Damaged lock after a break-in
Get photographs before anything is touched. Then we make the house secure tonight.
Call the police and photograph everything before repairs start, because your insurer will want it. We repair forced doors, damaged locks, bent strikes and broken frames, and where a lock cannot be saved we fit a new one matched to the key you already carry. This is a 24 hour emergency service — a house that will not lock is not something to leave until Monday.
- First
- Police, then photograph before touching anything
- Then
- Make it secure, repair or replace
- Hours
- 24 hour emergency service
Secure tonight, repair properly
Photograph it before we arrive
Once a locksmith has fitted a new lock, the evidence of how the old one failed is in the bin. Take photographs of the door, the frame, the lock, the strike plate and any tool marks, from a distance and close up, before anyone touches it. Insurers ask, and the answer is much easier if you already have the pictures.
What is usually damaged
A forced door rarely fails at the lock itself. The common casualties are the strike plate pulled out of the jamb, screws that were only twenty millimetres long tearing out of soft pine, a split frame, a bent deadbolt, and a door that no longer closes square. Fitting a new lock into a split frame achieves very little, which is why we look at the whole door rather than just the lock.
What we do
Repair where repair is sensible: strike plates, longer screws into the stud rather than the trim, realignment, replacing a damaged cylinder or deadbolt. Replace where the hardware is genuinely finished. Either way, new hardware is matched to the key already in your pocket wherever we can, so you are not walking away with three new keys on top of everything else.
Rekey the rest of the house
If keys were taken, or if the house keys were in a bag that went, rekeying is the other half of the job. It changes the pins inside your existing locks so every key that is out there stops working. A typical Perth house is six to eight locks and about an hour.
Worth fixing while we are there
The weak points we see most often are the ones nobody looks at: a back door with only a latch, a laundry door with a lock that has not worked in years, a sliding patio door that lifts out of its track, a screen door lock that can be flexed open, and a side gate with nothing on it at all. If a break-in has just happened, that is the moment those get sorted.
Services we don’t offer
Alarms, cameras, networked access control and safes are not services we offer. If that is what you want next, we will tell you honestly and point you to someone who does it.
What customers say
Tap any review to read it on Google.
“I highly recommend Magnus from Amco Locksmiths. He was very quick to respond to my enquiry and was able to see me the next day. He showed up on time, had great communication and was very professional and friendly throughout the process.”
Read on Google →“I recently moved to a new house and wanted to change the locks for security. Magnus arrived on time and worked efficiently to do just that, also cutting more windows keys and rekeying the garage remote. He even oiled the squeaky garage door at no cost! I would use Amco again in a heartbeat.”
Read on Google →“Great communication advising when he would arrive. Quick, friendly service and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended.”
Read on Google →“Very friendly and replies fast! Definitely recommend!!”
Read on Google →“I needed an emergency locksmith today (Friday) and Magnus from Amco came to the rescue. Absolutely pleasant man very friendly and curteous. Explained everything including cost upfront. Completed the job professionally. Will definitely recommend Amco Locksmiths and Magnus anytime.”
Read on Google →Straight answers
Should I repair the lock before the insurer sees it?
Photograph everything first — the door, frame, lock, strike and any tool marks. Then make the house secure. Insurers understand you cannot leave a door unlocked overnight, but they do want the pictures.
Can you come out the same night?
Yes, we run a 24 hour emergency service. A house that will not lock is exactly what it is for. After hours costs more and the price is agreed before we come.
Will the whole door need replacing?
Usually not. Most of the damage is to the strike plate, the screws and the frame around it, all of which can be repaired properly.
Can new locks use my existing key?
Wherever possible, yes. Replacement hardware is matched to the key already in your pocket so you are not left with a handful of new ones.
My keys were taken. Do I need new locks?
No, you need a rekey. It changes the pins inside your existing locks so the taken keys stop working. Six to eight locks in a typical Perth house, about an hour.
Do you fit alarms or cameras afterwards?
No. We do locks and keys only. We will happily tell you who to call for the rest.