Locked out · right now · Greater Manchester
Locked out? Read this before you break anything.
Get a price in 2 minutes
If it's urgent, just ring. The form is for when you can wait five minutes.
- £65-110
- 20-35 min typical
- No damage in most cases
- No call-out fee
You are outside. It is probably raining. Before you do anything else, spend two minutes on this, because the next thing most people do costs them about eighty pounds.
Do these first. They cost nothing.
- Stop turning the key. If it is in the lock and will not turn, forcing it snaps it. A snapped key turns a £70 opening into a £130 extraction. Put it down.
- Try every other door and window. Back door, side door, patio, ground floor windows, the little top vent nobody ever locks. People are wrong about this more often than you would think.
- Ring whoever else has a key. Partner, parent, neighbour, landlord, letting agent, the friend who fed the cat in 2023. Twenty minutes across town beats seventy pounds.
- Look at the door. If it is uPVC and the handle was getting stiff, the gearbox has probably sheared. Tell us that on the phone. It changes what we bring.
- If you rent, ring the landlord. They may be obliged to sort it, and they may already have someone.
Then ring us
Answered 24 hours. Fixed price before we set off. No call-out fee.
What we will ask
- Postcode
- uPVC, composite, or wooden?
- Key lost, key inside, or key won't turn?
- Was the handle stiff lately?
- Flat, house, or block with a concierge?
That is thirty seconds and it decides whether we arrive with the right part or have to come back. It also lets us give you a real number rather than a guess.
Will you damage my door?
Usually not. Most lockouts open non-destructively: the lock still works afterwards, you keep your keys, and you pay for the opening and nothing else. That is the default and we try it first every time.
Drilling is a last resort. It is genuinely necessary when the lock is already damaged, when a multipoint gearbox has sheared with the hooks out, when a cylinder has been snapped in a break-in attempt, or when the lock is a high-security type designed to resist exactly what we would otherwise do.
If drilling is the only way, we tell you the total cost including the new cylinder before we start. Not after.
We will ask who you are
Something tying you to the address: driving licence, bank card, a bill, a tenancy agreement, or a call to the landlord or agent. It takes two minutes.
If you have been locked out with nothing on you at all, which happens, we can usually work it out. But we will ask questions first, and any locksmith who does not ask is a locksmith who will open your door for somebody else.
What it costs
| Situation | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Standard lockout, opened non-destructively | £65-110 | 15-40 min |
| Key snapped in the lock | £35-70 | 20-40 min |
| Drilled cylinder + replacement | £90-150 | 30-60 min |
| Sheared gearbox, hooks extended | £110-200 | 45-90 min |
| Keys lost, locks changed too | £100-180 | 45-90 min |
Same price at 3am on a Sunday as 2pm on a Tuesday. See emergency locksmith for coverage and response, or lost keys if they are gone for good.
Questions people actually ask
I'm locked out right now. What should I do first?
Stop turning the key, if it is still in the lock. Forcing a key that will not turn is the single most expensive thing you can do standing on a doorstep, because a snapped key turns a £70 opening into a £130 extraction. Then check every other door and window, including the small top vents people never lock. Then ring anyone else who has a key, because twenty minutes across town beats seventy pounds. Then ring us on 0161 394 2625. We answer 24 hours and we give you a fixed price before we set off.
Will a locksmith damage my door getting me in?
Usually not. Most lockouts are opened non-destructively, which means the lock still works afterwards, you keep your keys, and you pay only for the opening. That is our default and we try it first every time. Drilling is a last resort and it is genuinely necessary when the lock is already damaged, when a multipoint gearbox has sheared with the hooks extended, when a cylinder has been snapped in a break-in attempt, or when the lock is a high-security type built to resist exactly that. If drilling is the only route, we tell you the total cost including the replacement before we start.
How much does a locksmith cost to open a door in Manchester?
£65 to £110 for a standard lockout opened without damage, which is most of them. If a key has snapped in the lock, extraction is £35 to £70. If the cylinder has to be drilled, £90 to £150 including the replacement. If a uPVC gearbox has sheared with the hooks extended, £110 to £200, because the door is physically locked into the frame. There is no call-out fee, no charge for the quote, and no surcharge at night, at weekends or on bank holidays.
What proof do I need that I live there?
Something that ties you to the address: a driving licence, a bank card with the address on it, a utility bill, a tenancy agreement, or a phone call with your landlord or letting agent. It takes two minutes. If you have been locked out with absolutely nothing on you, which does happen, we can usually work something out, but we will ask questions first and we may want to speak to someone who can confirm you. Any locksmith who will open a door without asking will open yours for someone else.
My uPVC door won't open and the handle was stiff for weeks. What's happened?
The multipoint gearbox has almost certainly sheared, and the stiffness was the warning. If it broke while the hooks were extended, the door is now locked into the frame at three or four points with nothing able to retract them, which is why it will not open from either side. It is £110 to £200 because the door has to be opened before anything can be repaired. Tell us on the phone that the handle had been stiff, because it tells us what to bring and saves a second visit.
Can you get me back in if I've lost my keys completely?
Yes, and you should change the locks at the same time rather than just getting the door open. If the keys are genuinely lost rather than left inside, somebody may have them, and if they were lost with anything showing your address then your locks are compromised whether or not anyone ever turns up. Opening plus a cylinder change is £100 to £180 and takes 45 to 90 minutes, done in one visit. Your old keys stop working the moment we finish.