Surry Hills Locksmith

Surry Hills is our home suburb. Our workshop is at 423 Bourke Street, and most of our working days include at least one job within a few blocks of it. We know its terraces, warehouse conversions, lanes and shopping streets well, and we know the lock problems each of them tends to have.

This guide is a locksmith's view of Surry Hills. It covers the kinds of buildings in the suburb, the jobs we do most and practical steps residents and business owners can take. For service details, see our Surry Hills locksmith page.

The building stock

Victorian terraces

Rows of nineteenth century terraces line streets such as Bourke, Bourke's side streets, Riley, Crown and the blocks around Shannon Reserve and Prince Alfred Park. Many open close to the footpath, with timber front doors, fanlights and original hardware. Most back onto a small courtyard and, often, a lane.

Warehouse and factory conversions

Surry Hills was once a centre of the rag trade and light industry. Many of those buildings are now apartments, studios and offices. They tend to have large shared entries, heavy doors, lifts, car parks and individual lot doors.

Newer apartment buildings

Newer buildings near Central and along the edges of the suburb add secure lobbies, fobs, car parks and fire-rated lot doors.

Shops, cafes, bars and studios

Crown Street, Bourke Street, Devonshire Street and the surrounding lanes hold a dense mix of small businesses. Cafes open early, bars close late, and studios, galleries and offices fill upper floors and back buildings.

The lock jobs we do most in Surry Hills

Servicing and repairing old terrace locks

Old mortice locks and nightlatches wear, stick and fail. Many can be serviced and kept, which suits heritage fronts. See lock repair.

Rekeying when people move

Surry Hills has a large rental market and frequent moves. Rekeying on moving day keeps good locks and makes old keys useless. See lock rekeying and our guide to lock rekeying costs in Sydney.

Apartment and terrace lockouts

Self-latching doors and busy lives mean lockouts are common. Our lockout service aims to get you inside without damage, after checking ID.

Securing the back of terraces

Courtyard doors, glass sliders and lane gates are often weaker than the front. We fit deadlocks, keyed slider locks, gate locks and window locks.

Small business locks

Shops, cafes and bars need reliable front and rear doors and control over who holds keys. See commercial locksmith and our commercial locksmith guide to Surry Hills.

The terrace front door

The front door of a Surry Hills terrace is usually close to the street. It is worth getting right.

Have a deadlock as well as a latch. Use the latch day to day and the deadlock when you go out and at night.
Check the frame and strike. A lock is only as strong as the timber it locks into.
Think about glass. If there is glass near the lock, a keyed inside cylinder may suit, provided a key is always kept near the door for a quick exit in an emergency.
Keep original hardware where you can. Many period locks can be serviced, and modern deadlocks can be fitted discreetly.

See our guides to deadlock vs deadlatch and heritage doors on terraces.

The back of the terrace and the lane

Lanes are part of what makes Surry Hills attractive, but they also give quiet access to the back of many homes.

Rear doors should deadlock.
Sliders and bi-folds should have keyed locks and anti-lift blocks.
Lane gates should lock with a key and be hard to climb.
Rear windows and roof access from extensions should be checked.
Bins and ladders should not be left where they help someone climb.

Warehouse and apartment buildings

In warehouse conversions and apartments:

Your lot door is yours or your landlord's to maintain.
Common doors, lobbies and car parks belong to the owners corporation.
Fobs are issued by the building, not by a locksmith.
Self-latching lot doors make a spare key with a neighbour worthwhile.

See our guide to apartment security in Surry Hills.

Renting in Surry Hills

If you rent:

Ask whether the locks were rekeyed after the last tenant.
Report faulty locks to your agent in writing.
Get consent before changing or adding locks.
Give the landlord a key to any new lock.

See our guide to landlord and tenant lock change rules in NSW.

Typical Surry Hills jobs, step by step

A terrace on Bourke Street that will not deadlock

The original mortice lock on a terrace front door has become impossible to deadlock. The door has dropped on its hinges. We adjust the hinges and strike, service the lock and cut new keys. The original hardware stays.

