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Locks are one of those things people usually don’t think about. Not until something stops working. And when it does, it always seems to happen at the wrong time. Just as you’re leaving, or getting home.
Across Essex and East London, we’ve worked on homes of all types. Flats in E1, houses in Romford, terraces in Barking, semis in Hornchurch and more. No matter the postcode, we tend to see the same kinds of issues pop up again and again.
Below, we’ve put together a guide to the most common problems we deal with. Whether it’s a door that won’t lock properly, a key that’s snapped, or a lock that just feels off. Here’s what might be going on and what can usually be done to sort it.
This one’s surprisingly common. One day your door locks fine. The next, you’re lifting the handle higher and higher just to get it to click shut.
Quite often, the issue isn’t with the lock itself but with the way the door and frame have shifted over time. We see this a lot with uPVC and older timber doors, especially during colder or damp weather.
In most cases, it comes down to one of these:
It’s usually a simple fix. But if left alone, it can get worse. Eventually the lock may jam completely.
You know that feeling when you have to wiggle the key just to get the door open? That’s a sign something’s not quite right.
We’ve had quite a few jobs recently in Romford and Barking where the issue was caught just in time. In most of those cases, it turned out to be:
A good-quality graphite lubricant can help in the short term. But when you’re forcing the key every time, the risk of it snapping or the lock jamming completely goes up.
It’s one of those moments no one enjoys. You turn the key, hear a small crack, and suddenly half of it’s in your hand. It tends to happen fast and often when you’re in a rush.
This happens more than people think. Sometimes the key is old. Other times, the lock has been stiff for a while and finally pushed too far. What’s left behind is often tricky to remove without the right tools.
We don’t recommend poking at it with screwdrivers or pins. That usually pushes the broken part deeper. We’ve removed snapped keys from locks all across East London. If needed, we can also repair or replace the lock on the spot.
These types of locks are very common in homes across Essex and East London. If you’ve got a uPVC door, there’s a good chance this is what’s fitted.
The trouble is, many older euro cylinders aren’t built for today’s security standards. We’ve seen them:
If yours is loose or feels awkward to use, it might be time to consider an anti-snap upgrade. We’ve carried out lots of these for customers in Hornchurch, Barking and E1 who wanted a more solid bit of peace of mind.
Garages often get overlooked. Maybe the door still opens fine. Maybe you don’t use it that often. But the lock might have given up long ago without anyone realising.
In one job in Brentwood, we found a side-hinged garage door with no working lock at all. Just a handle that turned freely. Another in Romford had a lock completely seized up with rust.
If your garage has a connecting door to the house, or you store tools or bikes inside, it’s worth getting the lock checked. We offer garage lock repair services throughout the area and can bring it back up to standard without too much fuss.
Getting locked out isn’t rare. It happens across the areas we cover. E1, Hornchurch, Romford, Brentwood, Barking and everywhere in between. Whether it’s a lost key, a snapped one, or a door that’s shut behind you, it’s never fun.
We always try non-destructive entry first. In most cases, we can open the door cleanly without causing any damage to the lock or the door itself. Our emergency lockout service is available locally and comes with no hidden fees or surprise charges.
Locks don’t last forever. If your door hasn’t been looked at for years or things are starting to feel a bit off, it’s usually better to get it checked than wait for something to fail completely.
We work across East London and Essex, including Romford, Hornchurch, Brentwood, E1 and Barking, helping people with everything from quick adjustments to full lock replacements.
We also offer:
If you’re unsure what the problem is, or whether it’s something serious, just get in touch. We’re happy to take a look, explain your options and help you make the right call.
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