Index
16 guides to lockouts, prices and picking someone you can trust.
Home security
Lock snapping defeats a cheap euro cylinder in seconds. Here is what the star ratings mean, which standard to insist on, and how to tell whether you actually got what you paid for.
27 Aug 2026
Home security
Most key safes sold in the UK have no police approval, and a burglary through a non-approved one can invalidate a claim. Which standard matters, and where to put it.
27 Aug 2026
Home security
A landlord holding a key is normal. Using it without permission is not. The 24-hour notice rule, what counts as harassment, and where the line actually sits.
27 Aug 2026
Home security
Non-compliant locks are one of the most common reasons a burglary claim is refused — even when the burglar came in somewhere else. How to check your door in sixty seconds.
27 Aug 2026
Home security
You have no idea how many keys exist to your new home. Here is who to ask, what your policy probably requires, and the difference between a £15 job and a £200 one.
27 Aug 2026
Locked out
A car lockout is a different trade from a house lockout, with different prices and different risks. Free options first, and the one situation where you break the window.
27 Aug 2026
Locked out
The night makes everything harder and more expensive. Here is what is genuinely available in the small hours, in the order worth trying.
27 Aug 2026
Locked out
Half a key in the barrel is usually a cheap fix — unless you push it deeper. What to try, what never to try, and why the key broke in the first place.
27 Aug 2026
Locked out
Half of uPVC lock failures are not lock failures. Work through this before you pay anyone, because an alignment problem and a dead gearbox cost very different money.
27 Aug 2026
Locked out
Whether the bill lands on you or the landlord depends on why the lock failed. And if a landlord changed the locks on you, that is a criminal offence, not a dispute.
27 Aug 2026
Locked out
Ten calm minutes before you dial can save you hundreds of pounds and a broken door. Here is the order to work through, from free options to paid ones.
24 Aug 2026
Scams
Bills of £2,200, £3,300 and ten to twenty times the advertised price. The documented UK cases, the numbers behind them, and the newest variant — impersonating a real firm.
27 Aug 2026
Scams
Complaints rose 147% in a single quarter and doorstep bills have hit £1,800. The full playbook, stage by stage, with the trade body's own red flags and the numbers behind them.
26 Aug 2026
Choosing a locksmith
There is no locksmith licence in the UK — they are not even covered by the SIA. So what actually constrains them? The rules that do exist, and the one question a good locksmith always asks you.
27 Aug 2026
Choosing a locksmith
Locksmithing is unregulated in the UK, so nobody checks for you. Here are the five checks that take two minutes and filter out nearly all of the problem.
26 Aug 2026