Mailbox locks · Greater Manchester
The job every locksmith says no to.
Get a price in 2 minutes
Tell us the block and how many boxes. We ring you back.
- From £35
- Single box or whole block
- Keyed alike available
- No call-out fee
You've lost the key to your post box. You ring five locksmiths. Four say they don't do those and one says he'll come out for eighty quid minimum. Meanwhile your bank card, your passport and your council tax bill are sitting in a metal box in a communal hallway that you cannot open.
We do them. It's a small job and we treat it like one: from £35, not eighty.
Why nobody wants the work
Mailbox locks are cam locks, a small cylinder with a flat metal tab that rotates behind the door. They're cheap, there are hundreds of variants, and the profit on one is roughly a sandwich. Most locksmiths would rather take a lockout.
Which is exactly why we take them. Do enough of them and you carry the right cams, and then it's a fifteen-minute job instead of an ordeal.
What we do
Lost key, one box
Open non-destructively where we can, new cam lock, two keys. £35-55.
Whole block
Landlords and management companies. All boxes rekeyed, every tenant gets their own, you get a master. £25-40 per box.
Keyed alike
Your flat door and your post box on one key. Small thing. People love it. +£5-10.
Forced or broken
Levered open, door bent, lock destroyed. Repair or replace the box front. £45-90.
What it costs
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Open + new cam lock, one box, two keys | £35-55 |
| Extra keys | £5-10 |
| Keyed alike to your flat door | +£5-10 |
| Whole block, per box (6 or more) | £25-40 |
| Forced box repair | £45-90 |
We will ask who you are
A post box holds bank cards, replacement cards, government letters and anything with your name and address on it. It is the single best place to start stealing an identity, and it is behind a lock a determined teenager could open.
So we'll want to see something tying you to that flat and that box. Tenancy agreement, a bill, a bank card with the address, or a call to the managing agent. Any locksmith who opens a post box without asking will open yours for someone else.
Where we cover
All ten Greater Manchester boroughs. Mostly city-centre blocks, converted mills, and student housing.
Related
Questions people actually ask
I've lost my post box key. How much to replace the lock?
£35 to £55 for a standard communal mailbox, which includes opening it, fitting a new cam lock and cutting two keys. Extra keys are £5 to £10. There is no call-out fee. Most locksmiths will not quote for this at all, or will quote an £80 minimum because the job is too small to be worth their time. We carry the common cam locks, so for us it is a fifteen minute job and we price it like one.
Can you do all the boxes in a block at once?
Yes, and that is much cheaper per box. For six or more it works out at £25 to £40 each. Every tenant gets their own key that opens only their box, and the landlord or managing agent gets a master that opens all of them. You get a key chart listing which key goes with which box, which matters more than it sounds when a tenant moves out and you need to know what to change.
Can my post box key be the same as my front door key?
Usually yes, if your flat door has a euro cylinder or a standard profile we can match. It is an extra £5 to £10 and it means one fewer thing on your keyring and one fewer thing to lose. It is a very small convenience that people are disproportionately pleased about. It does not weaken your front door: the mailbox lock is a separate mechanism that simply accepts the same key shape.
Will you open a post box for anyone who asks?
No. A post box holds bank cards, replacement cards, government letters and anything else with your name and address on it, which makes it the best possible starting point for identity theft. Before we open one we want something that ties you to that flat and that box: a tenancy agreement, a bill, a bank card with the address, or a phone call to the managing agent. It takes two minutes. Any locksmith who will open a post box without asking will open yours for someone else.