Shut out of your own front door in Alexandra Hills

The first tool out of the bag is a pick or a bypass, not a drill. On a standard Australian house lock — a deadlatch on the front, a deadbolt if you have one, an aluminium sliding door at the back — that works in the large majority of cases. The lock is left working exactly as it was, which matters, because a drilled cylinder means new hardware and a bill you did not expect.

Some locks genuinely cannot be opened without damage. High-security restricted cylinders and a few anti-pick designs are built specifically to resist what we do. When that is the situation you hear it before we start, together with what a replacement costs, and you decide.

One figure, quoted before the van moves, covering both the call-out and the work. No separate call-out fee appearing later, and no adjustment for the hour or the weather.

If you want more done while we are on site — a deadbolt fitted, a spare key cut, the back door rekeyed — that is quoted separately and only goes ahead if you agree. Nothing gets added to an invoice without a conversation first.