Lockouts
It happens to careful people. A door swings shut, the latch drops, and the keys are on the bench on the other side of it. Here is exactly what happens from the moment you call.
What this covers
Everything listed here is work we actually carry out. If your situation is not on the list, describe it when you call and we will tell you honestly whether it is ours.
A spring latch has locked itself and the keys are inside the property.
Your own door, where access through the building entrance can be arranged with the owner, tenant or building manager.
Nothing to get back in with, and no spare available nearby.
The key is in your hand but the lock will not accept or turn it, or a key has broken off in the cylinder.
Shops, offices and hospitality premises where the keyholder cannot get the premises open.
Being locked out is inconvenient, not a disaster, and it does not mean your door has to be destroyed. In most cases the lock is either opened without damage or the cylinder is replaced, and you walk back in with working keys.
If you are standing somewhere unpleasant — a dark carpark, a laneway, out in the weather with children or shopping — say so on the call. It changes how we prioritise.
Lockout work is quoted on the call, once we know the type of door and lock and where the property is. We do not publish a fixed price on this site because a straightforward latch on a timber door and a stuck deadlock behind a security screen are genuinely different jobs.
You will be told what the work involves before it starts. If the sensible outcome is a new cylinder or lock rather than an opening, that is explained first, not added afterwards.
We will not describe techniques for opening a locked door, and we would gently suggest not following instructions you find online. Cards, wires and screwdrivers usually turn a lockout into a lock replacement, and sometimes into a damaged door.
If a window has been left open, or a neighbour or agent holds a spare, that is always the cheaper answer — try those first.
Step by step
No surprises. This is the sequence from the moment you call.
Call and describe the situation. Somewhere safe to wait is worth finding before anything else.
Whether the door latched behind you, the keys are lost, or the key will no longer turn.
The address, the property type, and that you are the owner, tenant or an authorised person.
What the appropriate approach is for that door and lock, and what the work involves.
Where the job can be attended, a locksmith comes to the property with the right tools and hardware.
The access or lock issue is resolved and the door is left closing and locking properly.
Related
One problem tends to sit next to another. These are the services that most often come up in the same conversation.
Questions
Check the obvious alternatives — a spare with a neighbour, family member, agent or building manager, or another door that was left unlocked. If none of those work, call a locksmith and wait somewhere safe rather than forcing anything.
The aim is always non-destructive entry, and most lockouts are resolved without damage. Some high-security cylinders and some failed locks cannot be opened that way, in which case replacing the cylinder is the practical answer and you will be told before the work starts.
Yes, for your own door. Access to the building itself needs to be arranged through the owner, tenant or building manager, so it helps to have a contact for them when you call.
Effectively, yes. Mention it when you call, because a broken key usually means extracting the remains and then either servicing or replacing the cylinder, which is a different job from a simple latch opening.
Location
We work from Acland Street, which means the properties on this page are the ones around us — not a suburb we drive through occasionally.
Get in touch
Tell us what you need help with and we’ll help you find the right locksmith service.