A cafe's early-morning lockout

A cafe owner arrives at 7:00am to find the front door key has snapped in the lock. We extract the broken key, service the cylinder and cut new keys so the cafe can open.

Rekeying a warehouse apartment

A buyer moves into a warehouse apartment and wants certainty about keys. We rekey the lot door and mailbox, cut a set number of keys and note the key details.

Securing a lane gate

A renter notices their lane gate can be opened by reaching over the top. With the landlord's consent, we fit a keyed gate lock and supply keys to both.

Parking and access

Surry Hills streets are narrow, many are one way, and parking can be hard. When you call, tell us:

The street and nearest cross street.
Whether there is lane access.
Whether it is a terrace, an apartment or a business.

Because our workshop is in the suburb, we know the back routes well.

Security habits for Surry Hills

Deadlock the front door when you go out.
Lock the lane gate at all times.
Carry your key when you step out of an apartment.
Rekey on moving day.
Fix sticking locks early.
Keep a spare key with a trusted neighbour, not hidden near the door.

Common questions from Surry Hills clients

Do you have a shop I can visit?

Our workshop is at 423 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. Most of our work is mobile, so please call 02 3820 5414 before visiting to make sure someone is there.

Can you cut keys for old locks?

Often, yes, if we have a good original or the lock can be decoded. Very old or obsolete keys may need to be made by hand or the lock may need replacing.

Do you work on shopfront locks?

Yes. We repair and replace shopfront locks, rear door hardware and door closers for small businesses across Surry Hills.

What are your hours?

We are open 7 days, 7:00am to 12:00am. Outside those hours, please leave a message or send a request through our contact page.

Can you key my front door, back door and gate alike?

In most terraces, yes. If the locks take compatible cylinders, we rekey them so one key opens all of them. If one lock is an older design that cannot be keyed alike, we will suggest a replacement that matches the others.

How much does a lockout cost?

It depends on the time of day, the type of lock and how the door is secured. We give a clear price on the phone before we travel. Our guide to locksmith costs in Surry Hills and Sydney explains what affects the price.

After a break-in

Break-ins in Surry Hills most often come through the back of a terrace, a ground-floor window or a shared entry left propped open. If it happens to you:

Call 000 if anyone may still be inside, or the police assistance line on 131 444 to report it afterwards.
Do not touch damaged locks or frames until the police have seen them, if they plan to attend.
Photograph the damage for your insurer and your landlord or strata manager.
Call us to secure the property. We can repair or replace damaged locks, strengthen strike plates and fit temporary measures if a frame needs a carpenter.
Rekey if keys were taken. If a bag or key ring went missing, every lock it opened should be rekeyed.

Once the property is safe, it is worth looking at what let the intruder in. Often it is a simple fix: a slider without a keyed lock, a gate that can be reached over or a door that only had a latch.

Small businesses and early or late trading

Many Surry Hills businesses open before 7:00am or close after midnight. A lock that sticks at closing time, a key that snaps in the morning or a rear door that will not latch can disrupt a whole day's trade.

Service locks on busy doors every year or two, before they fail.
Replace worn keys before they snap; a key with rounded cuts is near the end of its life.
Check door closers so rear doors do not bounce open after deliveries.
Rekey after staff changes if you cannot get every key back.

Nearby suburbs we also cover

Darlinghurst, to the north across Oxford Street.
Redfern, to the south across Cleveland Street.
Paddington, to the east.
Moore Park, to the south-east.
Woolloomooloo, to the north.

The bottom line

Surry Hills is a suburb of terraces, warehouse conversions, lanes and small businesses, and it is where we work every day. The jobs we do most are servicing old terrace locks, rekeying when people move, lockouts, securing the backs of terraces and helping small businesses keep control of their keys.

For a locksmith in Surry Hills, call Surry Hills Locksmith Service on 02 3820 5414, open 7 days, 7:00am to 12:00am, or request a quote.

Locksmith Guide to Surry Hills: Terraces, Warehouses and Lanes