Being locked out is stressful. The good news: it's one of the easiest jobs we do, we attend 24 hours a day, and we open over 95% of UK doors without any damage to the lock, door or frame.
Our average attendance time across West London, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire is 25–55 minutes from the call. Standard non-destructive entry is £79 daytime, £99 nights and weekends — fixed price agreed on the phone before we set off, no upcharges on arrival.
We attend houses, flats, HMOs, garages, sheds and outbuildings. We can open every common UK lock type: euro cylinder, BS3621 mortice, night-latch, garage door, padlocks, filing cabinets and post boxes.
What to do right now if you're locked out
First, take a breath. You're not the first person this has happened to today, and you won't be the last. Don't try to climb in a window — even a small window break or door force ends up costing more than the locksmith call-out.
Second, double-check the obvious: any windows or back doors you might have left unlocked, a key hidden somewhere safe, a neighbour or housemate with a spare. About 1 in 10 calls we get are solved before we arrive because the customer remembers a spare key during the drive.
Third, call or WhatsApp us. We need: the address, the door type (timber / UPVC / composite), and whether you have any photos of the lock. We quote a fixed total, give you an arrival window, and the engineer is normally with you in 25–55 minutes.
Find somewhere warm and dry to wait — a neighbour's house, a nearby café, your car. The engineer will call when they're 5 minutes away.
How non-destructive entry works
Professional locksmiths use a range of non-destructive techniques: lock-picking (manipulating the pins inside the cylinder), bumping (using a specially-cut bump key to jolt the pins into place), decoding (reading the lock's combination through specialist tools), and (for UPVC) mechanical gearbox manipulation through the keyway.
Over 95% of standard UK domestic locks come open without any damage. The lock can keep being used with the original key after entry — no replacement needed unless you want one. The door, frame and hinges are never touched.
In the rare 5% where non-destructive entry isn't possible (highly secure cylinders, severely worn locks, or locks that have been forced previously), we drill the cylinder out — a controlled, surgical process that damages only the cylinder itself, not the door or surrounding hardware. We then replace the cylinder on the same visit; total typically £109–£149.
What it costs (and why)
Standard non-destructive lockout daytime (8am–6pm): £79. Standard non-destructive lockout nights/weekends/bank holidays: £99. Both fixed, both agreed before we set off.
If you've lost your only key and want the cylinder changed for peace of mind: add £30–£60 for a standard cylinder or £50–£80 for a TS007 3-star anti-snap upgrade. Total £109–£159.
If the lock needs drilling (5% of cases): £109–£149 including the replacement cylinder, all-in.
Why fixed pricing matters: 'starting from £49' adverts are the oldest trick in the locksmith business. You arrive, the price climbs by call-out, parts, labour, out-of-hours, fuel — and you're standing on your doorstep with no other options. We quote everything up front so you can compare apples to apples.
Should you change the locks after a lockout?
Not always — but in two situations, yes. If you've lost the key (rather than just forgotten it inside), the safest thing is to change the cylinder so the lost key can't be used by whoever finds it. £30–£60 extra on top of the call-out.
If you suspect the key has been stolen, copied or is in the hands of someone you no longer want to have access (ex-partner, ex-employee, ex-housemate), change the cylinder — and consider a TS007 3-star upgrade while we're already on site.
If you simply forgot the key inside, no — the lock is fine and your existing keys are still secure.
