How do I find a locksmith I can trust?

Two things make this a common source of trouble: the trade is unregulated, and people call one at the worst possible moment — locked out, in the rain, at eleven at night. Doing thirty seconds of checking while you are calm is worth a great deal, so this is a job to do before you need it.

Step by step

1. Understand that the trade is not licensed.There is no statutory register in the UK. A national-sounding name, a local-sounding number and a smart website prove nothing at all about competence or vetting.
2. Search the Master Locksmiths Association's own find-a-locksmith list.MLA approved companies are vetted, inspected and their locksmiths are DBS-checked. Search the MLA site directly rather than trusting a logo on someone's advert, because logos are copied.
3. Beware the national-lead-generation model.Many prominent search results are call centres that pass the job to whoever is nearest and take a cut. That is where the very large bills usually come from. A named local business with a real address behaves differently.
4. Get a total price on the phone before anyone travels.Call-out, labour, parts, VAT and any out-of-hours rate, as one figure or a clear range with what would change it. Say plainly that you will not proceed without an agreed price.
5. Ask whether they can open it without drilling.A competent locksmith opens most domestic locks non-destructively, so you pay for the visit and not for a new lock. A first answer of drill-and-replace on a standard cylinder is a reason to call someone else.
6. Check identification before they touch the door.A named ID card, a vehicle and paperwork that match the company you called. It is entirely reasonable to ask, and a genuine locksmith expects it.
7. Check the replacement lock's rating before it goes in.If a cylinder or a mortice lock is being replaced, ask for one meeting the standard your insurer names — TS007 three-star or Sold Secure Diamond on a euro cylinder, BS3621 on a timber door. Get it on the invoice.
8. Keep the paperwork and the old lock.An itemised invoice with the company's address, and the removed lock. Both matter for an insurance claim and for any dispute afterwards.
9. Save a number now, while nothing is wrong.The best time to choose is not while standing outside in the dark. Put a vetted local number in your phone and give it to whoever else lives there.

Tips

• Leave a spare key with a neighbour or family member rather than hiding one outside. It costs nothing and it removes most lockouts.
• If a quoted price changes dramatically on arrival, you are allowed to stop, pay nothing for work not done, and call someone else.
• For a lockout on a uPVC door, mention the mechanism symptoms on the phone — handle lifts but key will not turn, or handle flops. It changes what they bring.

Common mistakes

• Calling the first sponsored search result at midnight — Paid results are dominated by lead-generation call centres. The price is set by whoever turns up and there is no relationship to fall back on.
• Agreeing to work with no price stated — Once the lock is drilled the bargaining position is gone. Getting the number agreed before travel is the whole protection.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask