Lock Repair in Los Angeles, CA

Salt, wind and slider tracks

• Salt air. Close to the coast, salt is hard on exterior hardware. A dry lock lubricant is a better choice than oil, which collects grit.
• Santa Ana winds. NOAA's California summary notes that these winds can gust to 80 mph. After a windy or smoky spell, ash and dust can settle in an exterior keyway, and a key that suddenly feels gritty needs the keyway cleaned, not more force.
• Sliding glass doors. Section 6710 of the city's building code (Chapter 67) requires them to have locking devices plus a device in the upper channel that stops the panel from being lifted out. When a slider's latch stops catching, check that the panel sits true in its track and the upper-channel device is still there.

Keeping original hardware working

Highland Park-Garvanza is the largest of the city's Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, with about 4,000 structures, many of them Craftsman, in styles from the 1880s through the 1940s. Repairing an existing lock, by loosening a seized latch, replacing a spring or refitting the strike, leaves an old door looking as it does, which fits a district where exterior alterations get additional City Planning review.

Simple upkeep helps any lock last:

1. Clean the keyway and apply a dry lubricant a couple of times a year.
2. Tighten loose strike plate and hinge screws so the bolt lines up.
3. Test that the latch catches without pushing or lifting the door.

Renters with a failing lock

Under California Civil Code § 1941.3, a tenant must tell the landlord about an inoperable dead bolt or window lock, and the landlord is liable only if the lock stays unfixed for a reasonable time after notice. Put the report in writing and keep a copy. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to say about the fault

Say what the lock does: the key turns but the bolt does not move, the latch will not catch, or the key sticks. Add when it started, whether the door swings or slides, and a photo of the lock. If the lock is beyond repair, see lock replacement. The lock repair page has the service details, and Los Angeles covers the historic districts.