Locksmith price & quotes UK

We might say to a potential customer if they want a standard euro cylinder lock change. During normal week day working hours It is £75 to do the job plus the price of the lock which is ordinarily between £25 to £75 depending on brand, security rating and number of keys required. This is the standard way a locksmith would quote.

“Average price is £100-£150”. Customer agrees. We then arrange an appointment time, go to the customer, find out what type of lock we are replacing, replace the lock, take payment and job done.

Costing for a lock change UK – Our research

We have checked the internet for prices and searched the latest estimates to give you some indication of how much it will cost to change a lock from some of the bigger companies so you do not have to. All screenshots were taken on the same day within a couple of hours to write this article, 19/03/22.

This is what we found looking for the cost for a lock change.

This is a captured price list for 2022 from the leading consumer experts Which. They have no direct influence within the industry and are therefore ‘hopefully’ completely independent and able to give consumers a price for a lock change.

Time to check out some industry recommended locksmith prices.

?ock ?ite price is quite similar to the Which article. They do not make it clear if these prices are region specific.

As a national company we think they should know that someone purchasing a lock change in Hull would pay a significantly different price than a customer in Central London for example. Perhaps this is why they have a price range with such a wide margin?

?ock ?ite do not mention VAT, whether this includes VAT or it needs to be added on top of the price. If it does not, then the £150 lock change quickly becomes £180. The £45 lock becomes £54.

Overall it is confusing to obtain a price from the information they provide on their website, they recommend you call them.

?ey?ek are another national company who advertise across the UK.

Using the ‘from’ style of listing for price, these national companies fit thousands of locks a year and because they are a national company they should know better than anyone else how much a lock change will cost a customer.

Once again it is difficult to be region specific. Not very clear how much a lock change would cost you as there are a lot of variables.

On a quick visual inspection they are more expensive than the Which costs. We also noticed it says ‘+’. Does the plus mean the chances of paying 20% VAT are high?

Next the ?aster ?ocksmith ?ssociation or ?LA.

The companies that offer a from price often give a minimum but seldom a maximum.

This would be a real problem to the constomer. Indeed the lock change cost may be from £80 but if the ‘to’ is £800 then there is a lot of scope for the people who use the branding to make a substantial upsell.

It would be only correct here to mention the ?LA do try to set the industry standard for UK locksmith work, so although it might be true that their prices are ‘from’. They do have a robust system in place to stop over charging.

?hecka?rade is a national advertising company that puts potential customers in touch with local trades people. Their advertising states “View local tradespeople in your area”. However, they do list national big brand locksmiths like ?ey?ek and ?ock ?ite.

It seems that ?hecka?rade also follow a pricing structure similar to the Which costing. You know that the average here is probably what you will end up paying. Again no mention of adding VAT upon job completion.

Small business UK locksmith prices

Many locksmiths carry parts around in their vans for many miles so that they have the right part at the time for a customer whether that is 10am in the morning or 3am the next day. It does cost to carry the extra weight around, also to insure the stock whilst in the van.

If a locksmith buys a lock they generally have to carry all sizes of that lock and in differing proportions. Stock items are replenished and possibly at varying costs to the locksmith. This is why it is easier to say that a lock type will cost the customer £30 than pricing each individual item at the point of sale. I am sure this would be possible in a lot of individual instances, but when a customer says I need a lock change, locksmiths try to cover all bases.

Mobile Locksmith versus retail lock outlets

When you buy a lock from an online store or other retail outlet they are likely to offer you a full 12 month warranty on that part.

The difference between mobile locksmiths and retail outlets is the fact that if any part does prove defective then the locksmith who provided it will do the change on the door at your home.

Imagine an online retail purchased lock failing on your front door. You would have to physically remove it from your door, send it back via a courier or parcel handling service, wait a few days to receive a replacement then physically refit the new item.

Alternatively you purchased it from a store, you have to wait for it to open then go there and back to get a replacement, if you have the receipt. Leaving your door open for X amount of hours or days.

UK locksmith cost, you decide

You should draw your own conclusions on the above information. We never urge anyone to buy locks from us, we carry locks to replace them for customers who are in a bit of a situation, that is normally why customers call locksmiths. The intention is never to make a killing on parts.

Shocking price difference 2023

Some national locksmith companies did not make the above list. They did not make the list as any sort of advertising good or bad is still advertising for them. Most of them will pull you in telling you prices are from £49, or £49 if simple.

Do not just call a random number because they are at the top of Google and expect a cheap locksmith, if they tell you a price from, or it is difficult to give you a quote, the chances are you have called a call centre. Beware, there are thousands of them dangling the worm.

Apology in Advance

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to all customers past and future if you do find a lock cheaper elsewhere.

We do not need to compete with any other retail outlet. We carry locks for jobs we are possibly going to attend. If you are not happy with our prices for materials we are willing to provide, you do have the option of supplying your own. Our locks start from £25, we have never charged £345 for a euro cylinder with 3 keys (probably never will).

* We found some locksmiths that quote from £39. Not able to validate this as they were based in the North of England.