Door won't open from outside?

What the symptom tells you

The key turns freely, round and round, with no resistance. → The cam on the back of the cylinder, or the gearbox it drives, has sheared. The key is no longer connected to anything. Stop turning it.

The key will not go in, or goes in part way and stops. → Something is obstructing the keyway: a broken key fragment, debris, ice, or a damaged pin stack. Do not force it, and do not push a second key in behind the first.

The key goes in and will not turn at all. → Either the wrong key, a seized lock, or a door under so much pressure that the bolt is bound in the keep. Try lifting or pushing the door while turning gently; if that frees it, the real problem is alignment.

The key turns, the lock sounds like it operates, but the door stays shut. → The bolts or hooks have retracted at the lock but not along the strip, or the door is stuck on the frame rather than locked at all. Common after damp, swelling or an attempted break-in.

The handle moves but feels disconnected. → A snapped follower or spindle, or a broken spring cassette. The door itself is usually fine.

What to do right now

1. Stop turning the key. If it is spinning, turning it again achieves nothing and can shear the remaining metal, turning a cylinder change into a drilling job.
2. Try the other doors. Back doors, patio doors and garage-to-house doors are frequently the quickest way in, and they cost nothing to check.
3. Do not kick or lever the door. A uPVC door forced open takes the frame, the mechanism and often the glazing beads with it. A timber door takes the frame and the architrave.
4. Check whether the door is locked or merely stuck. A swollen timber door in wet weather sometimes just needs a firm, even pull rather than a locksmith.
5. If anyone is shut inside and at risk, call 999. A vulnerable person unable to get out, or a hob left on, is an emergency service matter.
6. Call with the symptom, not just the problem. "The key spins freely" and "the key will not go in" lead to completely different tools and parts.

What it costs

Call-out is charged on arrival and varies by time of day; labour runs from a minimum of one hour. Both are published in full on the pricing page, including nights and weekends. All prices include VAT, and the applicable rate is confirmed on the phone before anyone is dispatched.

A door opened without damage often needs nothing replacing at all. Where the cylinder or mechanism has actually failed, the replacement is the second figure in that table, not an extra surprise at the end.

How the door gets opened

Non-destructive entry is attempted first. A failed mechanism is more awkward than a simple lockout, because the fault that is keeping you out is also what has to be worked around, but on most doors it can still be opened without damage to the door, the frame or the glazing.

Drilling is a last resort. It becomes the realistic option where the cylinder is seized, where a key has snapped inside it, where the mechanism has failed in the locked position, or where the lock is a high-security type built to resist manipulation. If it is needed, you are told first — what it involves, what the replacement will cost, and what the alternative is.

If the fault is mechanical, expect the repair to follow the entry. There is no point opening a door whose gearbox has sheared and leaving it in that state.

What to have ready when you call

• Your postcode and the door you are standing at
• The door material: uPVC, composite, timber or aluminium
• Exactly what the key does: spins, will not enter, will not turn, or turns without effect
• Whether the door has been stiff or binding in recent weeks
• Whether anything is visibly damaged around the lock or frame
• Proof you are authorised to enter the property
• A photograph of the lock and door edge, if you can take one safely

Jammed locks across Lancashire

jammed locks in Preston · Blackburn · Blackpool · Burnley · Lancaster · Chorley · Leyland · Darwen · all service areas

Common questions

My key spins round and round. What has broken?

The cam on the back of the cylinder, or the gearbox it drives, has sheared, so the key is no longer connected to the mechanism. Stop turning it: each further turn risks damaging what is left and can turn a straightforward cylinder change into a drilling job.

The lock worked this morning and now it will not. Why?

Sudden failures are usually the end of a slow one. A mechanism that has been stiff, or a door that has needed lifting to lock, has been loading the gearbox for months. Cold, damp and seasonal movement often supply the final push, which is why these calls cluster in autumn and winter.

Can a door be stuck without being locked?

Yes, and it is worth ruling out before paying for anything. Timber doors swell in wet weather and can bind in the frame while completely unlocked. If the door gives slightly and the lock sounds like it is operating normally, the fault may be the door rather than the lock.

Will the lock need replacing after you open it?

Not if the door is opened non-destructively and the lock is sound. But if the reason you were locked out is that the cylinder or mechanism has failed, that part does need replacing — the entry itself does not repair it, and leaving it would simply strand you again.

Related help

• Multipoint lock repair
• uPVC door & multipoint lock repairs
• Door alignment
• Emergency locksmith

Locked out of your house · Locked out at night · Key snapped in the lock · uPVC door won't lock