Who to hire when you're locked out

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.

• your real estate agent or landlord

  you rent. Many agents hold a spare key, and a lockout after hours is cheaper if there is a key ten minutes away.

• your building manager or strata

  you are in an apartment. Common-property doors and fire doors are not yours to have drilled.

What to do before anyone arrives

1. 1Check every other door and window first, calmly. It sounds obvious and it resolves a large share of lockouts.
2. 2Work out whether the key is lost or just inside. A key lost in public is a reason to change the locks; a key on the kitchen bench is not.
3. 3Find out whether anyone else has a key who can get there faster than a call-out.
4. 4Have the door type ready to describe: timber or aluminium, what kind of lock, and whether there is a deadlock.

What to ask when you book

• What is the total price to open this door, not the call-out fee?
• Does that change if you have to drill the lock, and what does a replacement cost?
• How long until you are here?
• Are you local? A national dispatch number often sends a subcontractor from much further away.
• What identification will you need from me? A locksmith who does not ask for proof you live there is a locksmith who would open it for anyone.

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.

• Time of day. After-hours rates are substantially higher and this is the trade where it matters most.
• Whether the lock can be picked or has to be drilled and replaced.
• Lock type — a deadlock, a restricted-key system or a multipoint door lock is a different job from a standard entry set.
• Distance travelled.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Locksmithing is licensed or registered in several Australian states, often under security industry legislation, and requirements differ. Where it is licensed, asking for the licence number is reasonable and a legitimate business will give it.

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 when you're locked out

A locksmith — and get the total price on the phone before they leave, including the call-out, the labour and any drilling or replacement parts. The recurring complaint in this trade is a quoted call-out fee followed by a much larger bill on arrival, and the fix is asking for the number that you will actually pay, out loud, before agreeing.

Should the locksmith ask me to prove I live there?

Yes, and it is a good sign rather than an inconvenience. A locksmith who will open any door for anyone who rings is the same locksmith who would open yours. Expect to show identification with the address on it, or to produce something else that establishes the connection.

Why are lockout prices so inconsistent?

Because the job is bought under pressure by someone who cannot easily compare, which is the condition that produces the widest price spread in any trade. The defence is simple and effective: ask for the total on the phone, ask a second business, and be willing to wait an hour for a better number if you are not standing in the rain.

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