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Monday 8am - 10pm Tuesday 8am - 10pm Wednesday 8am - 10pm Thursday 8am - 10pm Friday 8am - 10pm Saturday 10am - 7pm Sunday 10am - 7pm

https://andrewthelocksmith.com/?utm_source=gbp

Andrew The Locksmith Harrow, 43 Lime Court, Tranquil Lane, London (2026)

09/10/2026

She had braced herself for £840. She paid £264. Not because I am cheap, but because she had been counting the wrong locks and multiplying the wrong number.

A couple in Headstone rang me a few weeks after moving into a 1930s semi. She did the talking, and she had clearly prepared for the call.

"We want all the locks changed. There are seven. I have looked it up, so I know roughly what it is going to be."

She had looked it up. Price guides online give you a figure for changing one lock. She had taken about £120, multiplied it by seven, and arrived at £840. She was ready for it, in the voice of somebody about to be very brave at the dentist.

So we went through the seven on the phone, one at a time.

The front door, the back door and the patio door were all uPVC, and nobody could say how many keys to them were out there. Those three needed doing.

The side gate had a bolt on the inside and no keyhole anywhere. Nothing to change.

The garage door had been bolted shut from the inside years ago. Same answer.

The shed had a padlock. For most sheds a decent padlock from a hardware shop is all you need, and you can fit it yourself. If there are a few thousand pounds of bikes and tools in there, that is a different conversation. Hers had a lawnmower and two deckchairs in it.

And the seventh was the downstairs loo. Nobody outside your house has ever had a key to your bathroom.

That left three. She wanted one key for all of them, so I ordered keyed alike cylinders and came back three days later. £264, all in.

Two things worth knowing from that, whoever you ring.

The first lock carries the cost of the visit. Every lock after it costs a fraction of that, so the price of one lock times seven is never the real figure.

And the list that matters is not every lock in the house. It is the doors somebody could open from the outside. Count those, and that is your list.

The full breakdown, with typical prices for a flat, a two door house and everything in between: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/cost-to-change-locks

If you want one price for the whole job, agreed before I set off, give me a ring.

Call Andrew: 073 7617 6366

11/09/2026

A lady poured cooking oil into her front door lock. I want to say straight away that she was not being daft, and by the end of this you might see why.

Her door had been getting harder to lock for months, so she did what more or less anyone would do. She looked it up. And every single page she would have found says the same thing: a stiff lock needs lubricating.

So she lubricated it, with what was in the kitchen cupboard. Not a drop on a cotton bud either. Bottle poured, down the edge of the door and into the mechanism. And here is the part that turned a small job into a big one: the stiffer it got, the more she poured. Every time it got worse she assumed she had not used enough.

By the time I had it apart, everything inside was glued together. Cooking oil goes tacky, then solid, and on the way it grabs every bit of dust in the door. There was nothing to clean and nothing to free off. It needed a whole new mechanism, and the cylinder with it.

(My advice on cooking oil is to use extra virgin olive. I want to be very clear that I am joking.)

Now here is the awkward bit. I am a locksmith about to tell you not to buy lock lubricant. Bear with me.

Open the box on any lock I fit and have a look inside it. A euro cylinder, a mortice lock, a multipoint strip. They come dry. No oil, no grease, nothing. That lock goes on the door dry and it works perfectly, and it carries on working perfectly for years. I have had cylinders and multipoint mechanisms apart that were twenty and thirty years old and had never been oiled in their lives. Not once. All still working.

So if your lock did not need lubricant when it was new, why would it need it now?

It does not. Something else has changed, and the oil just hides it.

Seven times out of ten the thing that changed is the door, not the lock. Doors drop on their hinges. Frames settle. Sometimes the building itself has moved, quietly, over thirty years, without ever announcing it. The keeps go out of line by two or three millimetres, which is nothing to look at and everything to the hook that has to find its way in.

The other three times out of ten, it is a mechanism nobody has ever cleaned. Which is why cleaning comes first and lubricating comes second, and almost every guide you will read online skips straight past the cleaning.

And this is where it starts costing money. A door that has dropped a few millimetres is usually a small job. But every time you force it shut, or heave the handle up against the resistance, all that load goes through the gearbox in the middle of the mechanism. It puts up with it for a while. Then something inside gives up, and it is always on a cold morning when you are already late.

If you do want to put something in, here is the only rule that really matters. Never mix lubricants. Not graphite on top of a spray, not a spray on top of graphite, not a new can on top of an old one you cannot remember buying. Pick one and stay with it.

