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Medeco Locksmith in San Francisco, CA | Dunmore Locksmith
We provide independent Medeco service across San Francisco through our Residential Locksmith in San Francisco, specializing in high-security mechanical locks for the city’s Victorian and Edwardian housing stock. The one thing that makes our Medeco work here different is that we understand San Francisco’s Rent Ordinance as well as we understand pin-tumbler geometry – because changing a Medeco cylinder in a rent-controlled Mission flat without proper documentation can land a landlord in front of the Rent Board. For Medeco rekeying, repair, or installation in San Francisco, call us at (910) 714-4287. We answer live, 24 hours a day.
Why San Francisco Residents Choose Us for Medeco Service
Perry Osgood, our owner and lead technician, grew up in Los Angeles watching his uncle re-key apartment buildings – enough time to learn that this trade runs on trust, not torque wrenches. After two-plus decades in the field and coursework at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, he runs Dunmore Locksmith on one rule: every technician we send out is someone Perry would send to his own mother’s house. That means background-checked, identity-verified, photo-badged professionals sent to you by name and photo before they arrive – The Threshold Standard.
We’re not a factory-authorized Medeco dealer. We’re better than that for most San Francisco customers: we’re the independent shop that has worked on Medeco cylinders in actual Victorian mortise locks, in buildings where the door jamb swells every winter and the fog eats hardware alive. We stock genuine Medeco OEM cylinders, keys, and rebuild kits, and we know when to tell you that your original mortise body is too worn to safely hold a high-security cylinder. Our Medeco sales & service covers everything from single-cylinder rekeys to full master key systems for multi-unit buildings.
Every job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise – written on the invoice, not implied. If a repair fails, we return at no charge. The price goes in writing before any work starts, every single time.
Common Medeco Locksmith Problems We Solve in San Francisco
- Seized pins and sticking keys from salt-laden fog. San Francisco’s marine layer blows in from the Pacific and the Bay, carrying salt that oxidizes and pits exterior Medeco cylinders within 5 – 7 years on west-facing doors. We see this constantly in the Outer Sunset and Ocean Beach, where a Medeco M3 that should last decades needs rebuilding before its tenth birthday.
- Deadbolts that bind or won’t throw fully. The chronic moisture here swells Victorian door jambs seasonally, shifting alignment so a Medeco Maxum deadbolt can’t extend completely. This is especially common in older Mission and Haight buildings where the frame moves with winter rains – a problem that doesn’t exist in drier inland climates.
- Cylinder spin from worn duplicate keys. Medeco’s restricted keyways and sidebar mechanisms depend on precise key geometry. In San Francisco’s dense multi-unit buildings with high tenant turnover, improperly cut duplicates defeat the sidebar and the cylinder spins freely. We replace the compromised pins and cut new restricted keys to factory spec.
- Stripped mortise lock bodies that can’t hold high-security cylinders. Original mortise hardware in 1880s – 1930s flats lacks the reinforcement for modern Medeco cylinders. Screws strip, cylinders pull out under force. We prep the door correctly or install reinforcement plates and strike boxes that meet or exceed original specs.
- Illegal-lockout exposure from the SF Rent Ordinance. Rekeying a front door in a rent-controlled building without proper notice and key distribution to all tenants triggers formal complaints. Our San Francisco service area technicians ask documentation questions that a locksmith in Daly City would never raise.
Medeco Service in San Francisco: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
San Francisco’s Rent Ordinance creates one of the strictest tenant-protection regimes in the country, and it shapes how we approach every Medeco job in a multi-unit building. A locksmith who changes locks at a landlord’s request on an occupied rent-controlled unit can inadvertently facilitate an illegal lockout under local law – a legal minefield that does not exist at the same scale in Oakland, San Jose, or any surrounding city. When we rekey a Medeco front door in a Victorian flat in the Mission, Castro, or Haight, we routinely ask for documentation that would never come up in Walnut Creek or Daly City: proof of proper notice, confirmation that all tenants will receive keys, and written authorization that complies with the Rent Board’s requirements. We’ve seen landlords learn this the hard way. In the Mission, a landlord of a three-unit Victorian on Valencia Street asked us to rekey the front door Medeco M3 cylinder after a tenant moved out, but we noticed the building was under rent control and required a formal notice. We rekeyed the cylinder, provided the landlord with the required documentation, and gave each remaining tenant a new restricted Medeco key to avoid any illegal-lockout complaint. The original mortise lock body was too worn to hold the M3 securely, so we reinforced the jamb and installed a Medeco Maxum deadbolt above it for full security. A locked door should only stop the wrong person – not become a legal liability for the owner.
