Locked Out of House

Start with the obvious, because it solves a surprising number of call-outs. Is there a back door, side door, patio door or garage door that is unlocked? Does a neighbour, partner, parent or landlord hold a spare? Is a ground-floor window genuinely insecure and safe to use — not a first-floor one, and never a roof. If you rent, your letting agent may hold a managed set and be able to authorise access.

Then check whether you are actually locked out or locked in a different problem. If the key turns but the door will not open, that is usually a failed multipoint mechanism, not a lockout. If the key will not go in at all, something is in the keyway. If the handle flops without resistance, the handle or spindle has broken. These are all things we fix, but telling us which one you have on the phone means the right parts arrive with the engineer.

Do not force it. The one exception is stopping immediately if you smell gas or see fire — in that case call 999 first.

Over 95% of UK residential lockouts are opened without drilling. On a euro cylinder that usually means picking or bypassing the cylinder; on a night latch it may be a letterbox tool, a slip technique or a bypass through the latch itself; on a five-lever mortice deadlock it is curtain picking with the right tension. All of these leave the lock working exactly as it did before, which is why your old keys still work afterwards.

Drilling is the last resort, not the default. It is used when a cylinder has already snapped, when a lock has seized internally, when anti-pick and anti-drill protection leaves no bypass route, or when the door has been damaged in an attempted break-in. When it is genuinely necessary you are told first, you agree the replacement part and its price, and the new cylinder goes on before the engineer leaves.

Beware the reverse approach. A rogue operator drills first because it is quick and it forces the sale of a new cylinder on top of the labour. If someone reaches for a drill within thirty seconds of arriving at an ordinary front door, ask them why — and feel free to send them away.

That number covers the call-out and the labour. If no parts are needed — which is the usual outcome — that is the whole invoice. There is no bank-holiday surcharge and no surprise extras at the end.

Timings: most doors are open within five to twenty minutes of the engineer arriving. The longer part is the drive, which is why we give an honest ETA rather than a flattering one.

Every reputable locksmith will ask for proof of address before opening a door, and we do it every time without exception. Photo ID with the address, a tenancy agreement, a recent bill, post addressed to you inside the property, or a landlord or agent confirming by phone are all normally fine. If you have nothing at all, tell us on the call and we will talk through what can work.

This protects you as much as us. The same check that occasionally feels like a nuisance is the reason a stranger cannot pay a locksmith to open your front door while you are at work.

If the lockout was a slammed door on a night latch, a simple change of habit plus a key safe fitted somewhere sensible solves it permanently. Choose a police-approved key safe, mount it out of direct view, and use a code you have not used anywhere else.

If the lockout followed a lost key, a lock change is the correct response rather than an opening: until the cylinder is changed, whoever has that key still has access, and most insurers expect the lock to be changed after a loss. If the lockout was caused by a sticking or stiff lock, that lock was warning you for weeks — a service or replacement now is far cheaper than an emergency call later.