Broken key removal
Broken Key Removal in Lancing
Call with your postcode for a current arrival estimate.
- 24-hour emergency cover
- No call-out charge
- Price agreed before work starts
Key Snapped in Your Lock? Do Not Touch It Yet
If your key has snapped in the lock, the lock itself is usually undamaged and the broken piece can normally be taken out without replacing anything. Leave it alone and call: most of the damage on these jobs is done in the minutes before a locksmith is rung.
Keep the half of the key you are holding, do not keep trying the lock, and do not try to pull the rest out yourself. L.M.N Locksmiths Lancing answers 24 hours a day with no call-out charge, and the lock is only replaced if it is damaged or worn, or keys cannot be made to work, with the work and price agreed first.
With a Snapped Key, What Not to Do
The break has happened; the damage usually has not, yet. What you do in the next few minutes can affect which removal options are still available.
The attempts that cause the trouble
- Glue on the broken end: superglue grips the fragment to the pins inside and often means a new cylinder instead of a simple extraction.
- Thin tools poked in: a hairpin, paperclip or slender screwdriver drives the piece further into the keyway, where it is much harder to reach.
- Grabbing a flush break: pliers or tweezers have nothing to hold and typically score the keyway.
- Drilling: the cylinder, probably the healthy part, is destroyed.
- The other half forced back in: the fragment is pushed deeper and the pins can jam.
Equally, avoid working the lock again and again, forcing the handle or turning the cylinder with the loose piece.
What to do instead
Keep the loose half and leave the trapped piece in place, since that half may help the locksmith identify the key and see how it broke. Tell us which lock it is in, whether any of it can be seen and whether glue or tools have been used; it helps us assess the work before arranging the visit. If you cannot get in or an external door is unsecured, make that the first thing you say.
Why Do Keys Snap in the First Place?
Here is the honest diagnosis most people never get: a snapped key is seldom an accident. It is generally the point at which a slow-building problem finally shows itself, after weeks of warning signs.
The forced lock.
It had been stiffening for months, and one turn too many was enough.
The cold morning.
A marginal mechanism, stiffened by low temperatures, gets pushed past its limit.
The tired key.
Years of use have thinned it until the metal fails.
The cheap copy.
A badly cut duplicate on a kiosk blank, often thinner and weaker than the original.
Four patterns account for most breaks:
If your lock was stiff before the key snapped, removing the broken piece will not deal with the fault behind it, and the next key will go the same way eventually. We would rather tell you that when we find it than leave you to discover it later.
Probably, Your Lock Is Fine
In most cases, a key snapping in a Lancing door costs you an extraction, not a lock. The break happens in the key, and the cylinder around it is usually left undamaged. Using the right tools, getting the piece out is normally a matter of minutes, and the lock then works as before with your remaining keys.
The realistic exceptions are worth stating plainly. Any replacement needs agreement on the work and price; an unreachable fragment alone does not justify it. If the cylinder was worn enough to snap the key, it may not be worth saving. If a DIY attempt has already damaged the internals, the lock may have to go. None of those is the usual case, which is why we always look at extraction first.
Locksmith pricing
What Is the Cost of Broken Key Removal in Lancing?
No call-out charge, and a price on the call. Those are the two constants. The figure itself is worked out from your description, because several things change how much work a broken key needs.
The factors: the way the key broke and whether part of it is sticking out; the type of lock; whether a previous attempt has complicated the extraction; and whether the cylinder has to be replaced once the piece is removed. The time of day also affects the rate.
The range: a clean extraction on an undamaged cylinder sits at the bottom, and a full cylinder replacement at the top.
You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Locks We Extract Broken Keys From
Five lock types cover most broken-key calls in Lancing:
- nightlatch rim cylinders;
- window locking handles;
- euro cylinders on uPVC and composite doors;
- padlocks on gates, sheds and outbuildings;
- mortice locks on timber doors.
How the fragment is extracted depends on which one it is, so we ask about the door when you get in touch.
Keys snap for a range of reasons, and a snapped key alone does not confirm the cause. A door that does not close cleanly against its frame can strain the lock and key. Worn, stiff or damaged lock components create resistance. A key can be weakened over time by use, bending or damage, and a worn or unsuitable duplicate may not turn as it should. Forcing a weakened key against resistance can break it. For that reason the key, lock and door may need to be checked as a group, and a lock that was already stiff or unreliable may still have its fault after the piece is gone.
Whether the lock remains in use comes down to its condition and how it operates once cleared, and in some cases it can. Signs it can stay: no further damage during removal, correct operation with another usable key, correct operation in its fitted position, no underlying fault. Signs it may need replacing: a worn or damaged cylinder or mechanism, including damage caused by glue or tools; or keys that cannot be made to work. Any replacement work and price must be agreed with you beforehand.