Medeco Models & Products We Service in San Francisco
We work on the full Medeco mechanical line, including the Medeco Maxum deadbolt, Medeco M3 and M4 cylinders, Medeco Biaxial and BiLevel cylinders, and Medeco KeyMark and KeyMark XT cylinders. Our San Francisco van stocks genuine Medeco OEM cylinders, keys, and rebuild kits for same-day turnaround on most jobs. For older mortise locks common in Victorian flats, we carry high-quality aftermarket reinforcement plates and strike boxes that meet or exceed original specs. We’ll always tell you honestly: sometimes a Medeco cylinder can be rebuilt and rekeyed, sometimes the lock body is too worn to safely hold high-security hardware. No upsell, just straight answers based on what we find at your door.
Medeco Service Pricing in San Francisco
Medeco service in San Francisco runs higher than standard pin-tumbler work because of the specialized keyway, restricted key blanks, and sidebar mechanism. Here’s what typical jobs look like:
- Medeco rekey (single cylinder): $145 – $225
- Medeco cylinder rebuild with new pins and sidebar: $180 – $280
- Medeco Maxum deadbolt installation (includes door prep): $320 – $480
- Master key system setup (multi-unit building): priced per scope, starting around $650
- Restricted key duplication (on-site, with proper authorization): $18 – $35 per key
These are honest ranges for the San Francisco market – not teaser rates. The full price is quoted on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and it’s the exact price on the invoice. No call-out surcharge added on arrival. Every estimate is free. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll walk through your specific Medeco setup.
Serving San Francisco, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Francisco 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 – Medeco Locksmith in San Francisco
Yes, but only with proper documentation. We require written proof that all tenants have been notified and will receive new keys, in compliance with the SF Rent Ordinance. We provide the landlord with documentation of the rekey and distribute restricted keys to each tenant. Call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll explain exactly what paperwork we need before we schedule.
The salt-laden fog blowing in from the Pacific oxidizes and pits exterior Medeco cylinders and bolts within 5 – 7 years on west-facing doors. Hardware that lasts 15 years in Sacramento or Fresno simply doesn’t survive San Francisco’s marine layer. We recommend annual lubrication with Medeco-approved graphite and earlier inspection schedules for Ocean Beach and Outer Sunset properties.
Sometimes. Original mortise bodies from the 1880s – 1930s often lack the metal thickness and screw anchoring to hold a modern Medeco cylinder securely. We inspect the lock body in person; if it’s too worn, we install a reinforcement plate or recommend a Medeco Maxum deadbolt above the original hardware rather than risking a cylinder that pulls out under force.
We cut Medeco keys on-site for most models, including M3, M4, and KeyMark. Medeco keys are restricted by design – they require authorization and specialized key blanks that aren’t available at hardware stores. We verify ownership or proper tenant authorization before cutting any restricted key.
Don’t force it. Forcing a binding Medeco deadbolt can shear the sidebar or damage the cylinder. The cause is usually seasonal swelling of Victorian door jambs from moisture – common in Mission and Haight buildings. Call (910) 714-4287 for same-day Door Lock Repair in San Francisco; we’ll check alignment, adjust the strike, and determine if the cylinder needs service.
Service Areas Near San Francisco
We serve the broader Bay Area and maintain dedicated Medeco inventory for fast response. Our technicians also cover Medeco service in Fresno and Medeco service in Sacramento through the Threshold Group network. Nearby San Francisco neighborhoods we routinely work include the Mission, Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Outer Sunset, Richmond, and Noe Valley.
Book Your Medeco Service in San Francisco Today
Medeco problems don’t fix themselves, and in San Francisco’s climate they get worse faster than you’d expect. We’re available same-day for most Medeco rekeys, repairs, and installations – live person on the phone, technician sent by name and photo, written price before any work starts. Call (910) 714-4287 now for your free estimate.
Written by Perry Osgood, Owner at Dunmore Locksmith, serving San Francisco since 2007.