Locked Out of Your House? UK Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Being locked out of your house is one of those small disasters that makes your day stop. The keys are inside, the kids are tired, the rain is sideways, and the phone battery is on 4 percent. This guide is what to do — in order — to maximise your chance of getting back in fast and cheap, written by a working UK locksmith who attends about 800 of these jobs a year.

Before you call anyone, do this. Try every other entry. Back door, French doors, conservatory, side gate. Around 1 in 4 lockouts we attend turn out to have an unlocked back door the customer didn't think to try. Check pockets twice — keys hiding in a coat pocket account for another 1 in 6 callouts. Look in any bag you carried out. If you've got a hidden spare (key safe, neighbour, friend with a copy) now is the time to remember.

We see a lot of damage caused by panicked DIY entry. Credit cards do not slip a UPVC multipoint lock — they were never going to. Kicking a modern composite door damages your shoulder more than the door. Slamming a door from a height to dislodge keys from the inside has worked exactly once in our history, and that customer also broke their wrist. If you can't get in via another door in step 1, stop and call.

When you Google a local locksmith you get a mix of two things: real local engineers based near you, and national directory companies that list a local-looking number but route the call to a contact centre, who then quote a low headline price and add £200 of surcharges on the doorstep. Look for a real local landline number (01473, 01206, 01394 in our area), a real address, and a price quoted on the phone — not 'starts from £39'. Ask the dispatcher: who is the engineer, where are they leaving from, and what is the total price.

A good locksmith will ask three things: what kind of door it is (UPVC, wooden, composite), what state the lock is in, and where you are. From those answers you should get back a fixed price and an ETA — usually 25 to 30 minutes locally, longer further out. The price quoted should be the price you pay; if any condition could change it, the dispatcher should tell you what those conditions are. If the call goes any other way, hang up and call another locksmith.

First, ID. A reputable locksmith will ask for proof of address (driving licence or recent post) before opening the property — this protects you from someone else bluffing their way into your home. Then non-destructive entry: picking, raking, or bypassing the cylinder without damage. Around 95 percent of UK lockouts are opened this way, with no damage to the door or lock. If drilling becomes the only option (rare), the engineer will tell you why and quote any cylinder replacement before drilling — never after.

If you lost the keys (vs left them inside), change the cylinder before you sleep. Lost keys with your address attached — even from a wallet — are a serious risk and standard insurance practice. Cylinder swap is roughly £85-120 fitted, far less than the cost of dealing with a return visit by someone who has your address. If you got back in with a spare or a snatched-from-the-floor toddler key, you're done. Make a backup plan for next time: a key safe outside, a key with a trusted neighbour, or a Bluetooth key tracker.

Lockout, daytime, non-destructive entry: £49-85 depending on lock type. Lockout, evening or weekend, non-destructive: £85-120. Drilled entry plus cylinder replacement (rare): £150-200. Same-visit cylinder swap after a lost-keys callout: extra £85-120 for a standard cylinder, £120-180 for an anti-snap upgrade. There should never be a 'call-out fee' on top.