Break in Repair: Burglar Gets Creative for Peak Burglary Season

Summer  months bring about a spike in burglaries everywhere. The weather is warming up and people’s guards are going down. Burglars seem to be getting a bit creative during this season.

Let’s take a look at this from a burglar’s perspective:

Imagine, you, yourself are a thief. You’re at a creative block. You’re sick of picking locks and kicking down doors. It’s the same old thing every day. Peak burglary season is coming and you’re at a lull. You need some inspiration for the summer months.

Then it hits you…… a drill! Drilling through the lock is the perfect fresh technique for you! It’s the foolproof groundbreaking (or should I say lock breaking) idea! Lock your doors because the “Drill Bandit” is on the loose.

We imagine that is the exact thought process of our most recent burglar…

This is a first for us. The burglar drilled through the lock completely. The drill destroyed the lock allowing the burglar to enter the home.

Luckily, London Locksmith came to the rescue. We had the lock replaced and our client’s house secured within moments. We used a high-security lock to ensure the homeowner’s maximum safety.

Mission: Replace the damaged locks resulting from a break in

Emergency: door and lock were severy damaged and needed to be replaced

Lock:  high-security locks

Location: West London

Phone call date & time: Saturday, May 16, 2018, 3:07 AM

Arrival time: 02:35 AM (~60 minutes)

Work time: 61 minutes

Check out the results in the picture below:

Our job is to ensure our clients’ peace of mind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We ensure this through our high quality and speedy service.

Now all that’s left to do is track down the “Drill Bandit”.

5 Door Lock Problems That Should NOT Be Ignored

Life can be hectic. Often times, small jobs around the house get glossed over and pushed aside. We get it. But pushing aside door lock problems may compromise your home safety. Neglecting your door locks can lead to home break-ins.

Here are 5 door lock problems that you should never ignore.

1. Key Broken in the Lock

A key breaking in a lock is a common occurrence. What most people don’t know is how much damage a broken key can cause the internal lock. If broken with enough force, this can be devastating to your lock.

Address this problem immediately so there is no further damage to your door or lock. We recommend calling your London Locksmith so you can have access to your house ASAP.

If that’s not possible, items such as pliers, saw blades, and screwdrivers can be helpful in retrieving the fragmented key pieces.

2. Loose Locks and Doorknobs

Like a car or a computer, locks wear down over time. Continuous use causes the internal mechanisms of your locks and doorknobs to loosen up. A loose lock makes your house vulnerable to break-ins.

To prevent this, watch out for loose screws. If you spot a loose screw, it’s not hard to fix. Grab your screwdriver and tighten. If extremely worn down, replace your screws and any affected parts of the lock. If all else fails, give you locksmith a call.

3. Broken Lock

A broken door lock may not be that obvious on first look. It may be deep in the inner workings of the lock, such as the springs within the lock. Problems like this may not be visible to a homeowner.

You may have a broken lock if you notice:

  • your lock working slow
  • your key stops working
  • bad key rotation
  • key getting stuck in the lock

As stated before, having a poor performing lock will put you at risk for burglaries. Address this problem immediately to ensure the safety of you and your family.

4. Misalignment

In some cases, a door and the locking mechanisms can become misaligned. It’s common that the latch is not lined up with the strike plate. This can cause your door to not close or lock properly. Wear over time or improper installation of a door can cause this.

A good tip would be filing down the latch plate in hopes of regaining alignment. In some severe cases, you may need to call a professional to realign your door.

5. Weather

Weather can be a big factor in broken locks. Weather can wear down your locking mechanisms. This can cause alignment problems among other things.

Freezing temperatures can also cause you lock to freeze. You can solve this problem by warming your key on a radiator and inserting it into the lock. This will unfreeze the lock in no time.

If you are experiencing any of these door lock problems, address them immediately. London Locksmith can help you with any of these problems. Contact our 24/7 emergency locksmith services today.

How to Get a Broken Key Out of the Door

Breaking a key off in a lock is oftentimes an emergency situation, and while you can always contact a locksmith to get the job done quickly, you can also solve this problem on your own using some simple tools. Of course, this depends on how much of the key is stuck in the lock, but in most cases this is a DIY project that you can perform yourself.

Continue reading “How to Get a Broken Key Out of the Door”

Is Your Mobile Locksmith Reputable? 5 Ways You Can Be Certain

Without sufficient locks, you won’t likely feel safe at home, but the right locksmith can make sure that you have top-quality locks and provide the best experience to meet all of your safety needs as soon as possible. Professional locksmiths can give you everything you need to keep your home or office secure, identifying and addressing any weak points.

