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Locksmith Prices Guide
£151 is the average locksmith prices of hiring a locksmith. Although you can expect to pay anything from £96 to £210 depending on the services you are getting. Some of the tips that will help you in finding the right locksmith are: Some locksmiths will locally advertise but they are not from the local area, or they might not have the professional training needed. There are some that will even use fear to intimidate you and charge you more than required. If you call up a company then you find them answering the call using generic terms such as “locksmith services” instead of using the specific name of the company, then you should be wary. You should know the legal name of the business, if they can’t tell you, then move on to the next option. You should call at least three locksmiths so you can get accurate rates. Explain the problem you are having then ask them what needs to be done.
Prices Table Locksmith Changing Locks
You can expect to spend between £30 and £300 on changing locks, but the cost varies depending on the value of the lock type, security level, and the fees. It is essential to do this when moving into a new home. If there is burglary, then it might be a good time to have the locks changed. There are many different instances where you need to change your locks. Some additional considerations are:
- If you get locked out of your home, then the locksmith will charge anything from £35 to £150 for coming to you. If it is in the evening, weekends, or holiday services, then this can go up to £250.
- They can charge you £2 to £6 for copying a key, but special keys can cost £3 to £20.
- Rekeying a door will need a minimum fee of £40 to £100 then add £5 to £25 per lock cylinder.
High Tech Keys & Biometrics
If you are the type of person who loses their keys regularly, then it might be time to go with a more high-tech lock system. This will enable the use of biometrics, passcodes, or Bluetooth to unlock. This means you don’t have to have a physical key, but this option will mean having to spend more on maintaining it and the potential compromise of the system. This is true if the person trying to get in knows about hacking a security system. You can expect to spend between £100 and £500 on such a system, and it will depend on the work involved.
Locked out of Your Car
There is a good chance this has happened to you or someone you know. You realize that you have locked the car while the keys are still inside. There are some unexpected situations that the keys get locked in the trunk. If the vehicle you have is the older model, then it might not have the quick release under it. This is where you need the services of a locksmith to open the door for you. Auto locksmiths have the training and experience in opening cars fast without causing any damage. This is because they have the right equipment needed to open it, and this can be done in a couple of minutes. They can also do the replacement of the locks if required. You can expect to pay anything from £30 to £50 depending on how much the lock is sophisticated. If the door locks need to be replaced, then the cost of doing this is between £25 and £130, but this varies with age of the car and the existing key type.
Locksmith Prices - Emergency Needs
While there are situations that you can plan and be fine, there are some that will force you to get emergency locksmith services. Sometimes you might find yourself locked out of the car or home and it's night time, then you need to call emergency services. They will be there to help you 24/7 without the need of an appointment. If you are in a situation where you need to hire the services of an emergency locksmith, then expect to spend between £50 and £600. While this sounds high, many factors will be factored in. If you are living in an area with high demand, then you can expect to pay more. You should not spend more than £200 for these services, but they charge more by factoring in the location, time, and the type of problem. This is where you will find it hard to call different services, the best you can do is to make sure you are not getting scammed for the services.
License & Identification
You should be careful of scams and frauds. If you want to get the best locksmith, you should: 1- Always check the name of the business and the person who is going to do the work. 2- Verifying that the person has a license then check it against the business. 3 -Ask them to show you the license when they arrive. They are required by law to carry around their license which is in a pocket version. Check the state requirements if you are not sure about their licensing. If they insist that you have to pay because they showed up, call the police as soon as possible. You don’t want someone who can come back and break into your home or even steal the car.
DIY Before Calling?
While it is not a good idea to DIY when it comes to locksmithing, there are some great and easy hacks that you can follow so you can avoid having to spend hundreds on a professional service.
1. Get a rekeying kit from the local hardware store or online
2. Remove the knob, the retainer ring, and the cylinder plug
3. Inserting the pins that are in the kit then reassembling the lock
When you get locked out of your car
1. Confirm that you have been locked out
2. Look for tools around you such as a coat hanger or a piece of metal that you can manipulate. You can get them from a store if you are near one.
3. Create a slim jim using the coat hanger, then take it an insert it between the weather stripping and the window until you find the post.
4. Once you feel the post moving, pull up the hanger. Continue pulling until the post lifts high enough to unlock the door.
**Note - doing this can cause damage to your car
Home lockout
1. Check whether there are any unlocked window or alternative entry points
2. Take a card
- Insert between the frame and the door
- Push and wiggle the card
- Bend the car away from the doorknob. This will help in undoing the latch from the frame of the door
- Push your weight against the door, and the lock will be able to give
- Call up a locksmith because your home has gotten very easy to get into
3. Use a thin piece of metal in taking off the doorknob. If a deadbolt is in use, then this won’t work.
There is a good chance that the above hacks will cause damage. Call the locksmith if the above hacks don't work.