What to do if you get locked out.

Being locked out tends to be a traumatic experience, especially when you are in a hurry. If you get your door locks replaced or repaired in advance, you can avoid such problems as a snapped key or a flimsy door lock which will eventually break and leave you locked out.

However, emergencies can happen to anyone, anytime. What to do if you get locked out of your property?

Even if the locks in your home or office seem to be working fine, it is always best to contact a professional local locksmith in order to have a free security check carried out. This way, you will make sure that your property is safe and that you have locks with anti-burglary properties fitted in. However, if an emergency happens, the most important thing is not to panic.

Disregarding whether it is a broken lock, a key snapped in a lock or a lost key, the problem can be solved easily and without much damage to the door – as long as you do not make hasty decisions.

Fixing the lock on your own?

The Internet is full of all sorts of advice on how to fix a broken door lock on your own, using a range of items such as lubricants, screwdrivers, kerosene and metal files.

However, such actions may only make things worse. Without specialist equipment, training and knowledge, you might end up destroying your lock completely, or even worse – destroying your door. Eventually, you will not get into the property anyway, or you are going to get in but with your lock mechanism irreversibly broken.

This way you are losing not only your precious time, but also money.

If you end up breaking your lock, taking it out and replacing with a new one is very likely to turn out more costly and time consuming than having your key extracted or lock fixed by a trained locksmith.

Fixing broken locks or extracting keys in order to let people into their properties is one of the main services of a professional locksmith. An experienced locksmith is able to provide a quick and affordable lock repair, without making much mess and – most importantly – without breaking your door.

When to call the locksmith

Therefore, if you are experiencing any trouble with entering your property, looking for ideas of how to fix a door lock mechanism is not a very good way to go.

Nowadays, finding a skilled, experienced and certified local locksmith is easier than you think, especially if you live in a big city such as London, or its surrounding areas. Usually it is enough to say: “OK Google, what’s the best emergency locksmith near me?”, but you can also type “emergency local locksmith”, “emergency locksmith services” or – if you stay in London – “London emergency locksmiths”. It’s worth including your postcode, for example “emergency locksmith SW16” to get someone from your closest area.

Then, make sure that the locksmiths you find are not a call center, but genuine, fully trained specialists with an actual local address who will answer the phone personally.

After arranging a visit, a locksmith should be with you within thirty minutes or so. Most good locksmiths carry a range of tools, locks, lock mechanisms and accessories with them, which fit such popular brands as ERA, Ingersoll Rand, Chubb Locks, Union, Yale, MUL-T-LOCK and others. However, if you have locks of any other brand, an emergency locksmith is going to offer you a range of affordable door repair services.

Is it worth it?

Most importantly, by calling a professional locksmith over, you can be sure that the broken part of the lock is going to be fixed with minimal impact on the rest of the mechanism, on the door and on the frame.

By calling emergency local services you are going to be presented with reliable quotes which will be most likely met.

Isn’t it a much more efficient and affordable way to be able to enter your property and to have it secured for the future, than fixing the door with DIY equipment?

Locked out? Do not panic. Call a locksmith! Better yet... Call SMR Locksmiths!