Locked out in London: what to do first

The first useful thing to know is that a lockout is rarely as urgent as it feels in the first ten minutes — and the decisions you make in those ten minutes are what the price turns on.

The second is that you may not need a locksmith at all.

Before you ring anybody

Work through the free options first. Check every other way in, properly. Find out who else already has a key — a partner, a housemate, a neighbour, a family member across town. If you rent, call the landlord or letting agent before you call a locksmith, because they may hold a key and because who made the call affects who pays. Confirm the door is actually locked rather than jammed, which is a different and often cheaper problem.

Then decide honestly whether this is an emergency. The full sequence is in do these seven things before you call anyone, and the small-hours version is in locked out at 3am in London.

When waiting until morning is wrong

Waiting is often the cheapest option, because the night premium is real. But it is the wrong answer in four situations, and it is worth being blunt about them. Do not wait if anyone is trapped inside, if medication is inside, if the door cannot be secured, or if you have nowhere warm to spend the night.

The now or morning tool asks six questions, reads the London clock and returns a decision along with the money. It will not suggest waiting in any of those four situations.

Get a total before anyone travels

Ask for the total you will pay for the job as described — callout, labour, parts and VAT — and ask what would change it. Then ask whether they expect to open the lock without drilling it.

That last question matters more than it sounds. Most standard UK domestic locks can be opened without damage by somebody competent, and drilling a lock that did not need drilling is the step that turns a modest bill into a large one. It is the core of how the overcharging scam works. The bands to judge a quote against are on what it costs.

If it is not a simple lockout

• A key snapped in the lock is often one of the cheaper jobs, and very easy to make expensive in the first thirty seconds. See snapped key in the lock.
• A uPVC door that will not lock may be a failed mechanism or simply out of alignment, and those cost very different money. See uPVC door will not lock.
• Keys locked in a car has free options worth trying first, and its own price range. See keys locked in the car.
• If you rent, who pays is a real question with a real answer. See who pays for a lockout.

Once you are back inside

Spend ten minutes on the thing that stops the next one: decide who should hold a spare key, and check whether your locks are actually rated. Both are on door locks and standards.

We are not a locksmith. We take no calls and do no callouts. This is a free guide, and all of it is written to be useful before you pick up the phone.