Locked Out of Your House? We'll Get You Back In — 20–40 Minutes
Door slammed behind you, keys on the kitchen table, or a lock that suddenly will not turn. Our emergency lockout service covers every London postcode, 24 hours a day — and a DBS-checked engineer answers the phone, not a call centre.
Free survey, no call-out charge, and your door is picked open — not drilled — wherever the lock allows it.
- Non-destructive entry first — your lock usually survives
- Arrival window given before you hang up
- DBS-checked engineers, never a call centre
- Proof of residence checked — that protects you too
Call 020 8261 7495 and you will have an arrival time before you hang up.
Locked out? Here's what happens next
- You call, an engineer answers. Thirty seconds of questions — what kind of door, what kind of lock, house or flat — and you get a realistic arrival window for your postcode, not a guess.
- The nearest engineer comes to you. Engineers are spread across London and emergency callouts go by motorbike, which is why 20–40 minutes holds even in traffic. You are updated through to arrival.
- Your door is opened, and the lock usually survives. After a free survey and a quick residence check, the lock is picked or manipulated open. In most lockouts there is nothing to replace and nothing to repair — you are simply back inside.
The lockouts we attend every week
All of these are dispatched immediately, at any hour, anywhere in London.
The door slammed behind you
The classic nightlatch lockout — stepping out for the bins or the post, and the latch locks itself. Usually the fastest door in London to open non-destructively.
Keys locked inside
Keys on the table, in a coat, or in the back of the door. If the key is turned in the lock on the inside, say so on the call — it changes the technique, not the outcome.
Keys lost or stolen
Entry first, then a decision about the lock. If anything on the keyring could identify your address, we advise changing the cylinder the same visit.
Key snapped in the lock
The blade is still in the cylinder and the door is unusable. The broken piece is extracted with specialist tools — details on our snapped keys page.
The lock will not turn
The key goes in but nothing moves, or it spins freely. That is a failed mechanism, not your fault — the door is opened first, then the fault is diagnosed.
uPVC door locked solid
Handle stuck, key stuck, multipoint mechanism jammed. Forcing the handle makes it worse — stop, and tell us it is a uPVC door when you call.
Locked out of a flat
Communal entrance plus your own front door. We handle both — see the flats section below for how access to the building is arranged.
Locked out of a business
Shop, office or restaurant that cannot open or cannot close. Attended around trading hours — more on our commercial emergencies page.
Standing outside right now?Call — you will have an arrival time before you hang up.
How we open your door without wrecking it
Most London lockouts do not need a new lock. They need someone who can pick the one you already have. We attempt non-destructive entry first on every lockout: picking, manipulation, or letterbox tools where the door and law allow, chosen after the engineer has actually looked at your lock.
Drilling is the last resort, reserved for cylinders that have already failed internally or locks deliberately hardened against picking — and if that is your situation, you are told before anything happens, with the cost of the replacement agreed first. A locksmith who reaches for the drill in the first five minutes is selling you a lock you probably did not need; we explain the difference on how to choose a locksmith in London.
Proof of residence — what we accept
Before the door is opened you will be asked to show you live there. A locksmith who opens any door on request is a danger to every home on the street, so treat this check as part of the service. Any of these works:
- Photo ID with the address — once you are inside is fine if your wallet is behind the door; the engineer waits at the threshold.
- A bill, bank letter or official email on your phone showing your name and the address.
- A tenancy agreement — paper or PDF.
- Your landlord or letting agent confirming by phone — the most common route for renters with nothing on them.
- A neighbour who can vouch for you alongside one of the above, for edge cases like a recent move.
Nothing on you at all? Call anyway. The engineer will talk through what can work — the check is about reasonable confidence, not paperwork for its own sake.
Locked out of a flat
A flat lockout is really two doors: the communal entrance and your own. On the call we work out how to get the engineer into the building — a neighbour on the intercom, the concierge, a trades button, or meeting you at the main door. Your own front door is then usually a standard nightlatch or euro cylinder, picked open in minutes.
What we will not do is damage a communal door or fit the wrong cylinder to one. Communal entrances often run suited key systems, and a wrong part there breaks access for every resident on the stairwell — if the communal lock itself has failed, we check the key suite first and tell you if the freeholder or management company needs to authorise the work. House lockouts and HMOs are covered on our home emergencies page.
