The Master Locksmiths Association puts UK locksmith labour from about £85 an hour, and from £95 in London. Out of hours London rates start around £122 an hour and rise to about £153 after midnight. Locksmiths often quote a fixed price per job instead, so ask which you are getting.
These are published averages, not quotes, and they change. The Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) gathers them from the locksmiths it approves across the UK, and they are starting points. It notes that some locksmiths charge less for the second hour than the first, and that hourly rates can rise with the distance travelled. Weekends, bank holidays and Christmas tend to cost more again.
An hourly rate is only part of the bill. Parts are extra, and a call out charge may or may not be included. The MLA says many jobs, such as fitting or changing a lock, can be done within an hour, so for most home jobs the first hour is the figure that matters. Repairs, such as a failed uPVC mechanism, can take longer.
Ask four things before anyone sets off. Is the price fixed or an estimate? Is labour charged by the hour, and at what rate? Is there a call out charge, and what does it cover? Is VAT included? Those are the questions the MLA's own price checklist puts first, and a locksmith who cannot answer them has not given you a price.
Some firms charge a fixed price for the job and only add time if the work runs long, which makes the bill easier to predict. We price by the job, with travel and up to one hour on site included, and any work past that first hour is quoted before it starts, at £70 an hour by day, £90 evening and weekend, and £110 at night.
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Related questions
- How much does a locksmith cost in my area?
- Do locksmiths charge a call out fee?
- How much should it cost to change a lock?
