Common Myths About Locksmiths

A Locksmith is not a tradesperson that you will see regularly, you may not know what being a Locksmith actually entails. Locksmiths attend a range of different situations, including emergency lockouts, lock repairs, lock replacements, security checks and even car key replacements.

We are going to go through some of the myths you might believe about Locksmiths and what the truth really is.

Myth 1: Picking a Lock is Easy

The movies make it look easy. A person pulls out a hair pin or a credit card, gives it a couple of jiggles and very quickly the door is unlocked. This, however, is completely inaccurate. While some people will be able to open a door using these methods, it takes practice and training. Locksmiths will and should have extensive training and the correct tools to be able to pick locks successfully.

If it’s not possible for a Locksmith to pick your lock successfully, then they will need to drill it open, which requires specialised tools.

Myth 2: All Locksmiths are Qualified

This is untrue, currently in the UK there is no legal requirement for someone to have a qualification to trade as a Locksmith. Most Locksmith will hold an accreditation but not all Locksmiths will be qualified.

The Locksmith Qualification is relatively new, only being introduced in 2020. This is not to say that Locksmiths who don’t have this type of training aren’t good at their job, years of experience makes a Locksmith extremely skilled.

If you are looking for a Locksmith who you can be confident has the right skills, then look to see if they display any sign of a qualification or accreditation.

The new Locksmith qualification is the Highfield Level 3 Diploma for Commercial Locksmiths and Property Security, which is governed by Ofqual.

Myth 3: All Locksmiths Offer the Same Service

It’s not only front doors that Locksmiths help with, but some Locksmiths can also help you with car door issues. This could be that you’ve locked your car key inside your car, lost your car key, or broken it. If your issue is car related, then you’ll need to search for an auto Locksmith. Not all Locksmiths offer this auto service; this is because the training and the equipment auto Locksmithing requires is extremely expensive and hard to come by.

Some Locksmiths will also not offer an out of hours emergency service. If you find yourself in need of a Locksmith in the small hours of the morning, then look for ‘emergency’ Locksmith, look for an advert that says 24 hours a day.

Myth 4: A Locksmith Should Only be Called in an Emergency

This is not true, there are many reasons why you would need the services of a Locksmith. When you move into a new home, you should have the locks changed. A service which a Locksmith can provide. You can pre plan this and book the Locksmith in advance.

Landlords will also use Locksmiths when there has been a change of tenant, again, this will be pre booked for a specific time and date.

So, as you can see there are many situations in which you will need a Locksmith, and not just in an emergency .