When the Lock Needs Replacing
Not every broken key ends with the same lock back in service. Occasionally damage from the break leaves the cylinder unable to work, making replacement necessary. Sometimes the cylinder was already worn or damaged, and the snap was the symptom. Sometimes glue or a tool from an earlier attempt has damaged the mechanism beyond saving. And sometimes keys cannot be made to work in the lock. Then the practical answer is a new cylinder with a fresh set of keys. Whatever the reason, you hear it from us, along with the price, before any work is done, and the choice of whether to go ahead is yours.
What Happens When You Make a Call
Here is the sequence on a typical Lancing call-out, from the moment you ring:
- We ask which lock the key has broken in, whether any of it is visible, and what, if anything, has already been tried.
- We give you the price and a straight answer on roughly when we can get there.
- A DBS-checked technician uses specialist extraction tools to take out the broken piece, then tests the lock.
- If the cylinder is damaged, we explain the need for replacement and agree its work and price with you before starting.
There is a reason for the first question. A glued-in fragment is a materially different job from a clean break, and knowing in advance changes both what we quote and what we bring. You need clear advice before anyone starts work on a snapped key, so everything here runs on careful assessment, transparent pricing and the appropriate solution for the lock in question. Extraction is considered first, before replacement is ever recommended, and all attending technicians are DBS checked. The phone is answered 24 hours whenever a broken key leaves you locked out or a door unsecured.
Broken Key Removal Across Lancing
A snapped key in a front door usually leaves the home unsecured, so we attend these calls for homeowners, tenants, landlords and business premises across Lancing rather than treating them as bookings.
Calls from North Lancing, South Lancing and Lower Cokeham are all covered, as are every postcode in BN15, the parts of BN43 around Lancing and Sompting, which has its own page. The area had around 23,000 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ONS, output areas approximated to the built-up area), and North Lancing is mostly houses, so most of these jobs are on a household's own front or back door.
Give your postcode when you ring and you will be told whether a technician can attend and when.
See all areas we cover.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call L.M.N Locksmiths Lancing Now
Ring 01903 377061, day or night: calls are answered 24 hours a day, there is no call-out charge, and the one thing to do until we arrive is leave the lock alone.
- Phone: 01903 377061
01903 377061
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I need a new lock if my key has snapped?
Probably not. A key snapping rarely harms the lock around it, so in most cases the fragment comes out with specialist tools and you carry on using the same lock and your other keys. The exceptions are a worn or damaged cylinder, or keys that cannot be made to work; any replacement work and price must be agreed with you beforehand.
I tried to superglue the two halves together. Have I made it worse?
There is a chance it has, so please say so when you ring. Superglue can bond the snapped piece to the pins, and that can turn an extraction into a cylinder replacement; it is one of the usual ways a simple job grows into an expensive one. From here, add nothing, do not try to turn it, and leave it alone until we arrive.
How long does it take to remove a broken key?
For a straightforward snap in a cylinder with no other damage, extraction is normally a matter of minutes after the technician arrives. Expect it to take longer where the fragment sits deep in the keyway, where glue or a tool has been used, or where the lock must be dismantled. When you describe the situation, we can give you a realistic estimate.
Can I get it out myself with pliers or tweezers?
A piece standing proud of the lock still needs to be left where it is. Keep the loose part of the key, stop testing the lock and ring for help. Repeat attempts cause most of the damage, and pushing the fragment deeper makes professional extraction harder and costlier.
Why did my key snap in the first place?
Not usually by accident. The likeliest causes are a lock that had been stiffening for weeks or months, a key worn thin by years of daily use, or a badly cut duplicate in thinner metal than the original. Cold weather is often the last straw for a marginal lock. If yours was stiff before it broke, extraction alone will not deal with the fault.
Do you come out at night for a snapped key?
Yes, night-time calls for keys broken in locks are covered. The emergency service operates at all hours, every day, over weekends and bank holidays too. Tell us if the snapped key has left your front door unable to lock. An unsecured property is a reason to call urgently.
The key snapped and half of it is still in my hand. Does that help?
Yes. Keep it, because that half tells us the lock type, the key's profile and roughly how the break occurred. Mention it when you call, and have it ready for the technician when they arrive. It is a small thing, but throwing it away removes useful information from the job.
What does it cost to have a broken key removed in Lancing?
It depends on how the key broke, whether any of it sticks out, the lock type, whether anything has already been tried and the time of day. A clean extraction from an undamaged cylinder is the least expensive outcome. There is no call-out charge, and the price is agreed on the phone from what you describe, then confirmed before any work begins.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01903 377061, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.