Locked out of your home? Don't panic

First, the thirty seconds that saves you money

Stop. Put the phone down for a moment and do three things before you do anything else.

Check whether anyone else has a key. A partner, a housemate, a parent, the neighbour who waters the plants, your landlord, your letting agent. People forget this one because panic is loud and memory is quiet. It is free and it is instant.

Try every other door and window. The back door, the patio door, the door from the garage. Do it carefully and sensibly: do not climb anything, do not stand on a wheelie bin, and do not break glass to reach a handle. A pane of glass costs more than the locksmith, and the stitches cost more than both.

Work out whether this is actually an emergency. If a child, a vulnerable adult or a pet is shut inside, if a hob has been left on, or if someone cannot reach medication, that is a 999 call to the fire service, not a locksmith call. Say so clearly when you ring. Being locked out on its own is not an emergency, and the fire service will not attend for it.

The mistake that costs the most

Kicking the door.

We understand the impulse entirely, and we would still ask you not to. On a uPVC or composite door, forcing it takes out the frame, the multipoint mechanism and usually the glazing beads as well. A job that starts at £132 becomes a door repair running into several hundred pounds, and you still need the locksmith afterwards. On a timber door it takes the frame and the architrave with it.

Credit cards do not work the way films suggest. Neither do hairpins. What both reliably do is damage the lock you were trying to avoid replacing, which means the locksmith now has to drill a cylinder that could have been picked.

The same goes for the coat hanger through the letterbox. If there is a thumbturn on the inside it occasionally works; far more often it bends the letterplate, scratches the door and achieves nothing.

What actually happens when a locksmith arrives

Non-destructive entry comes first, on every job. For standard euro cylinders, nightlatches and most mortice locks, the lock is manipulated open and then carries on working exactly as before. Nothing is replaced, so there is nothing extra to pay for.

Most straightforward lockouts on a standard door are resolved within ten to twenty minutes of the locksmith being on site. Nobody can honestly promise an arrival time, and anyone who gives you one to the minute over the phone is guessing.

Drilling is a last resort rather than an opening move. It becomes the realistic option when the lock is already damaged or seized, when a key has snapped inside it, when the mechanism has failed in the locked position, or when it is a high-security cylinder built specifically to resist being picked. If drilling is needed, you should be told before it starts — what it involves, what the replacement will cost, and what the alternative is.

Be wary of anyone who reaches for a drill the moment they step out of the van. Drilling is faster than picking, and it conveniently sells you a new lock.

Expect to be asked who you are

A legitimate locksmith will ask you to show that you are entitled to be in the property. A driving licence, a tenancy agreement, a bank letter, a utility bill, post addressed to you at that address — any of those is usually enough. A neighbour or a landlord who will vouch for you also works.

This occasionally irritates people who are already cold and already cross, and it should not. The locksmith who opens your door without asking anything at all is the same locksmith who would open it for somebody else while you were out.

What it will cost

Three things decide the figure: the time of day, the type of lock, and whether the lock can be reopened or has to be replaced.

Call-out is charged on arrival and varies by the hour. Labour runs from a minimum of one hour. Parts only appear on the bill if something genuinely needed replacing. Every rate we charge is published in full on our pricing page, nights and weekends included, VAT included — which is more than most of this trade will tell you before they are standing on your step.

If you have somewhere warm and safe to be, waiting until the morning genuinely is cheaper. If you do not, call. Sitting outside in a Lancashire February is not worth the saving.

Have this ready when you ring

It sounds fussy. It is the difference between an accurate price on the phone and a surprise on the doorstep.

1. Your postcode and the house or flat number.
2. The type of door — uPVC, composite, timber, aluminium, or a communal entrance.
3. What the key is doing: turning, spinning freely, refusing to go in, snapped off, or sitting on the kitchen table on the other side of the door.
4. Whether the door is on the latch or fully locked.
5. Whether anything looks damaged around the lock or frame.
6. A photo of the lock and the door edge, if you can take one safely.

Making sure it does not happen again

Once you are back inside and the kettle is on, two small things are worth doing while the memory is fresh.

Get a spare cut and leave it with someone you trust. Not under the mat, not in a plastic rock, and not in the meter box — those are the first three places anybody looks. A neighbour, a relative, or a proper key safe fitted somewhere sensible.

And pay attention to how the door has been behaving. A key that only turns at a particular angle, a handle that needs more shove than it used to, a door you have to lift before it will lock — all of those are a lock telling you it is on the way out. Dealing with it on a Tuesday afternoon costs a fraction of dealing with it at 2am in the rain.

Common questions

Is it cheaper to call a locksmith or to break in myself?

The locksmith, by a wide margin, every single time. Forcing a uPVC or composite door damages the frame, the mechanism and the glazing beads, and you still need the locksmith afterwards to make it secure. The attempt usually costs several times what the call-out would have.

Will the locksmith need to break my lock to get in?

Usually not. Non-destructive entry is attempted first and succeeds on most standard domestic locks, leaving the existing lock working normally. Drilling is reserved for locks that are already damaged, seized, or built specifically to resist picking — and it is explained and priced before it happens.

I rent. Should I call my landlord or a locksmith?

Call the landlord or letting agent first. Many hold a spare key, many have an out-of-hours number, and where the lock itself has failed rather than you simply being locked out, the repair is usually their responsibility rather than yours. If nobody answers and you cannot get in, call a locksmith and keep the invoice.

It is the middle of the night. Is anyone actually going to answer?

Our line is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Night and overnight rates are higher than daytime ones, and we publish exactly how much higher rather than mentioning it on arrival.

Can I be charged more than I was quoted on the phone?

Not for the job you described. A quote given before travelling should hold unless what is found is materially different from what was described — a lock already drilled by someone else, say, or a door that turns out to be a different type. If that happens you should be told before any further work starts, not after it.

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• Locked out of your house
• Locked out at night
• Lost your house keys

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