Locks very rarely fail because somebody used the wrong product. They fail because somebody used four.

Silicone lubricant or PTFE lubricant, cleaned first, once or twice a year, and that is genuinely it. One can, bought once.

Full thing here, including the twenty minute service and the five things worth checking while you are there: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/lock-lubricant

If your door has started needing a shove, get it looked at while it is still an adjustment. It is a much smaller job in September than it is in January.

Call Andrew: 073 7617 6366

04/09/2026

Last week I quoted a family for four locks and fitted two. Here is why.

They had just moved into a new house and wanted the place made properly theirs, which is the right instinct. Four locks, quoted on the phone, price agreed, all straightforward.

Then I turned up and had a proper look at what I was actually being asked to change. Two of them were on a four panel bi-fold at the back, and the first and third sections had a lock and a handle on the inside face with nothing whatsoever on the outside. No handle. No keyhole. Nothing to put a key into.

So there is no key anywhere in the world that opens those two panels from the garden. Not the previous owner's, not the builder's, not one cut years ago for somebody nobody remembers. Anything I fitted to them would have changed precisely nothing, apart from the invoice.

I said so, and the job halved. Two locks instead of four, on a price they had already agreed to pay.

Here is the bit I want you to notice. Somebody else changes all four. He does not have to lie to do it, or even say anything at all. He fits what was on the quote, hands over a set of shiny new keys, and the family are delighted, because how would they ever know any different? Nothing has been stolen from them. They have just paid twice what they needed to for a result they would have had anyway.

That is the whole difference between the two sorts of people who turn up at your door, and it is invisible from where you are standing.

So if you have just moved, here is the honest version. A house has a lot of locks in it, and only some of them matter. The bathroom lock has never been within a mile of a stranger. The bedroom doors are nobody's business. What matters is the doors that lead in from the street or the garden, because those are the ones somebody outside your house might have a key to.

For most homes round here that is the front door and one other. Two locks, done properly, beats five done cheaply. Five cheap locks on a house is not five times the security, it is just five cheap locks.

And on plenty of doors it is smaller again. If you have got a uPVC or composite door, the part your key turns is a cylinder that comes out and goes back in. You are not buying a new door mechanism, and you should not be sold one unless the mechanism has genuinely failed. If you have got a timber door with a mortice lock, have a look at the edge of it before you assume anything. If it is already stamped BS3621 with the kitemark, that is a good lock and the only question is who has keys to it.

The reason this matters is that "just moved in" is a lovely moment to be sold things. You are spending money on everything else that week and you have no idea what is normal. Somebody quoting you for every lock in the house on day one is selling locks, not solving your problem.

The bits people actually forget, by the way, are the side gate, the garage door if it connects to the house, and the window lock key that has been in a kitchen drawer since 1998.

Full thing here, including how soon after moving in it is worth doing: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/changing-locks-new-house

Just moved and want it done properly rather than done expensively, give me a ring.

Call Andrew: 073 7617 6366

29/08/2026

Had a porch built? The door your insurer cares about might be the cheapest one you own.

This is one I keep running into, and almost nobody knows about it.

Your home insurance policy talks about your "final exit door". That is the outside door you lock behind you when you leave the house empty. For most people that has always been the front door, and that is where the good lock is.

Then a porch goes on the front. And the moment it does, your front door stops being an outside door. It is now an internal door standing in a little corridor. The porch door is the one that leads outside, so that is the one your policy means, and it usually has whatever basic lock the builder had in the van.

Solid front door with a proper British Standard mortice on it, sat behind a door that would not slow anyone down. From the inside it feels like an upgrade. On paper the house has gone backwards.

And forget the insurance for a moment, because there is a worse problem. A weak porch door hands a burglar somewhere to stand. Once he is through it he is inside a small room, out of sight of the street and the neighbours, with as long as he likes to work on your good front door. A cheap lock on a porch turns your best door into a private job.

Same story at the back when a conservatory or a side return goes on.

While we are here, the other thing people get wrong. "Five lever" is not the same as British Standard. Loads of five lever locks were never certified. What insurers ask for is BS3621, and a genuine one is stamped on the metal plate on the edge of the door, next to the BSI kitemark. No stamp, no certification, whatever anyone tells you.

Open your front door and have a look at the edge. It takes about a minute.

