Locksmith Costs

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Whether you’re moving to a new home, lost your keys or have simply locked yourself out of your home or car, the best people to help you are locksmiths.

Average Locksmith Hourly Costs

Even though most tasks from locksmiths can be dealt with within 30 minutes, you’ll find that locksmiths will charge a minimum of 1 hour of the time, so it’s important to know that on average locksmiths charge around £50 per hour.

The hourly rate can vary between £35–£100 per hour – unless it is an emergeny.

Average Emergency Locksmith Hourly Costs

The emergency hourly costs will vary from locksmith to locksmith and the time of day you need them.

Based on averages however, you could be looking at £90 per hour, with costs ranging between £60–£150 per hour for an emergency locksmith.

You may also be facing an emergency call-out fee on top of this in some circumstances.

Locksmith Service Costs Breakdown

As locksmiths can provide a wide variety of services it’s useful to know some of the most common jobs they do and how much they cost, and why.

Cost to replace all locks for a property

While every property is going to have different requirements for this, based on the number of doors, windows and sheds/outbuildings for example, locksmiths also need to consider the types of locks that need replacing, as well as the material of the doors/windows as they can make things more complicated.

The average cost is around £400 to replace all the locks on a property. Costs for this can range between £200 – £700 or even more.

Cost for locksmith to gain entry to home in day time

If you find yourself locked out of your home during the day time, the likelihood is that you’ll be paying a standard locksmiths hourly rate for this, but the good news, it usually only takes about 30 minutes so you can be back inside your home with a cup of tea to destress relatively quickly.

This means you are likely to be paying anywhere between £35-£100 to regain entry to your property, but on average you could be looking at £50.

The other thing to consider here is whether or not you need to replace the lock or make the property safe after regaining entry.

Cost for locksmith to gain entry to home at night time

This is a surpisingly common job during the Christmas/New Years time – we go out, have a few too many drinks and find out we’ve either forgotten to bring our keys or lost them somewhere on our adventures.

The first thing to say here, is as this is a very busy period for locksmiths, it can take a little bit longer for them to get to you – so remember to treat your locksmiths with courtesy and respect when they do arrive.

The second thing to consider – which is going to affect the total cost, is how late into the night you’re calling the locksmith. The later the day/night gets, the more the cost of the hourly rate.

With that said, you could be facing a fee of anywhere between £60-£150, but on average the cost is likely to be around £90.

Different replacement locks costs:

Different types of locks come with different costs, they also come with differing challenges to install.

Replacement Mortice Lock Costs:

A mortice lock is a relatively common lock in the UK, it requires a space to be cut into the door to be fitted. This can affect the overall price you pay as the locksmith may have to alter the size of the hole and that add to the time it takes to complete the job.

On average you could be paying around £120. Of course, different locks and brands have different prices, so you may find yourself paying anywhere between £90-£150 for the job.

Replacement Cylinder Lock Costs:

Another common type of lock in the UK is the cylinder lock, these are the kind your front door may have. You can insert a key into a cylinder and turn it to unlock the locking mechanism.

The average cost to replace a cylinder lock is around £100, but can vary between £90-£150.

Top Tips For Reducing Locksmith Costs

You may think that locksmith costs are unavoidable, and in some cases this is true – if you lose your key for example.

However, there are steps you can take to reduce the need for calling a locksmith out;

1. Install a key safe outside your property
   • A key safe is a small lock box you can keep a spare set of keys in – just in case you lose/forget your key, you’ll always have the set in the key safe.
   • Remember to install this key safe somewhere discreet and safe to deter potential criminals.
2. Regularly maintain your locks to prevent key snapping/mechanism failures
   • By looking after your locks and performing regular maintenance you can extend the life of the locks and prevent potential mishapes like a key snapping inside the lock or siezure of the mechanisms inside.

Now you know the average hourly rate for a locksmith is £50 per hour or £90 per hour for emergencies, but can range between £35-£100 per hour or £60-£150 per hour in emergencies/out of hours.