Oakland neighborhood · 24/7
Lake Merritt and Grand Lake locksmith for apartment turnovers, buzzer panels and mailbox locks in the buildings around the lake
Mid-century apartment buildings ringing the lake, the shops on Lakeshore and Grand, and more tenant turnover per block than anywhere else in Oakland.
16 min
Avg. arrival
$89
Service call
24/7
Availability
The blocks around Lake Merritt are apartment country. Mid-century buildings on Lakeshore Ave, Grand Ave and the streets between them turn units over every month, and property managers call for rekeys between tenants more than for anything else. A one-bedroom is usually two cylinders, a deadbolt and a knob, at $21–$36 per cylinder, and the old pins go back to the manager so the previous keys are truly dead. Buzzer panels and mailbox locks are the second call. A pried mailbox bank or an intercom door that stopped latching is a small job done while the tech is already on the block, and it gets its own line on the same quote.
Grand Lake and the Lakeshore side add shops and restaurants that open straight onto busy sidewalks. Storefront locks run $139–$430, and the Grand Lake Theatre crowd on a Friday night produces lockouts along the side streets when a key slides between the seats. Lake Merritt BART and the lots off 1st Ave are the usual spots for a car lockout at $89–$155. Arrival is about sixteen minutes from most of the city, since the lake sits in the middle and I-580 runs right behind Grand Ave. Renters who were handed one key with no history can have the unit rekeyed the day they move in, and many landlords around the lake will cover it when asked in writing.
Give the unit number and whether the tech should buzz, call up or meet you at the street door, since half the intercoms around the lake ring a phone that no longer belongs to anyone.
Most requested in Lake Merritt & Grand Lake
Nearby
Reached from the same van, next door
FAQ
Asked before the call, answered here
How long does the van take to reach my part of Oakland?+
The citywide average is 24 minutes. Downtown and Jack London Square usually see the van in 15, Lake Merritt in 16, West Oakland, Temescal and Piedmont Avenue in 18, Rockridge and Fruitvale in 20, and Laurel and Dimond in 22. Montclair and the streets above Hwy 13 run closer to 28 because of the grades and switchbacks. A Bay Bridge backup or a stalled lane on I-880 can add to any of those, and the window given on the call reflects the traffic at that moment.
What exactly is locked in with The Locked-In Rate?+
The full amount for the job you described: the $89 service call, the work itself and any evening or overnight surcharge, all read from the published list and stated as one total. That total is what the card is charged. It changes only if you ask for something extra once the technician is there, such as a rekey after a lockout, and that addition is quoted and approved as its own line before it starts.
Is there a surcharge at night or on weekends?+
Weekends and holidays are billed at weekday rates. Arrivals between 8pm and midnight add $35 and arrivals between midnight and 7am add $70. Both are folded into the total on the call, so a $105 house lockout is $140 in the evening and $175 overnight, and nothing further is added when the van pulls up.
Will the lock be drilled?+
Not unless you agree to it. Residential deadbolts, apartment cylinders, most storefront locks and most car doors open with picks, decoders, bypass tools or air wedges, and the hardware keeps working afterward. When a lock is damaged, high-security or seized to the point where picking fails, the technician explains the drilling option and the replacement cost before touching anything, and the rate for that stays inside what was locked on the call.
What proof do I need to show before a door or car is opened?+
For a home or apartment, a photo ID with the address, or ID plus a lease, a utility account or mail on your phone if the address on the ID is different. For a car, ID plus registration or an insurance card, which can be digital. For a business, ID plus a lease, a business license or a call from the owner or property manager. Without one of those, the door stays closed.
I own rental units near Lake Merritt. How does a turnover rekey work?+
Rekeying swaps the pins inside the existing cylinders so old keys stop working, at $21 to $36 per cylinder plus the $89 service call. Unit door, deadbolt, mailbox and any storage locker can be keyed alike so the incoming tenant gets one key, and a building master can be kept working if you already run one. The itemized receipt lists each cylinder by door, which is what most property files and management software want.
Can the original mortise locks in an older Rockridge or Temescal house be kept?+
Usually. Mortise and rim locks from the 1910s and 1920s can be rekeyed, cleaned and re-sprung on site, and worn parts are often replaceable from the van. When a case is cracked or the parts no longer exist, a modern mortise body or a period-style replacement is fitted to the original door cut so the trim and plates stay put. Which route makes sense is discussed at the door, and the rate is set before any work starts.
Do you come into the airport, Coliseum and BART parking lots?+
Yes. Car lockouts, key replacement and fob programming are done in the OAK economy and daily lots, the Coliseum and Arena lots, and BART parking at Coliseum, Fruitvale, MacArthur, Rockridge, West Oakland and Lake Merritt. Tell the call which lot and roughly where the car is parked, and expect the technician to ask for registration before the door is opened. Lot entry fees, where they exist, are shown on the receipt at cost.
24/7 — nights, weekends & holidays
One call, one locked rate, anywhere in Oakland
Calls answered 24/7. Quoted from the list, locked on the call, unchanged on the receipt. The $89 service call is applied toward the work.