When You Don't Need a Locksmith | Honest Advice From One

I talk myself out of jobs most days. Not because I'm turning away money I can't afford to turn away, but because if I drive to Landport and charge someone sixty quid to squirt a bit of graphite into their Euro cylinder, word gets around fast in a town this size. And not in a good way.

So here's the piece I've wanted to write for a while. The calls where I've told the person on the other end exactly what to do themselves, at no charge, and never needed to get in the van.

The Stiff Lock That Isn't Broken

Most cylinder problems aren't cylinder problems. A key that's getting harder to turn, a lock that's stiff in winter, a mechanism that feels gritty. Nine times out of ten, that's a lubrication job. Takes three minutes.

Do not use WD-40. I'll say that again. WD-40 is a water displacer and it leaves a residue that attracts dirt and makes the problem worse within a few months. Get a graphite spray (Brум or similar, around £4 from a decent ironmonger) or a PTFE-based lock lubricant. Spray a small amount into the keyhole, work the key in and out a dozen times, done.

I had a lady ring from Wallands last November, said her front door lock had seized and she needed someone urgently. Talked her through the graphite spray over the phone. She rang back two days later to say she'd sorted it herself and could she recommend me to her neighbour. That's the job.

The Door That Won't Latch Properly

A latch that doesn't catch, or a door you have to lift or shoulder to lock. Again, not usually a lock fault. Usually a hinge or a keep problem.

Hinges drop. Especially on heavy composite doors in older Lewes properties where the frames have shifted slightly over time. The latch bolt ends up misaligned with the keep by a few millimetres and the door starts fighting you.

First, look at the keep (the metal plate on the frame that the latch sits in). Often you can see the wear marks where the latch is catching. If it's out by 3 or 4mm, a keep adjustment, or in some cases just filing the keep slightly, sorts it. Keeps are held in by two screws. Take it off, slot the screw holes slightly with a file if needed, refit it a couple of millimetres higher or lower. Job done.

If the hinges themselves are loose, tighten the screws. If the screw holes have stripped, pack them with matchsticks and wood glue before refitting. Old trick. Works every time.

This accounts for probably a third of the calls I get about uPVC and composite doors in Ringmer and Cooksbridge. The multipoint mechanism gets blamed for everything, but the lock's usually fine. The geometry's just drifted.

The 3am Lockout Where You Haven't Actually Tried Everything

This one's a bit more sensitive and I'll be careful how I say it. But I've turned up to lockouts where the back door was unlocked, or a downstairs window was on the snib, or a neighbour had a spare key the caller had forgotten about.

Before you ring anyone at midnight, walk the perimeter. Check every ground-floor entry point. Ring the person who might have a key, even if it's late and you feel bad about it. Check whether any window you could safely climb through isn't locked.

If you genuinely can't get in, then yes, call me. That's exactly what I'm here for. I'll be there in under half an hour across most of BN7 and BN8. But I'd rather you got in without a call-out fee if you can.

The Euro Cylinder You Think Is Faulty

Sometimes a cylinder does need replacing. But people replace cylinders when they don't need to, because a locksmith or a handyman told them the lock was worn out when really it just needed lubricating or the cam needed a minor adjustment.

A Euro cylinder has a serviceable life of hundreds of thousands of operations. Unless it's been damaged, tampered with, or it's a cheap brass one that's more than ten years old, it probably doesn't need swapping.

Now, if it's a standard Yale or ERA cylinder with no anti-snap rating, I will tell you to replace it. Not because it's broken, but because it's a security risk in 2025 on any door in a Lewes street. A TS007 3-star cylinder from Ultion or Avocet ABS, fitted correctly, costs £50 to £80 including my time. That's a genuine upgrade. But that's a different conversation from 'your lock is worn out'.

When the Hinge Bolts Are the Answer

This one comes up a lot on older wooden doors, and almost nobody knows about it. A door that swings open from the hinge side when you force it. The latch and deadlock are fine, but the hinge side gives way.

Hinge bolts. About £8 for a pair from any decent ironmonger. They're passive, they're permanent, and fitting them takes a drill and twenty minutes. You chisel a small recess in the frame, fit the bolt body on the hinge side of the door, corresponding striker plate on the frame. When the door closes, the bolt drops in. Forces anyone trying to remove the door from the hinge side to deal with two extra solid steel bolts.

I'd fit them myself on any wooden door I owned. And I tell people how to do it rather than charging for it, because it's a DIY job and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

The Calls I Do Want

Right. To be clear on what I'm not saying. I'm not saying don't call a locksmith. I'm saying call one when you actually need one.

You need one when: - You're locked out and can't get in any other way - A break-in has damaged a door or frame and it needs making secure tonight - You've moved into a new property and have no idea who has keys (always change the cylinders, always) - A lock or mechanism has genuinely failed and won't operate at all - You want a proper security assessment and don't know where to start

Those are the jobs I want. A Nevill estate Victorian terrace with a twenty-year-old five-lever mortice that needs upgrading to BS3621 before the new insurance kicks in. A Malling landlord who needs three rental properties re-keyed after a tenancy ends. A Southover business owner who's just had a rear door forced and needs it boarded and secured before morning.

That's the work. The WD-40 jobs and the stiff hinges, sort them yourself.

Why a Locksmith Who Says This Is Worth Calling

I'll be straight. Locksmiths who charge for jobs that didn't need doing are out there. I've seen the invoices. Sixty pounds for lubricating a cylinder. A hundred and twenty for a cylinder replacement on a door that needed a keep adjustment. It happens.

If a locksmith won't take five minutes on the phone to work out whether you actually need them, that tells you something. Not flattering.

When you do need someone, and you will at some point, you want a number you already trust. You want someone who's told you the honest thing twice before, not someone whose first priority is getting the van out.

Fort Secure covers Lewes and the surrounding BN7 and BN8 postcodes. I aim to arrive within 30 minutes where I can. Pricing is quoted honestly when you ring, no surprises on the doorstep. If it turns out when we speak that you don't need me, I'll tell you that too.