LOCKED OUT?
WHAT TO DO NEXT

Step by step, stay calm

The first thing to do is not panic. A lockout feels like an emergency, but rushing is exactly what leads to a broken window or a damaged door that costs far more to put right. Work through these steps calmly.

1. Check every other door and window. Back doors, patio doors and ground-floor windows are often left on the latch. Only try what is genuinely safe to reach: never climb or lean out at height.
2. See if anyone else has a key. A partner, housemate, family member or a trusted neighbour who holds a spare can save you a call-out entirely.
3. Make sure you are actually locked out. On uPVC doors, lifting the handle and turning the key sometimes just needs a firmer try. A stiff mechanism is not always a lockout.
4. Get somewhere warm and safe. If it is late or cold, wait in your car or a neighbour's while you sort help, rather than standing on the doorstep.
5. Call a reputable local locksmith. A genuine local like City Locksmiths will give you an honest arrival time and a clear price before starting.

What a locksmith will actually do

When Nick arrives, the first job is non-destructive entry: opening the door using specialist tools without harming the lock or the door itself. For the vast majority of lockouts that is all it takes, and you keep your existing lock and keys. Drilling a lock out is a last resort, only used when a lock has already failed or there is genuinely no other way in. If your keys are lost or stolen rather than just left inside, it is worth changing or rekeying the lock so nobody else can use them.

You should always be told the price before any work starts, and there should never be a call-out fee just for turning up. That is how we have worked across Bristol since July 2009, backed by more than 810 five-star Checkatrade reviews and a 24-month guarantee.

Do not do this

A few well-meant "hacks" do more harm than good. Save yourself the damage and the money.

• Do not force the door or break a window. A pane of glass or a cracked frame costs far more than a locksmith, and broken glass is dangerous.
• Do not try the credit-card trick. It only works on the flimsiest latches, usually snaps your card, and does nothing on a modern uPVC or deadlocked door.
• Do not attack the lock with screwdrivers or drills. You will likely wreck a lock that a locksmith could have picked open in minutes, turning a small bill into a big one.
• Do not ring the first national number you see. Many are call centres that add hidden fees and dispatch a subcontractor from miles away. Choose a named, reviewed local locksmith instead.

If you are anywhere in Bristol and stuck outside right now, call our 24/7 emergency locksmith line. We are based in Clifton and cover every BS postcode, usually reaching you within about 30 minutes.