HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hire a lock repairer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to lock repairs — the SIA does not cover locks. Agree the total price first and check your insurer's lock standard.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a lock repairer in five steps

  1. Note the door and lockuPVC, composite or timber; cylinder, mortice or multi-point.
  2. Test with the door pushedIf it locks when pushed shut, the door has dropped.
  3. Get the total price firstBefore any work starts on the lock.
  4. Check your insurer's standardBefore a replacement lock is chosen.
  5. Keep the invoiceLock type and parts listed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Lock repairers need no licence or registration anywhere in the four nations. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 lists the licensable roles — guarding, door supervision, CCTV monitoring and others — and fitting or repairing locks is not one of them.

Ask for a business name, the insurer and a total price for the lock repair. legislation.gov.uk →

Price before work

If no price is agreed, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 only obliges you to pay a reasonable one. A written total before the lock is touched avoids the argument.

Get the full lock repair price in a message before work starts.

Urgent call-outs and cancellation

If you call a lock repairer out urgently — locked out, or a door that will not lock — regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes that repair out of the 14-day cancellation right. A planned visit booked by phone or online normally keeps it.

Confirm the price and call-out in writing when you book the lock repair. legislation.gov.uk →

Insurance and trader status

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 right to reasonable care and skill is worth most against an insured trader.

Ask who insures the lock repair business.

VAT

Lock repair is standard-rated at 20%, on the cylinder, the gearbox and the time to adjust the door. Registration is compulsory above £90,000 of taxable turnover, and a registered firm has to charge it and itemise it rather than fold it into the price.

Ask whether the lock repair price you were given includes VAT, and for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“Is it the lock or the door that is at fault?”

A good answer: A diagnosis: a dropped door needs adjusting, not a new lock.

“What is the total price for the lock repair?”

A good answer: A figure before work starts.

“Can the multi-point mechanism be repaired, or must it be replaced?”

A good answer: An honest answer with both prices.

“Will a new lock meet my insurer's standard?”

A good answer: They ask what your policy requires.

“Do you charge more out of hours?”

A good answer: A stated rate.

“Are you insured for lock repair work?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Total price for the lock repair
  • Parts named — cylinder, gearbox, keep
  • Door adjustment included
  • Out-of-hours rate if relevant
  • Who actually attends to the lock — the locksmith on the phone, or a subcontractor using the firm's name
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown separately

Walk away if

  • Will not give a total price before starting
  • Replaces a lock when the door only needed adjusting
  • Claims to be 'SIA approved' for lock work — there is no such licence
  • Cash only
LOW
£70
TYPICAL
£100
HIGH
£180

What a lock repairer costs: £70–£180 per job

Lock repairs are priced per job, with parts added and a higher rate out of hours. Lock Repair price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Lock repairers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. DiagnoseLock, keep and door checked.
  2. PriceTotal agreed before work.
  3. RepairWorn parts or the gearbox replaced.
  4. AdjustHinges and keeps set so the door locks easily.
  5. TestLocked and unlocked from both sides.

Euro cylinder
The key barrel in most uPVC and composite doors.
Multi-point lock
A lock that bolts the door at several points.
Gearbox
The mechanism inside a multi-point lock.
Keep
The part on the frame the bolt goes into.
Mortice lock
A lock set into the edge of a timber door.
Night latch
A spring latch on the inside face of a door.

AFTER

When the job is done

Lock and unlock from both sidesSeveral times, with the door shut normally.
Count the keysAnd keep a spare somewhere safe.
Keep the invoiceLock standard noted, for your insurer.
Review it honestlyYour review of the lock repair is tied to a real booking. Under four stars, you can send the problem with the lock repair to the lock repairer first and we follow it up; then the review goes live.

STEP 1Complain to the lock repairer firstRaise it with the lock repairer in writing while it is fresh. The lock repair came with a legal promise of reasonable care and skill under the 2015 Act; ask for the shortfall to be fixed at no cost, and if it cannot be, for an appropriate refund.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepGive the lock repair fewer than four stars and you can send the issue to the lock repairer first; we stay on it until there is an answer, and then your review is posted.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesTrading Standards is reached through a helpline, not directly: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland can log a complaint about the lock repairer and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the lock repair, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring a lock repairer: questions people ask

No. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 does not cover fitting or repairing locks, so no SIA licence applies.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you pay a reasonable price; agree a total in writing first.

Many policies set a lock standard; check before a replacement is fitted.

£70–£180 per job, about £100 typical. The detail sits in the lock repair price guide, and the search above lists repairers working near your town.

If it locks easily when you push the door hard, the door has probably dropped.

Thirty minutes to two hours.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: LocksmithHow to hire: Door Hanging & RepairHow to hire: uPVC RepairHow to hire: Window RepairHow to hire: Garage Door RepairHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Odd JobsHow to hire: Sash Window RestorationAll 701 hiring guides →

Lock repairers near you

Lock repairers in LondonLock repairers in ManchesterLock repairers in BirminghamLock repairers in GlasgowLock repairers in BelfastAll lock repairers on Locufy →Do it yourself: fixing a stiff lock or changing a euro cylinder →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Private Security Industry Act 2001, Schedule 2 — the licensable activities
  2. gov.uk — find out if you need an SIA licence
  3. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from the cancellation right
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  6. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register