Who to hire for a lock that has stopped working

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Locksmith.

• a carpenter

  the door has dropped or the frame has moved. Adjusting the hinges or the strike is the actual repair.

What to do before anyone arrives

1. 1Test whether it locks when the door is open. If it works fine in the air and not in the frame, the lock is fine and the alignment is not.
2. 2Look at the strike plate for bright scrape marks, which show exactly where the latch is hitting.
3. 3Try a drop of the right lubricant — a dry graphite or PTFE product, not a general-purpose spray oil, which attracts dirt and makes it worse in a year.
4. 4Check whether it is only one key that is failing. A worn key on a good lock is a cheap fix.

What to ask when you book

• Is this the lock or the door alignment?
• Can this cylinder be re-keyed rather than replaced?
• Can you key it to match the other doors so I carry one key?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

• Repair, re-key or replace.
• Lock type and whether a matching replacement exists.
• Whether the door or frame needs adjusting, which may be a second trade.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Licensed or registered in several states under security industry legislation.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

• NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
• VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
• QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
• WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
• SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
• TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
• ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
• NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a lock that has stopped working

A locksmith. But check the door first: a lock that has gradually become harder to turn, or a door that has to be pulled towards you to lock, is usually a door or frame that has moved rather than a lock that has failed — and replacing the lock does not fix it.

Should I use WD-40 on a lock?

It is not the right product. General-purpose penetrating sprays leave a residue that collects dust and, in a pin-tumbler cylinder, eventually gums it up worse than it started. Dry graphite or a PTFE-based lock lubricant is what the trade uses.

Who to hire for

• Who to hire when you're locked outA locksmith — and get the total price on the phone before they leave, including the call-out, the labour and a…
• Who to hire for a door that won't closeA carpenter or handyman for a hinge, a latch or a swollen door — a genuinely small job. A builder if several d…
• Who to hire when you've lost your car keysAn automotive locksmith, which for most vehicles is faster and cheaper than the dealership and can be done whe…
• Who to hire for locks to change after moving inA locksmith. In most cases you do not need new locks — you need the existing cylinders re-keyed, which is chea…