While you wait for us
- Stop trying the key or the handle. A stiff key is one firm turn away from snapping, and a forced uPVC handle turns a lockout into a repair job.
- Skip the YouTube tricks. Carding the latch and bumping the cylinder damage the mechanism far more often than they open it.
- Wait somewhere warm and reachable — a café, a neighbour, your car. The engineer calls on approach.
- Line up your proof of residence from the list above while you wait — it is the one thing that speeds up the visit.
What a lockout costs
There is no call-out charge and the survey at your door is free, at any hour. You are quoted for the actual work before it starts — and because most lockouts are opened non-destructively, the most common outcome is the entry charge alone, with no new lock to pay for. Where a lock does have to be replaced — snapped internally, or keys lost with the address identifiable — the price is agreed before the old one comes off, and parts carry a 180-day warranty.
One honest warning about the cheap ads: £39 lockout offers almost always become £200+ at the door, because the advertised price buys a drill and a markup on the replacement lock. The maths of picking versus drilling is the whole difference.
Want the number for your postcode?Call with your postcode and the door type — you will get a real arrival window and the survey is free.
After the door was open
-
Emergency locksmith attended my place in Mayfair today. Fast service and minimum fuss.
Verified review · Trustpilot -
Super professional and speedy. They explained everything and got the job done efficiently.
Verified review · Google
Read all of our Google reviews
Lockout callouts across London
We attend lockouts in every London postcode, around the clock — Whitechapel and E1 fastest of all, since that is home. Find your area on the coverage areas page, or just call with your postcode and get a real arrival window for it.
Related pages
- Emergency locksmith London — every emergency we attend, not just lockouts
- Snapped keys — blade broken off inside the cylinder
- Lost or stolen keys — entry first, then the lock decision
- 24 hour locksmith — how round-the-clock cover actually works
- Lock repairs — for the fault that caused the lockout
- London lock problems explained — what stiff keys and spinning barrels mean
Lockout questions
How quickly can you get me back into my house?
Typically 20–40 minutes across most London postcodes, at any hour. You are given the arrival window on the call, based on your postcode and the nearest engineer, and updated if it changes.
Can you open my door without damaging it?
In most lockouts, yes. We pick or manipulate the lock open wherever the mechanism allows, so the door and the lock survive. Drilling is reserved for mechanisms that have already failed internally or are hardened against picking, and you are told before it happens.
What proof do I need that I live there?
Any one of: photo ID with the address, a bill or official letter on your phone, a tenancy agreement, or your landlord or agent confirming by phone. If everything is locked inside, the engineer can check ID at the threshold once the door is open.
I'm locked out of my flat and can't even get into the building. Can you still help?
Yes. On the call we arrange access to the building — a neighbour, the intercom, a concierge or meeting you at the main entrance — and then open your own front door. We never damage a communal entrance to reach a flat.
My key is in the lock on the inside. Can you still open it?
Usually, yes. A key left turned in the inside of a euro cylinder changes the technique the engineer uses, so mention it on the call — but it rarely changes the outcome.
How much does it cost to open a locked door in London?
The call-out and survey are free, and you are quoted before any work starts. Because most lockouts are opened non-destructively, the usual outcome is the entry charge alone with no new lock to buy. Beware £39 ads — they generally end in a drilled lock and a £200+ bill.
Do you charge a call-out fee at night or on weekends?
No. There is no call-out charge at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays, and the same number reaches an engineer around the clock.
I'm a tenant. Can I call you myself?
Yes. Tenants call us directly every week — a tenancy agreement or your landlord or agent confirming by phone covers the residence check. For communal or landlord-owned locks, we will tell you if the freeholder needs to authorise any replacement.
Will I need a new lock afterwards?
Usually not — a picked lock keeps working. The exceptions are a cylinder that failed internally, a snapped key that damaged the mechanism, or lost keys where something on the ring identifies your address; in those cases replacement is advised and priced before anything is removed.
What should I do while I wait?
Stop trying the key, skip the online tricks, wait somewhere warm with your phone reachable, and line up proof of residence. The engineer calls on approach.
