenue rental units rekeyed too quickly. Rekeying an ancient pin-and-tumbler cylinder without inspecting the pins and springs means the new key works for a few weeks and then fails. We check wear before rekeying and tell you when a cylinder is too tired to rekey reliably.
- Strike-plate misalignment from decades of door sag. Many 1940s and 1950s Burbank homes settle, and the original door frames shift out of plumb. A lock that won’t latch or a deadbolt that grinds against the strike plate is often a frame alignment issue, not a lock failure. We adjust or replace the strike plate and realign the door so the lock works smoothly again.
Pricing for Residential Locksmith in Burbank, CA
Here are the ranges we quote over the phone for Burbank jobs. Rekeying a standard knob or deadbolt cylinder runs $45 – $90 per lock. A deadbolt installation on a typical Burbank door runs $85 – $180, depending on whether the door needs a new bore or a mortise pocket relined. Lockouts run $75 – $140 for non-destructive entry. Door reinforcement, including strike-plate upgrades and frame repair on older Magnolia Park doors, runs $120 – $220. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice, full stop. No call-out surcharge added on arrival, no surprise totals after the work. Call (910) 714-4287 for a free estimate on any residential job in Burbank.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burbank
Our Residential Locksmith in Burbank team also covers nearby communities including Glendale, West Hollywood, Altadena, and Beverly Hills. If you manage properties across the valley or just moved from one of those cities and need a lock changed in Burbank, we can coordinate the work. Same written-price policy, same background-checked technicians, same 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Serving Burbank, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burbank area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Residential Locksmith in Burbank
In most cases we can rekey the original mortise lock without replacing it. The question is whether the mortise lock body itself is still mechanically sound. In Burbank’s 1940s and 1950s bungalows, the lock body often just needs cleaning, re-lubricating, and a new cylinder or fresh pins. If the body is cracked or the internal springs are shot, we’ll tell you and quote a replacement before doing any work. Most original mortise locks in Magnolia Park and Rancho are rekeyable, and keeping them preserves the door’s original hardware.
Because Burbank sits in the inland San Fernando Valley and regularly exceeds 105°F in summer, the original wood door stiles on many 1940s – 1960s bungalows absorb moisture and swell, throwing the deadbolt and strike plate out of alignment. The fix is usually a strike-plate adjustment or a slight realignment of the door, not a new lock. We see this spike every July and August, especially in Rancho and Magnolia Park. Many locks were drilled by contractors who never checked the jamb alignment first. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll diagnose it correctly the first time.
For rental units near Olive Avenue and Alameda with tenants on short production contracts, the fastest reliable option is same-day rekeying: $45 – $90 per cylinder, completed in one visit, with new keys handed to the manager on the spot. We can rekey multiple units in a single building in one afternoon, and we document each rekey in writing so you have a clear record of who had keys and when they were changed. For units with worn Kwikset cylinders that have been rekeyed repeatedly, we’ll inspect the pins and springs and tell you if a new cylinder is the smarter move. Call (910) 714-4287 to schedule a walk-through.
No, not unless it’s absolutely necessary, and we’ll tell you before we do it. We carry picks, bypass tools, and air wedges for every common residential lock type in Burbank, and most apartment lockouts on Kwikset or Schlage cylinders open without drilling. If the lock is too damaged to pick or bypass, we’ll explain the replacement cost and get your approval before drilling. You get the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, so there’s no surprise when we arrive. Call (910) 714-4287 for an exact quote.
Yes, in many cases we can install a smart deadbolt or keypad entry system on an original Burbank bungalow door while keeping the mortise lock intact. The main issue is the mortise pocket geometry: many 1940s doors have mortise cavities that don’t accept modern cylindrical smart-lock bodies without relining. We can reline the pocket, install the smart lock, and leave the original mortise as a secondary lock. We stock Kwikset and Yale smart-lock options and can order Medeco high-security keypads when key control matters. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll tell you what works on your specific door.
Call Dunmore Locksmith for Residential Work in Burbank
When you call (910) 714-4287, a live person answers. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, and the technician who arrives will be someone you already know by name and photo, with a photo ID badge shown at the door. That’s the Threshold Standard. Dunmore comes from old words for a great fort, a stronghold built to keep what is inside safe. That’s the job we do in Burbank: real repairs on real doors, priced honestly, guaranteed for 365 days. Perry Osgood and our Residential Locksmith team are ready.
Written by Perry Osgood, Owner at Dunmore Locksmith, serving Burbank since 2007.