Price guide
What a locksmith should cost
Real indicative ranges for the work we do across Collingwood and Melbourne's inner north — not "from $49" bait. Every job is confirmed at a firm price before a tool comes out of the van.
(03) 7057 3042Indicative prices, GST included
| Job | Typical range | What affects it |
|---|---|---|
| Residential lockout (business hours) | $120–$220 | Non-destructive entry to a standard front door, Monday to Friday daytime. Snapped keys or damaged cylinders add parts. |
| Residential lockout (after hours) | $180–$320 | Nights, weekends and public holidays. Includes the callout from Collingwood and standard non-destructive entry. |
| Deadlock supply & install (per door) | $220–$420 | Australian Standard deadlock fitted to a timber or solid door, including morticing and testing. Heritage doors sit at the upper end. |
| Cylinder or barrel replacement | $130–$260 | Replacing a worn, seized or compromised cylinder and keying it to your existing set where possible. |
| Rekeying (per lock, same visit) | $45–$95 | Keying existing locks to one new key. Cheaper per lock the more you do in one visit — most homes are 3 to 6 locks. |
| Restricted or master key system setup | $350–$1200 | Registered key system for a home, shop or building, including key register and cutting authority. Priced on door count. |
| Sliding door and window locks | $90–$180 | Per opening, supplied and fitted. Common on inner-north terraces and apartment balconies. |
| Car key cut & transponder programming | $180–$480 | Depends heavily on make, model and year. Proximity and smart keys sit at the top of the range. |
| Safe opening (non-destructive attempt) | $200–$600 | Manipulation or override first, keypad and battery faults included. Drilling and repair quoted separately. |
| Commercial glass door / patch lock repair | $240–$650 | Shopfront hardware, including after-hours attendance to secure a tenancy the same night. |
Ranges assume standard access and Australian Standard hardware. Heritage doors, high-security cylinders, restricted key systems and unusual car keys sit outside these figures — we'll tell you why, and by how much, before starting. See the full list of locksmith services or your own suburb page for arrival times.
Our guarantee
The bit most locksmiths won't put in writing
Locksmithing is a permission trade — you are handing a stranger the keys to your home or business. These are the six commitments we make on every job, day or night.
- 12 month workmanship guarantee
- If a lock we fitted or repaired misbehaves within twelve months of normal use, we come back and make it right at no labour cost.
- Licensed, insured, police-checked
- Fully licensed & insured Victorian locksmiths. Every technician who attends your door is police-checked and carries identification.
- Non-destructive entry first
- Picking, bypass and decoding before anything else. Drilling is a last resort, quoted and explained before we start.
- Price confirmed before we start
- You get a figure on the phone and it is confirmed at the door. If the job differs from the description, we stop and re-quote.
- Insurance-ready paperwork
- Itemised invoices and hardware details in writing, worded for insurers and landlords after a break-in or lost-key claim.
- Australian Standard hardware
- We fit hardware that meets the relevant Australian Standard and typical insurance wording, not big-box hardware that fails in a year.
FAQ
Locksmith pricing questions
- How much does a locksmith cost in Melbourne?
- Most residential jobs in the inner north land between $120 and $320 depending on the time of day, the hardware and whether parts are needed. A daytime lockout is at the bottom of that range; an after-hours callout with a replacement cylinder is at the top. We confirm the figure with you before we start — call (03) 7057 3042 and describe the door and we'll give you a number, not a range.
- Why do locksmiths charge more after hours?
- A 2am callout means a technician on shift, a stocked van on the road and travel through the night. That premium is real, but it should be disclosed up front. Ours is, every time — you hear the total before we leave the workshop.
- Is a callout fee charged on top?
- No. The figure we quote on the phone includes travelling to you from our Collingwood workshop anywhere in our service area. If the job turns out to need parts we didn't know about, we stop and re-confirm the price with you first.
- Is it cheaper to rekey or replace locks?
- Rekeying is almost always cheaper if your hardware is sound — you keep the locks and get new keys, and per-lock cost drops the more we do in one visit. Replacement makes sense when locks are worn, non-compliant, mismatched, or you want to upgrade security at the same time.
- Do you charge to give a price?
- Never. Quotes over the phone and on-site assessments are free, and we don't start work until you've agreed to the price.
- What payment methods do you take?
- Cash, EFTPOS, credit card and bank transfer, with a tax invoice suitable for landlords, owners corporations and insurance claims.
Get a firm price for your job
Describe the door, the lock and the suburb and we'll price it on the phone. 24 hours, 7 days.
(03) 7057 3042