Locksmith Guide to Regents Park: Post-War Homes and Townhouses

Regents Park sits to the south-west of Lidcombe, beyond Berala, and is a short drive from our workshop at 15 Vaughan St. It is a settled residential suburb with streets of post-war houses, a growing number of townhouse and villa complexes, and a small village centre around the station and Amy Street.

Many homes in Regents Park have been owned by the same families for decades and still carry their original doors and locks. Others have recently changed hands, which brings a wave of rekeying, repairs and upgrades. This guide looks at the properties you will find in Regents Park, the lock issues each tends to have, and practical ways to improve them. For our service page, see locksmith Regents Park.

Post-war houses

The core of Regents Park is made up of brick, fibro and weatherboard homes built in the decades after the Second World War. They are solid homes, but the security hardware fitted at the time reflects what was normal then, not now.

Original rim locks

Many front doors still have an original rim lock: a box-shaped lock mounted on the inside face of the door, with a keeper on the frame. Some are still in good condition. Others have worn to the point where they can be slipped or forced more easily than most owners realise. A rim lock on its own is rarely enough for a main entry.

The usual recommendation is to keep the rim lock if it works and the household likes it, and add a deadbolt for proper security. If the rim lock is worn out, replacing it with a modern deadlatch and adding a deadbolt is a common combination. See lock replacement and our guide to deadlocks and deadlatches.

Security screens added later

Over the years, many Regents Park homes had steel or aluminium security screens fitted. These were often added by different installers at different times, so the screen lock is frequently keyed differently from the front door lock. That means two keys for one doorway. In many cases we can rekey the screen lock to match the main door, or the other way round.

Screen locks are also exposed to weather and dust, so they get stiff. A service and the right lubricant often bring them back.

Back doors

The back door of an older house is often its weak point. It may be a lighter door than the front, have only a latch, or sit in a frame that has moved. Strike plates on older frames are often held by short screws in soft timber. Reinforcing the strike with longer screws and adding a deadbolt makes a big difference for modest cost. See security locksmith.

Windows

Windows in post-war homes are often timber or early aluminium with simple catches. Keyed window locks on reachable windows are a sensible upgrade. See window locks.

Townhouses and villas

Townhouse and villa developments have been replacing some older homes in Regents Park.

Several doors, several keys

A typical townhouse has a front door, a courtyard or rear door, a garage door, an internal garage-to-house door and perhaps a side gate. Builders often supply each lock with its own key. Keying everything alike is one of the most requested jobs. See lock rekeying.

The garage-to-house door

If someone can get into the garage, the internal door into the house becomes the front line. Many are fitted with only a passage set. A keyed lock, ideally a deadbolt where safe exit allows, is worth considering.

Strata and community title rules

Many townhouse complexes are strata or community title schemes with by-laws about external appearance and shared areas. Check before changing visible hardware. Our guide to strata lock rules in NSW explains the general principles.

The village centre

The shops around Regents Park station and Amy Street are mostly small local businesses. Their lock work is typical of small shops: aluminium shopfront latches, door closers, roller doors and padlocks, and rekeying when staff change. See our commercial locksmith page and commercial locksmith guide.

Local conditions that affect locks in Regents Park

Age of the hardware

The single biggest factor in Regents Park is age. Locks that have been in service for decades are often worn internally even if they still turn. Worn locks are more likely to fail, and more likely to break keys. If your key needs jiggling, see lock repair and our article on broken keys.

Settling houses

Older houses settle, and doors move in their frames. That shows up as bolts that drag, latches that do not catch, and doors that must be lifted or pushed to lock. Adjusting the strike or keeper usually solves it.

Changing ownership

When an older home changes hands, the new owners inherit an unknown number of keys handed out over many years to family, neighbours and tradespeople. Rekeying after settlement is one of the most sensible first jobs a new owner can do. Our rekey or replace guide helps you decide which suits each lock.

Typical jobs we see in Regents Park

• A post-war house where the owners want a deadbolt added above the original rim lock.
• A home where the front door and security screen use different keys and the owners want one key.
• A new owner rekeying every external lock after settlement.
• A townhouse where the front, courtyard, garage and internal doors are keyed alike.
• A worn back door lock replaced and the strike reinforced.
• A lockout after a deadlatch pulled shut with the keys inside. See lockout service.

A practical upgrade order for an older Regents Park home

1. Rekey if you do not know who holds keys.
2. Repair or adjust any lock that is stiff or needs force.
3. Add a deadbolt to the front and back doors if they only have latches or rim locks.
4. Reinforce strikes and keepers with long screws.
5. Match the screen and door keys.
6. Fit window locks to reachable windows.
7. Secure the side gate and shed.

You do not need to do everything at once. Our security locksmith walk-through gives you a priced list so you can plan.

Keeping older locks working

• Use a dry graphite or PTFE lock lubricant once or twice a year, not oil.
• Replace keys that are worn or bent, ideally with a new key cut to code.
• Do not pull doors shut by the key.
• Check strike and keeper screws every year or two.

Talk to us

If you are in Regents Park and need a lock repaired, replaced, rekeyed or opened, call 02 4503 6922. We are open 7 days, 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM, and every job is quoted before we start. You can also request a quote or read our locksmith Regents Park page.