Emergency lockouts are the bulk of our after-hours work. Snapped keys in old mortice locks, doors that latch behind you in a Smith Street apartment block, gates and roller shutters that jam on a Sunday night — we open them without wrecking the door.
Our vans are stocked to open, not to break. We lead with non-destructive entry: picking, bypass tools, decoding and letterbox tools where the door allows it. Drilling is a last resort, and if a cylinder does have to be sacrificed we tell you the cost before we touch it.
Because we are based in Collingwood, most inner-north jobs are a 20 to 40 minute run door to door. You get a direct answer on the phone at 3am, not a call centre in another state that books you in for the morning.
Before we leave, we check why the lockout happened. A worn latch, a sagging door, a broken snib or a key that was already cutting badly will lock you out again next week, so we quote the repair on the spot.
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
Emergency lockouts — questions we get asked
- How fast can a locksmith get to me after hours?
- From our Collingwood base, most jobs in Fitzroy, Abbotsford, Clifton Hill and Richmond are reached in 20 to 30 minutes. Outer suburbs in our service area are typically 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic.
- Will you damage my door getting in?
- In the large majority of lockouts we open the door without any damage at all. If the lock is a type that cannot be picked or bypassed, we explain the option and price before proceeding.
- What proof do I need to show?
- We ask for photo ID matching the address, or a tenancy agreement, rates notice or utility bill. It protects you as much as us.
- Is emergency lockouts available after hours and on weekends?
- Emergency work runs 24 hours, 7 days from Collingwood, including public holidays. Non-urgent emergency lockouts work is booked into a daytime window that suits you, so you are not paying an after-hours rate for something that can wait until morning.
- Which suburbs do you cover for emergency lockouts?
- Collingwood plus 14 surrounding suburbs — Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, Abbotsford, Clifton Hill, Richmond, Carlton, Carlton North, Northcote, Thornbury, Brunswick, Brunswick East, East Melbourne, Kew and Hawthorn. Each suburb has its own page with realistic arrival times.
- How do you quote emergency lockouts?
- We work out the lock type and door on the phone, give you a figure before dispatch, and confirm it on arrival before anything is opened, drilled or replaced. If the job turns out to be different from the description, we stop and re-quote.
- Do you use Australian Standard hardware?
- Yes. We fit lock hardware that meets the relevant Australian Standard and typical insurance wording — usually a keyed deadlock or key-in-lever set with a restricted or patented cylinder where you want key control. We can supply the product details in writing for your insurer.
- Are you licensed, insured and guaranteed for emergency lockouts?
- Fully licensed & insured Victorian locksmiths, trading since 2009, police-checked technicians, public liability cover, and a workmanship guarantee on every job. Call (03) 7057 3042 to talk it through with the locksmith who will do the work.
Emergency lockouts suburb by suburb
Every suburb page below sets out the housing stock, the lock types we actually meet there and realistic arrival times from our Collingwood workshop — start with your own suburb, or read the complete Collingwood locksmith service area.
- Emergency lockouts Fitzroy
- Emergency lockouts Fitzroy North
- Emergency lockouts Abbotsford
- Emergency lockouts Clifton Hill
- Emergency lockouts Richmond
- Emergency lockouts Carlton
- Emergency lockouts Carlton North
- Emergency lockouts Northcote
- Emergency lockouts Thornbury
- Emergency lockouts Brunswick
- Emergency lockouts Brunswick East
- Emergency lockouts East Melbourne
- Emergency lockouts Kew
- Emergency lockouts Hawthorn