Locked out: how to avoid a locksmith rip-off

Take five minutes. They can save you hundreds.

The answer in 2 lines. Before calling a locksmith, check whether your home insurance or a bank account package includes emergency home assistance. Ask for the total price on the phone, call-out fee and VAT included, and get it confirmed in writing (a text or email) before any work starts. Be wary of adverts that look official or appear first in search results without a local address. If you are overcharged, do not sign anything you disagree with, keep all paperwork and contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, which passes cases to Trading Standards.

The first 3 steps

Call your insurer or assistance line first: it is sometimes covered.
Ask for the total price on the phone, call-out included, and whether they will try to open the lock without drilling it.
Get the price confirmed in writing and agree before work starts.

Stop: danger

A child, a vulnerable person or a pet locked inside, or cooking left on: call 999. That is an emergency.

Breathe: a closed door is not an emergency

You have time to check before calling anyone. Take five minutes at a neighbour's or in a café.

Is there a spare key with a family member, a neighbour, or your landlord or letting agent?
Is a window open? Do not climb: falls are a real risk.
Check your insurance documents or app for emergency home cover.

Spotting a rogue locksmith

A very low phone price that grows on the doorstep ("call-out fee", "night rate", "special lock").
No company name, no landline or no real address, or a national call centre that sends whoever is nearby.
Drilling or breaking the lock straight away on a door that was simply pulled shut: many can be opened without damage.
Pressure to pay cash only, or to pay before the work is done.

Your rights

A trader must give you clear information about the price before you are bound by a contract.
When you call a trader to your home for an urgent repair, the usual 14-day right to cancel generally does not apply to that urgent repair (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013): agree the price before they start.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be done with reasonable care and skill (section 49); if no price was agreed, you only have to pay a reasonable price (section 51).

What not to do

Calling the first number in an online search without checking who and where the company is.
Letting work start without a total price.
Signing an invoice that does not match what you agreed.

If it goes wrong

Do not sign a price you think is unfair: you can refuse. If you feel threatened, call 999.
Keep the quote, the invoice, texts and the card receipt. If you paid by card, ask your bank about a chargeback.
Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (England and Wales: 0808 223 1133). It advises you and passes reports to Trading Standards. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own consumer advice services.

Good to know

If you rent, a lost key or a door you pulled shut is usually at your cost; a faulty lock is usually the landlord's to repair.
Leave a spare key with someone you trust.
Which? and local Trading Standards regularly warn about locksmith scams.

In London, Ravi pulls his door shut with the keys inside. A website quotes £49 on the phone, then the man at the door wants £350 to drill the lock. Ravi says no, calls his insurer, and finds his policy includes emergency assistance. Their locksmith opens the door in five minutes without damage.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 18 October 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the steps, the warning signs, the Citizens Advice helpline and the Consumer Rights Act 2015; medium for how the cancellation rules apply to your case, which depends on the circumstances. Locksmith prices vary too much to quote. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis.