HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

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

No licence applies to locksmiths — the SIA does not cover lock work. Fix the total price before they set off, and check your insurer's lock standard.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a locksmith in five steps

  1. Get a total price firstIn a message, before the locksmith sets off.
  2. Ask about entryNon-destructive entry where possible, before any drilling.
  3. Have proof of addressA careful locksmith asks for it.
  4. Check your insurer's standardFor any new lock.
  5. Keep the invoiceLock type and keys listed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Locksmiths need no licence and join no statutory register in any of the four nations. Schedule 2 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 sets out the SIA's licensable activities, and fitting locks or opening doors is not one; holding a key only to get in for non-security work is excluded too.

Ask for a business name, a landline or address, and the insurer. legislation.gov.uk →

Key holding is different

A business that keeps your keys and responds to alarm call-outs as a security service does need an SIA key-holding licence. That is not a locksmith's normal work.

If a locksmith offers to hold keys and attend alarms, check their licence on the SIA register. gov.uk →

The price, before they come

An emergency locksmith call-out you asked for is an urgent repair, which regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes from the 14-day cancellation right. If no price is agreed, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 only obliges you to pay a reasonable one, so fix the total first.

Get the call-out, entry and lock prices in a message. legislation.gov.uk →

Insurance and trader status

Your right to reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 matters if a door is damaged during entry.

Ask who insures the locksmith.

VAT

A locksmith's call-out, entry and new lock are all standard-rated at 20%. Over the £90,000 registration threshold a trader must charge it and show it separately; under it there is no VAT and no VAT number.

Ask on the phone whether the locksmith's price includes VAT, and for the VAT number before they set off. gov.uk →

“What is the total price, including call-out and any new lock?”

A good answer: A figure in a message before the locksmith sets off.

“As a locksmith, will you try non-destructive entry first?”

A good answer: Yes; drilling only if picking or bypass fails.

“What does a new lock cost, and does it meet my insurer's standard?”

A good answer: A named lock, a price, and a question about your policy.

“Does a locksmith call-out cost more at night or at weekends?”

A good answer: A stated rate.

“Will you ask me for proof I live here?”

A good answer: Yes — a locksmith who does not ask is a worry.

“Is your locksmith business insured if the door is damaged?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Call-out fee
  • Entry charge, non-destructive first
  • Any new lock named and priced
  • Night, weekend and bank holiday rates
  • Who actually attends — the locksmith you called, or a subcontractor the call was passed to
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as its own line

Walk away if

  • No price until they arrive
  • Drills the lock straight away
  • Claims an 'SIA licence' for lock work
  • Does not ask for proof of address
  • Price rises once the door is open
LOW
£75
TYPICAL
£100
HIGH
£250

What a locksmith costs: £75–£250 per job

Locksmiths charge a call-out plus entry and parts; nights, weekends and bank holidays cost more. Locksmith 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

Locksmiths 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. Confirm price and identityTotal agreed; proof of address checked.
  2. EntryNon-destructive methods first.
  3. Lock workLock changed or repaired if needed.
  4. TestLocked and unlocked from both sides.
  5. Hand overKeys and invoice.

Non-destructive entry
Opening a door without damaging the lock.
Euro cylinder
The key barrel used in most uPVC doors.
Anti-snap cylinder
A cylinder designed to resist snapping attacks.
Mortice deadlock
A key lock set into a timber door.
Key holding
Keeping keys and responding to alarms — SIA-licensed when done as security.
Call-out fee
The fee for attending.

AFTER

When the job is done

Test the new lockFrom both sides.
Count the keysAnd who has copies.
Keep the invoiceLock standard noted for your insurer.
Write the reviewSay what the locksmith did well on the locksmith call-out and what they did not. If it fell short, use the make-it-right step first, so the locksmith can put it right before you publish.

STEP 1Go back to the locksmithSay what is wrong with the locksmith call-out and what you want done about it. Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the locksmith call-out had to be carried out with reasonable care and skill; if it was not, you can ask the locksmith to put it right at their own cost (section 55) or for money off (section 56).
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the locksmith gets the chance to put the locksmith call-out right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesA locksmith who will not engage can be reported through the consumer helplines, which pass cases to Trading Standards — Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedAn unpaid refund or repair bill from the locksmith call-out goes to small claims: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland using simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland — all designed to be used without a solicitor.

Hiring a locksmith: questions people ask

No. No register or SIA licence applies to locksmithing in any of the four nations.

Only if they also act as a key holder responding to alarms as a security service.

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

£75–£250 per job, with £100 a typical bill for a lock change. The locksmith price guide explains the range; your town in the search box above shows locksmiths who cover it.

Yes; it is a sign of a careful one.

Twenty minutes to an hour for most entries and lock changes.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Lock RepairHow 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: Shed RepairAll 701 hiring guides →

Locksmiths near you

Locksmiths in LondonLocksmiths in ManchesterLocksmiths in BirminghamLocksmiths in GlasgowLocksmiths in BelfastAll locksmiths on Locufy →

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. gov.uk — check security staff have a licence
  4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from the cancellation right
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register