Lock playing up? Fix it before it fails.

Most door lock repairs fall between £25 and £70. A basic service (clean, lubricate, realign) is £25 to £45. A euro cylinder repair is £35 to £60. A mortice lock repair is £40 to £70. uPVC multipoint work costs more because of the parts: £45 to £85 for a service, £60 to £120 if the gearbox needs replacing. There is no call-out fee, so the quote you are given is the price you pay.

That is the classic warning sign of a failing multipoint gearbox. The handle is having to force worn gears to drive the hooks and rollers into the frame. It usually gets worse over a few weeks and then the gearbox snaps completely, often leaving the door locked shut with you outside. Caught early, the repair is £45 to £85. Once the gearbox breaks it is £60 to £120 plus a possible lockout. If your handle is stiff, do not wait.

Most locks can be repaired. Stiffness, a key that will not turn smoothly, a latch that will not engage, and a loose handle are almost always wear, dirt or misalignment rather than a dead lock. Replacement is genuinely needed when the lock body is cracked, the cylinder has been snapped or drilled in a break-in attempt, or the lock is below BS3621 and your insurer requires an upgrade. A repair is cheaper, so it is always the first thing we try.

No. Forcing a key that will not turn is how a £35 repair becomes a £120 job plus a lockout. A key that resists usually means the door has dropped and the bolt is binding against the frame, or the cylinder is dirty or worn. Try lifting the door slightly by the handle and turning gently. If it still will not turn, stop. A snapped key inside a cylinder is far more expensive to deal with than a stiff one.

A basic lock service or realignment takes 15 to 30 minutes. A euro cylinder repair or replacement takes about 20 to 30 minutes. A mortice lock repair takes 30 to 60 minutes. A uPVC multipoint gearbox replacement takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on the door. Most repairs are finished in a single visit because the common parts are carried on the van.

No. The price is the same at 3am on a Sunday as it is at 2pm on a Tuesday. There is no call-out fee and no out-of-hours surcharge. Response times do differ: 15 to 25 minutes in Manchester city centre, 20 to 35 minutes across Greater Manchester, and 30 to 45 minutes overnight.

A repair fixes the lock you already have: cleaning, realigning, replacing worn internal parts, or fitting a new cylinder to the same lock body. A lock change replaces the whole mechanism, usually because it is damaged beyond repair or because you need new keys after losing a set, moving in, or ending a tenancy. If your keys still work but the lock feels wrong, you want a repair. If the keys are gone or the lock is broken, you want a change.