Lost Your House Keys in Sheffield? Back In Tonight, Secure Tomorrow
Thank you, we have your request.
We will contact you shortly by phone on . If it is urgent, call 0114 463 0063.
We get you through your own front door without damage where possible, then change or rekey the locks so whoever finds your keys cannot use them.
Back in first
Non destructive entry first, with the price agreed on the phone before we set off.
Old keys made useless
We rekey or replace the cylinder so lost keys no longer turn your lock.
ID checked every time
We check ID or proof of address before opening any home, which protects you too.
Open 24 hours
Lost keys at midnight or six in the morning, we answer and come out across Sheffield.
When people call us about lost keys Sheffield wide, there are usually two problems, not one. First you need to get back inside, often late at night after a bag has gone missing in town or keys have dropped out of a pocket on the bus. Second, somebody else may now hold a working key to your home. We deal with both on the same visit: we open the door without damage wherever we can, then we rekey or change the locks so the lost set is just scrap metal. You agree the price on the phone before we leave our base on Broughton Lane in S9.
Most lost key jobs we see are on uPVC and composite doors with a euro cylinder, which are quick to secure, but plenty of Sheffield homes still have a timber front door with a nightlatch and a mortice deadlock, especially the stone terraces and older semis. Below we cover the first hour, renting, and how to stop it happening again.
Lost keys in Sheffield: what to do in the first hour
Before you ring anyone, take two minutes to be sure the keys are really gone. If they have not turned up, think about who could now link those keys to your address, because that decides whether the job is just getting you in or getting you in and securing the door straight away.
When you call us on 0114 463 0063, tell us the door type if you know it, whether the keys had anything on them showing where you live, and whether anyone else holds a spare. We give you a starting price and an honest arrival time, usually 25 to 45 minutes across Sheffield.
- Check every pocket, bag lining and the car.
- Phone the pub, shop, taxi firm or workplace where you last had them.
- Ask partners, flatmates, parents or neighbours who might hold a spare key.
- If a bag with keys and ID was stolen, report it to the police on 101 and keep the reference.
Keys lost with your address on them: change the locks tonight
Some lost keys are a nuisance and some are a real security risk. Keys dropped somewhere random with nothing attached are hard for a stranger to use. Keys lost in a handbag or wallet along with a driving licence, a bank letter or a parcel label are different, because the finder now has both the key and the house it fits. The same applies if the keys had a fob or tag with your house number, or if they went missing on your own street or in your own front garden.
In those cases we strongly suggest securing the door the same night rather than waiting for the morning. On a uPVC door that is usually a quick cylinder change. If your car keys were on the same ring, read the note further down this page, as we open cars but do not make car keys.
Rekey or replace: making the lost keys useless
There are two ways to stop a lost key working. Replacing means taking the old cylinder or lock out and fitting a new one with new keys. Rekeying means keeping the lock body and changing the pins inside so it only works with a fresh set of keys. Rekeying suits good locks you want to keep; replacing is better when the lock is worn or a basic cylinder that could be snapped.
On most uPVC doors we suggest using the moment to fit an anti snap cylinder, because you are paying for the visit anyway. You can see more about the fitting itself on our euro cylinder replacement page. These are our starting prices for the common lost key jobs:
| Job | From | When it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency lockout, house | £59 | Getting you back inside, non destructive first |
| Euro cylinder change | £20 | uPVC and composite doors, fastest way to secure |
| Lock rekeying | £25 | Good locks you want to keep, or one key for several doors |
| Standard nightlatch | £20 | Yale style latch on a timber front door |
| 5 lever BS3621 mortice | £75 | Timber doors where insurers ask for a British Standard deadlock |
uPVC euro cylinders versus nightlatch and mortice on timber doors
A large share of Sheffield homes, from the 1960s to 1980s estates around Gleadless, Woodhouse and Parson Cross to newer builds, have uPVC or composite doors with a multi point lock worked by a single euro cylinder. The cylinder is the only part the key touches, so changing it makes every lost key useless at once. Our lock replacement page covers worn gearboxes and other options.
Timber doors on the stone terraces of Walkley, Crookes and Heeley, and on older semis across the city, usually have a nightlatch on top and a mortice deadlock lower down. If you lost both keys, both locks need dealing with. A nightlatch can be changed from £20, and a 5 lever BS3621 mortice from £75. Some people change the nightlatch tonight, deadlock the mortice from inside, and have the mortice done the next day.
Lost keys in a rented home or student let
If you rent, tell your landlord or letting agent as soon as you can, ideally before the locks are changed. Many tenancy agreements say who pays for lost keys and whether a tenant may change locks. If they cannot be reached at night, we can still secure the door and you can pass them a key the next day.
Student houses around Broomhill, Crookes and Walkley are a common case, where one person loses a key and the whole house shares the same front door. Landlords and agents can read our landlord locksmith page for how we handle lock changes between tenants and after lost keys.
ID checks, spare keys and car keys
Before we open any home we check ID or proof of address. It means nobody else can get a locksmith to open your house. If your ID is locked inside, tell us on the phone so we can agree what proof will work before we arrive. Once you are back in, have at least two spare keys cut and leave one with someone you trust, not under a plant pot. See our guide on avoiding being locked out.
If your car keys are locked inside your car, we can open the car from £65 once you show proof of ownership, as explained on our car lockout page. We do not cut, program or supply car keys or fobs, so if your car keys are lost rather than locked in, you will need a dealer or an auto key specialist. For the house itself, see our emergency lockout service.
Lost keys help across Sheffield: areas and related services
We cover lost keys right across the city from our base in S9. Nights out often end with keys lost in town, so we are regularly called to flats near the city centre and to student lets in Broomhill and Crookes. Houses in Hillsborough, Gleadless and Ecclesall are just as common. The full list is on our areas we cover page.
If a key snapped rather than went missing, our broken key extraction service is the better fit. For a timber door with a worn deadlock, see mortice lock replacement, and for every starting price in one place, check our locksmith prices.
Lost keys prices in Sheffield
Starting prices for the jobs we do most often; we confirm the actual price on the phone before travelling.
| Service | Starting price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency lockout | From £59 | Back inside, non destructive entry first |
| Euro cylinder change | From £20 | Makes lost keys useless on uPVC doors |
| Lock rekeying | From £25 | Keep the lock, change the key |
| Standard nightlatch | From £20 | Timber front doors |
| Double locking nightlatch | From £45 | Extra security on timber doors |
| 5 lever BS3621 mortice | From £75 | British Standard deadlock |
| Car lockout | From £65 | Keys locked in the car, opening only |
From our S9 base near the Parkway we usually reach lost key callouts across Sheffield in 25 to 45 minutes, with outlying villages typically 30 to 50 minutes.
Starting prices, confirmed on the phone before any work begins. See the full Sheffield locksmith price list.