Lock repair after a break-in, Dallas-Fort Worth.
Once police have cleared your home or business, we re-secure every forced door, strike and lock so you can lock up again tonight.
Kicked-in front doors, pried back doors, forced garage side doors and stolen keys, handled in one visit across the DFW Metroplex.
- Every exterior door checked, not just the one that was forced.
- Damaged locks replaced, split strikes reinforced with long screws into the framing.
- All locks rekeyed if keys were taken, so the old keys stop working.
Call or text the same number. Open 24 hours, call to confirm availability.
Dispatch slip
Have these three ready
- 01Your police report number
- 02Which doors were forced
- 03Whether any keys or remotes were taken
Lock repair after a break-in in Dallas starts with the police, not the locksmith.
The order matters. Doing it out of sequence can put you at risk and make an insurance claim harder.
A break-in scene is not safe until officers say it is. Someone may still be inside, and anything you touch or move before police walk through can change what they document. That walkthrough is also where the police report number comes from, and insurance claims usually ask for it. A legitimate locksmith may ask for it too before working on a door that was just forced. Texas licenses locksmith companies and technicians through the DPS Private Security Bureau, and you can check a locksmith license before anyone touches the door.
Photographs come next, before anything is repaired. Shoot the whole door, then close-ups of the jamb, the strike plate, the lock and any pry or tool marks. Once a technician pulls the damaged hardware, that evidence is gone. After the photos, call us and we take it from there: assessing every entry point, replacing what was forced and rekeying what the stolen keys still fit.
Call 469-300-5525Why a kicked door fails at the strike, not the lock.
Most kicked-in doors still have a working deadbolt. What gives way is the wood around it. The bolt sits in a pocket cut into the door jamb, and on many builder-grade installs the strike plate is held by short screws, often about 3/4 inch long, that only reach that thin jamb. A hard kick levers the bolt against the jamb, and the jamb splits along the grain right at the strike.
So re-securing is not just swapping the lock. We fit a long strike plate and drive 3 inch screws through the jamb into the stud behind it, so the bolt is anchored in framing instead of trim. On a split jamb, that pulls the crack tight and makes the door lockable again as a reinforcement.
We are honest about the limit. A jamb that is shattered, a door slab that cracked through, or a frame pushed out of square needs door and frame carpentry, which goes beyond lock work. We make the opening as secure as the remaining wood allows and tell you plainly what a carpenter or door installer should handle next.
Top view, latch side
- The strike and jamb.Where most kick-ins fail. Reinforced with a long strike plate and 3 inch screws into the stud.
- The lock itself.A drilled, pried or bent lock is replaced with new hardware. An undamaged lock stays and is tested.
- The keys.If a key, a spare or a bag with keys was taken, every lock that key fits gets rekeyed.
What we re-secure after a burglary or forced entry.
The forced door is the obvious job. The rest of the house is where a second break-in starts.
We walk every entry point on the visit, not just the door the police pointed at.
Front and back doors that were kicked or pried
We check the bolt, the latch, the strike and the jamb on each one. A forced lock is replaced. A loose or split strike gets a long strike plate and long screws into the framing. Then the bolt is tested for full engagement with the door closed. See residential lock replacement for the hardware options.
Keys, spares and remotes that went missing
If a key ring, a hidden spare or a purse with keys was taken, assume whoever has it knows your address. Rekeying changes the pins inside your existing locks so the old keys stop working, and we do it on every lock that key fits, front, back and garage entry. Details on residential lock rekeying. If a garage door remote was taken, most openers can erase every stored remote from the learn button on the motor unit. That is opener work, not lock work, so check your opener manual.
Garage side doors and the door into the house
The side door into the garage often has a single knob lock and no deadbolt, and the door from the garage into the house is often treated the same way. We check both and can add or replace a deadbolt where the door allows it.
Businesses after an overnight forced entry
For a storefront or office, we re-secure the forced door and rekey if keys were taken, so you can open or close up. If you are locked out of a damaged door, start with our commercial lockout service.
Broken glass?
Our work is locks, strikes and entry hardware. If a window or door glass is broken or an opening needs boarding up, ask on the call and we will tell you straight what we can handle on that visit.
On cost: our cost guide lists residential lock replacement at $75 to $200 per lock and up depending on hardware grade, and rekeying at $20 to $45 per lock plus the service call. After-hours calls add $25 to $75. Strike reinforcement depends on the door and is quoted on the phone before dispatch. See the full cost guide.
Call 469-300-5525Our standards for re-securing after a break-in.