Full guide here, including what the phrase in your policy actually means: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/bs3621-lock

Not sure what you are looking at? Send me a photo of the door edge and I will tell you straight, whether you end up using me or not.

Call Andrew: 073 7617 6366

10/08/2026

Can you name the lock on your own front door?

Most people cannot, and honestly, why would you? You did not choose it. A developer chose it, or the previous owner did, or a locksmith fitted whatever was in the van fifteen years ago.

It only becomes a problem when something goes wrong.

"How much to change a lock?" is probably the most common question I get, and it is a perfectly fair one. The trouble is I often cannot answer it, because the person ringing does not know what they are changing. Not the lock, and every so often not the door either. Plenty of people are not sure whether their front door is timber, uPVC or composite, and that is genuinely hard to tell if nobody has ever pointed it out to you.

Here is why it matters. If you cannot name the thing in your door, you cannot tell whether the person quoting you £355 for a "high security lock" has actually fitted one, or has slid in a £30 cylinder.

So I have written the guide I wish everyone had before they rang me. Two thirds of front doors come down to one of these:

Timber door: a mortice lock. Look at the metal plate on the edge of the door. A proper one is stamped BS3621 alongside the BSI kitemark, and that stamp is what most insurers actually ask for. Five levers on its own is not enough without it.

uPVC or composite: a euro cylinder. Rounded top where the key goes, smaller oval section underneath. One long screw in the door edge is all that holds it in, which is why it can usually be upgraded on its own without touching the door or the handles.

The guide covers eight more besides, including the ones nobody bothers writing about: bathroom and bedroom locks, DIN and metal door locks, garage, gate and roller shutter locks, and padlocks.

Full guide here: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/types-of-door-locks

Not sure what you have got? Send me a photo of the door edge and I will tell you straight, whether you end up using me or not.

Call Andrew: 073 7617 6366

31/07/2026

Advertised "from £49". The bill came to £771. Here's the invoice, line by line.

A customer in Kenton had his key. The door just wouldn't open with it. That's one of the most common calls I get.

He searched online, rang a "from £49" advert, and someone came out. This is what he was charged:

Call out charge: £49 "Emergency locksmith by drilling the lock": £180 New high security lock with 3 new keys: £355 Labour for installing the new lock: £59 Subtotal £643, VAT £128.60. Total £771.

Read that second line again, because it's the whole thing in six words. He was charged £180 for his lock to be drilled. Then £355 to replace the thing that had just been drilled. He paid a premium for the destruction, then paid again for the consequence of it.

And the £49? That's the call-out fee. It bought him a van arriving. Labour appeared twice more after that, once to destroy the lock, once to fit its replacement. Three labour charges, one visit, one door.

Here's what bothers me most: the order it happened in. A door that won't open with the right key has a long list of options before anything gets destroyed. Diagnose why it isn't turning. Pick it. On plenty of faulty cylinders you get the old one out with a single screw and slide a new one in.

I'll be honest with you, because I'd rather you trusted me than thought I was preaching. I drill too, in some situations. But only after every non-destructive method has failed, and you need to know exactly where and how to drill. Going for the drill first, before trying anything else, isn't a technique. It's a sales decision.

The one thing that actually protects you: get the full price written on the job sheet and sign it BEFORE the work starts. Not at the end. Look at the bottom of any locksmith's paperwork and you'll find a line like "I hereby agree to the prices and procedure before starting the job." That line exists for a reason, and it's meant to be filled in while you can still say no.

For the record, mine: £89 labour in standard hours, £99 evenings, £120 nights. No call-out fee, no VAT, and the price I say on the phone is what you pay.

Full write-up with the whole breakdown: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/why-locksmiths-advertise-49-then-charge-300

19/07/2026

How to avoid a rogue locksmith, from someone who gets called in to clean up after them.

The Master Locksmiths Association logged 402 rogue locksmith reports in 2025, up 66% since 2021. And it's getting worse, not better: reports between January and March 2026 were up 147% on the same period the year before.

Almost every one starts the same way: someone's locked out, googles a locksmith, and rings the first "£39" advert without realising it's a national call centre, not a local tradesman.

Here's what to watch for:

"From £39" prices. Bait. Nobody sends a skilled locksmith to your door for that. The real bill gets built once they've arrived and you're committed. The trade even has a name for it, a "49-er".
No price and no name on the phone. A genuine locksmith gives you a figure or a range. A rogue one dodges it and just wants your address.
Straight for the drill. Most locks open without being destroyed. Drilling means a lock sale, which means profit.
"Police approved" badges. The police don't approve locksmiths. If someone claims it, that tells you everything.

