Fallowfield · M14
Fallowfield locksmith. We know what week it is.
Get a price in 2 minutes
Landlord? Tell us how many houses. Student? Tell us the postcode.
- 20-30 min from Salford
- From £35 per door
- Multi-house bookings
- Invoiced accounts
- DBS checked
Every year, in the same fortnight, several thousand houses in M14 change hands at once. One set of tenants leaves, another arrives, and in between there is a window in which every lock in Fallowfield should be changed and almost none of them are.
The changeover
Here is the arithmetic nobody does. A six-bed student house, twelve months, six tenants. Each one loses a key at some point and gets one cut at a kiosk on Wilmslow Road for three pounds. Some of them cut a spare for a partner. At the end of the year you get six keys back.
You have no idea how many exist. You never will. Asking does not help.
The only thing that makes an old key stop working is a new cylinder. £35-60 per door, and on a front and back done together, £70-110 keyed alike so the new tenants carry one key each instead of two.
If you're a landlord: book early
The last week of June and the first two weeks of July are the busiest fortnight of our year in M14 and it is not close. Every landlord in Fallowfield wants the same three days.
- Book the whole portfolio in one go
- We do multiple houses in a day, invoiced together
- Key charts: which key, which house, which door
- Ask about restricted keys before, not after
The restricted key question. If tenants cutting kiosk copies is the actual problem, changing cylinders every July is treating the symptom forever. A restricted profile cannot be copied at a kiosk: the blanks are patented and only we supply them, and every cut is logged against your authorised list. £85-140 per door once, instead of £35-60 every single year. See master key systems.
If you're a student: two things
One. When you move in, ask your landlord whether the locks were changed. If the answer is vague, they were not. That means last year's six tenants and everyone they gave a key to can still open your front door. You are entitled to ask and it is a reasonable question.
Two. Locked out at 2am with six housemates asleep? Ring the house first, then us. We will ask for something tying you to the address, which for students usually means a tenancy agreement on your phone or a call to the letting agent. Locked out, £65-110.
What it costs
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Cylinder change, per door | £35-60 |
| Front and back keyed alike | £70-110 |
| Restricted profile, per door | £85-140 |
| Extra keys, standard | £8-15 |
| Extra keys, restricted | £18-30 |
| Lockout, non-destructive | £65-110 |
| Whole portfolio, per house | quoted |
Around here
Questions people actually ask
I'm a landlord in Fallowfield. When should I book the changeover?
Weeks before you need it. The last week of June and the first fortnight of July are the busiest period of our year in M14 and it is not close, because every landlord in Fallowfield wants the same three days. Book the whole portfolio in one go and we will do several houses in a day and invoice them together, with a key chart telling you which key opens which door in which house. Ring in May and you get the days you want. Ring on the 28th of June and you get what is left.
Do I really need to change the locks between student tenancies?
Do the arithmetic. Six tenants, twelve months, three-pound kiosk copies on Wilmslow Road. Every one of them lost a key at some point, some cut spares for partners, and at the end of the year you get six keys back. You have no idea how many exist and you never will, and asking does not help. The only thing that makes an old key stop working is a new cylinder. It is £35 to £60 per door, or £70 to £110 for a front and back keyed alike, and it is the cheapest part of turning a house around.
Is there a way to stop tenants cutting their own keys?
Yes, and if that is your actual problem then changing cylinders every July is treating the symptom forever. A restricted key profile uses patented blanks that only we can supply, so a kiosk physically cannot copy them. When a tenant wants a spare they ring us and we check them against your authorised list before cutting, and every cut is logged. It is £85 to £140 per door once, against £35 to £60 every single year, so it pays for itself in about three tenancies.
I've just moved into a Fallowfield student house. Were the locks changed?
Ask your landlord, and if the answer is vague then they were not. It is a completely reasonable question and you are entitled to ask it. If the locks were not changed, last year's six tenants and everybody they ever gave a key to can still open your front door, and neither you nor your landlord knows how many of those keys are out there. If your landlord will not do it, a cylinder change is £35 to £60 per door and it is worth splitting between the house.
I'm locked out of my student house at 2am. What do I need?
Ring the house first, because somebody is usually awake. If not, ring us. We will ask for something that ties you to the address, and for students that usually means a tenancy agreement on your phone, a bank card or bill with the address, or a call to your letting agent. It takes two minutes and it is the reason your own front door is safe. A non-destructive opening is £65 to £110, and the price is the same at 2am as at 2pm.