Fast Local Locksmith LLC469-300-5525
Checklist
Every break-in call gets the same walk-through before anyone packs up.
- Police first, always.We work after officers have cleared the scene, and we may ask for the report number on a freshly forced door.
- Your photos come before our tools.If you have not documented the damage yet, we wait while you do.
- Every entry point checked.Front, back, side, garage entry and the door from the garage into the house.
- Strike anchored in framing.Long screws through the jamb into the stud, not short screws into trim.
- Straight talk on carpentry.If the frame or door slab needs a carpenter, we say so instead of hiding it behind hardware.
- Licensed in Texas.Locksmith companies and technicians are licensed by the Texas DPS Private Security Bureau under Occupations Code Chapter 1702.
How a break-in lock repair visit works.
From the call to a door you can lock again, this is the sequence.
Dispatch slip
Filled in
Scene cleared, report number on hand
NotedFront door kicked, jamb split at strike
RoutedSpare key taken, rekey all exterior locks
Planned- Step 1
The call: what we confirm before dispatch
We ask whether police have cleared the property and whether you have a report number, which doors were forced, what kind of locks are on them, and whether any keys, spares or remotes are missing. That tells us which replacement hardware and strike plates to load.
You get the price structure on the phone, including any after-hours rate, before a technician is dispatched.
- Step 2
On site: assess, then repair
The technician confirms you have the right to authorize work on the property and walks every entry point. Forced locks are replaced. Split or loose strikes are reinforced with a long strike plate and 3 inch screws into the stud. If keys were taken, every lock they fit is rekeyed.
If the door or frame needs carpentry beyond lock work, you hear that on site, along with what we did to make it secure for now.
- Step 3
Test every door before leaving
Each repaired door is closed and locked from inside and out. The deadbolt has to throw fully into the strike without pushing or lifting the door, and every new key is tried in every lock it should open.
Ask us to leave the old damaged hardware with you if your insurer wants to see it.
Areas we serve in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Break-in lock repair across Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding cities.
Our service area includes Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, Arlington, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Richardson, Carrollton, Grand Prairie, McKinney, Denton, Grapevine and Lewisville, plus the rest of the DFW Metroplex. See all service areas.
Not on the list? Call and we will tell you straight away.
Call 469-300-5525Related security services.
The services that usually follow a break-in, from the same number.
Break-in lock repair questions we hear most.
My home was just broken into. What should I do before calling a locksmith?
Call 911 first. Do not go inside until police have cleared the property. Get the police report number, because insurance claims usually ask for it and a legitimate locksmith may ask for it before working on a recently forced door. Photograph the damage, including the door, jamb, strike plate and lock, before anything is repaired. Then call a locksmith to re-secure the doors.
How fast can a Dallas locksmith do lock repair after a break-in?
Call as soon as police have cleared the scene and you have photographed the damage. In most cases we can re-secure the forced doors the same day. We are open 24 hours, so call to confirm availability and we will give you the price structure before anyone is dispatched.
Can you fix a door frame that split when the door was kicked in?
We can usually make it lockable again. We fit a long strike plate and drive 3 inch screws through the jamb into the stud, which pulls a split jamb tight and anchors the bolt in framing. A jamb that is shattered, a door that cracked through or a frame pushed out of square needs carpentry beyond lock work, and we will tell you that on site.
The burglar took my keys. Do I need new locks?
Not if the locks themselves were not damaged. Rekeying changes the pins inside your existing locks so the stolen keys stop working, and we do it on every lock those keys fit. Any lock that was drilled, pried or bent gets replaced. If a garage remote was taken, most openers can erase all stored remotes from the learn button on the motor unit.
Should I rekey or replace the locks after a break-in?
Replace any lock that was forced, and rekey the undamaged ones if keys are missing. Our cost guide lists replacement at $75 to $200 per lock and up depending on hardware grade, and rekeying at $20 to $45 per lock plus the service call. After-hours calls add $25 to $75.
Do you repair broken glass or board up windows?
Our work is locks, strikes and entry hardware. If glass is broken or an opening needs boarding, ask on the call and we will tell you straight what we can handle on that visit.
Lock up again tonight.
Police first, photos second, then one call to re-secure every door.
Tell us which doors were forced and whether keys were taken. We confirm the price structure on the phone before a technician is dispatched.
469-300-5525You can also reach us by email or through the contact form on this site.
info@fastlocallocksmith.netRequest a callback
Tell us where you are and which doors were forced. We will call back to confirm the price and timing.
Contact us