Locksmith Prices

Why Each Price Is a Range

Two jobs that sound identical on the phone can cost very different amounts, and the difference is almost always what the door needs rather than how long it takes. A lock that can be opened and reused sits at the bottom of its band; one that has to be drilled out and replaced sits near the top, because the price now includes the hardware going back in.

The number of locks matters as much as the type. Changing a single lock on a front door starts at £39; a house where every external door and both patio locks are being changed at once is a different job on the same row, which is why that band runs so wide. On a timber door, a standard cylinder and a British Standard BS3621 insurance-rated lock are different parts at different prices, which is why they are listed separately rather than averaged into a single figure. Unusually complex or heavily secured jobs can run above the top of a band, which is what the plus sign means - and you are told the figure before anyone starts.

uPVC: Repairing the Lock, or Adjusting the Door

These are two different jobs and they are priced differently, which catches people out. A uPVC lock repair is work on the lock alone - the cylinder, the barrel or the handle - and it starts at £69. An adjustment starts higher, at £79, because the problem is not the lock: the door itself has dropped or swelled out of alignment, so the hooks and rollers no longer meet their keeps. That means working on the door and its frame rather than just the mechanism sitting in it.

The quick way to tell which one you need: if the key turns but the door will not pull shut, or you have to lift the handle hard to lock it, that is alignment. If the door closes fine but the key or handle feels wrong, that is the lock.

Locks Supplied and Locks Fitted

These are two separate things and it is worth being clear about which one a price refers to. A lock supplied on its own starts at £25 - that is the part itself, over the counter. Fitting it is work, and work is charged: the locksmith has to attend, remove the old mechanism and install and test the new one, which is why the supply-and-fit rows above start higher than the price of the lock alone.

What the Price Includes

There is no call-out fee and no separate charge for turning up. The figure agreed on the phone is confirmed on site before the locksmith starts, and if the job turns out to be different from the one described, we explain why and agree the change with you before carrying on rather than adjusting the invoice at the end.

Parts and labour carry a 12-month guarantee from the date of the work, covering both the hardware fitted and the standard of the workmanship. Every locksmith working under our name is DBS checked and fully insured.

The Assessment Fee

The £49 assessment fee is the one charge that applies when no work is carried out - for example, if you cancel after a locksmith has already been dispatched, or if the property turns out to be accessible after all. It covers the journey, not the job, and we tell you before ending the call-out if it applies. Full details are in our terms and conditions.

Getting a Price for Your Job

Call 0333 344 6467 and describe what has happened - which door, what kind of lock, and whether anything is snapped, stuck or already forced. That is usually enough to place the job in one of the bands above before anyone sets off, so you know roughly what you are committing to before the call-out.