And the single best thing you can do: find a genuine local locksmith now, check they're a Master Locksmiths Association member (the trade's main professional body), and save the number. The scam runs on panic. If you're not searching in a panic, there's nothing to exploit.

I'm a Master Locksmiths Association member, DBS checked, no call-out fee, and I quote a clear price on the phone. Put my number in your phone before you need it.

Full post here: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/how-to-avoid-a-rogue-locksmith-uk

10/07/2026

What's the best lock for a front door? It depends on your door, and here's why that matters.

There's no single "best" front door lock. The right one depends entirely on the door you've got:

Timber (wooden) door → a BS3621 five-lever mortice deadlock, paired with a British Standard nightlatch (ERA and Yale both make good ones). Look for the Kitemark stamp. Prefer one key for the whole door? I can fit a British Standard euro mortice deadlock kit with a euro cylinder instead.
uPVC or composite door → a TS007 3-star or Sold Secure Diamond anti-snap euro cylinder. I fit Apecs AP as my go-to, with Yale and ERA as solid alternatives.

Here's the bit that catches people out. I got called to a composite door in North Harrow after a break-in nearby. Beautiful door, only a few years old. Inside it was a cheap, unrated euro cylinder, the kind developers fit to save money. That's the exact part a burglar snaps in seconds.

I changed just the cylinder that afternoon. Same door, same handles, same everything you can see. The one part that mattered was the one you couldn't.

And that's the money-saving bit: on a uPVC or composite door you rarely need a whole new mechanism or door. Upgrading just the cylinder to a 3-star anti-snap one usually does the entire job, for a fraction of what a "lock seller" will try to charge.

Not sure if your lock is up to standard? Send me a photo or give me a ring.

Full post here: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/best-front-door-lock-uk

03/07/2026

How much does a locksmith actually cost? Here are the real numbers.

Most people have no idea what a locksmith should charge, which is exactly how the dodgy ones get away with it. So here's an honest guide for a straightforward job in normal working hours:

- Simple lockout, no damage: £80–£150
- Change a Yale lock: £80–£120
- Change a uPVC euro cylinder: £100–£150
- Change all locks (2 doors + windows): £300–£400
- Out-of-hours call-outs cost more, that bit's genuine

Here's the important part: when someone quotes you £39 on the phone, that's not the price. It's bait. A lady in Wealdstone called me last winter after a locksmith quoted her £45 then charged her £320. He drilled out a perfectly good lock she never needed replacing.

The way to protect yourself is simple. Know the rough range, and use a locksmith who gives you a clear price before they leave to come to you. If they won't put a number on it until they're at your door, that's the setup.

I don't charge a call-out fee and I don't charge to travel. I quote you on the phone, and that's what you pay. When I can pick a lock rather than drill it, I do, because it saves you the cost of a lock you didn't need.

If you're in Harrow, Wealdstone, Pinner, Kenton, Stanmore, Ruislip, Northolt, Watford or nearby, ring me and just ask.

Full post here: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/locksmith-cost

27/06/2026

Can the police help if you're locked out of your house? Here's the honest answer.

Short version: no, not for a standard lockout. Police won't come to open your door. That's not what they're there for. The exception is when someone inside is in danger: a child alone, an elderly person not responding, a medical emergency. In those cases, they can and will force entry.

For a normal lockout (keys inside, snapped in the lock, left behind) you need a locksmith.

The problem is what happens next. Stressed and in a hurry, most people search "emergency locksmith" and click the first result. That's how rogue operators get you: low quote on the phone, doubled at the door, drill before they've tried anything, new lock you didn't ask for.

I've picked up the pieces from situations like that more times than I care to count.

What I'd recommend: find a local locksmith with real, recent Google reviews and an actual verifiable address. Check whether they're MLA-registered (Master Locksmiths Association). Ask for a price before they leave.

And if you're in Harrow, Pinner, Kenton, South Harrow, Northolt, or anywhere nearby, call me. I'll give you a clear price on the phone. No surprises when I arrive.

Full post here: https://andrewthelocksmith.com/can-the-police-help

Andrew The Locksmith Harrow

09/10/2026

11/09/2026

04/09/2026

29/08/2026

10/08/2026

31/07/2026

19/07/2026

10/07/2026

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27/06/2026

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