Locksmiths are also often needed in emergency situations such as when people get locked out of their own homes, offices, or cars, but a reliable locksmith will help ensure that the inconvenience is minimized in every circumstance. Here are some ways to find the perfect mobile locksmith.

Continue reading “Is Your Mobile Locksmith Reputable? 5 Ways You Can Be Certain”

West London Break in Repair with 2 New High-Security Locks

On Saturday, we received a call at around 3 AM from the West London area. The distressed caller discussed a break in that had occurred the previous night while he was out of town. He needed our help as soon as possible, so we headed out to complete the job and not only repair the damaged lock, but to also improve his home’s security.

Upon arriving at the customer’s home, we found that both the door and lock had been damaged during the intrusion. In addition to our lock repairs, we also fixed the door and fitted it with two new high-security locks. As a result, we helped further secure the customer’s home through our West London break in repair services.

Mission: Replace the damaged locks resulting from a break in

Emergency: Both door and lock were damaged and needed to be replaced as soon as possible

Lock: 2 high-security locks

Location: West London

Phone call date & time: Saturday, April 28, 2018, 3:07 AM

Arrival time: 03:35 AM (~30 minutes)

Work time: 35 minutes

 

Break in Repair – Emergency Locksmith – Greater London

Our phone rang a few times yesterday morning around 6 AM. Upon answering, we learned that the client was distressed because of a break-in in his home the previous night, while he was away. He needed to be at work at 8 AM and he requested our help to fix his door as soon as possible while helping increase his home security. Our locksmith technicians immediately drove to the client’s home to help with the situation.

We found one of the worst break-in situations on arriving at the destination, with both the door and locks broken. We managed to fix both in time for the client to make it to work on time while providing him with improved security measures for his door. We stayed in touch with the client to help him further increase his home’s security with the help of the installation of additional home lock systems.

Ultimately, our work left the client satisfied while providing him with sufficient long-lasting security for the home to prevent future break-ins.

Mission: Break-in during the previous night required immediate repairs and replacements
Emergency: Unlock an annex with an old lock that was broken and needed a replacement
Lock: Usual lock exchange
Location: Kilburn, NW6, Greater London
Phone Call date & time: Tuesday, Februrary 6, 2018, 06:03 AM
Arrival time: 06:28 PM (~25 minutes)
Work time: ~35 minutes

View the labour close-up by clicking on the following images:

Corporate security door’s lock replacement with a new one

We’ve received a call Sunday, the 17th of December, to replace the old lock installed on a corporate security iron door. We took some pictures so you can see how the old lock that was damaged appears, as well as how the doors looked following the installation of the new locking systems.

Mission: Security door’s old lock replacement
Emergency: Damaged lock required replacement as soon as possible
Lock: Standard lock
Location: North of London
Phone Call date & time: Sunday, 17th of December, 2017, 08:03 AM
Arrival time: 08:20 AM (~20 minutes)
Work time: Approx. 20 minutes

Lock Changed at Robert Dyas Store on 61 The Broadway, Wimbledon

We were called on the 28th of November,  2017, from the Robert Dyas Store located on 61 The Broadway, Wimbledon, in South West of London, SW19, to come and install a new lock after another locksmith failed to complete the job to their satisfaction.

We found the door without a sufficient locking system, as depicted in the first image on the left. Within 15 minutes of our professional locksmith services, we successfully completed the job and gained a new repeat customer for future help with store security.

Mission: Install a new lock
Emergency: Store lock was broken and required immediate replacement
Lock: Check the pictures below
Location: 61 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19
Phone Call date & time: Tuesday, November 28, 2017, 03:21 PM
Arrival time: 03:43 PM (~20 minutes)
Work time: Approx. 15 minutes

View the work close-up by clicking on the images below:

Opening a padlock in London turned into … More

We received a call from a new customer who heard about us for the first time by performing a Google search for our services. He asked us to help him by opening an old rusty padlock, but upon our arrival at the customer’s location, we discovered that his home was suffering from insufficient security with an old garage door and access gate. You can view both items in the images below.

To perform the initial unlocking service and improve the home’s security measures, we sent two technicians who could help him complete the entire job. We received the call from Acton, one of London’s districts we have the most calls alongside Chiswick. Our locksmiths arrived at the location within 22 minutes and made an inventory of all the items needed to finish the task. They then placed an order and returned the next day to complete the carpentry work and finally, Friday, we helped the customer by installing the new door and locking systems.

Mission: Unlock the padlock of an old garage
Emergency: Unlock an annex with an old broken lock that required replacing
Lock: Usual old lock exchange
Location: Acton, West 3, London, United Kingdom
Phone Call date & time: Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 10:30 AM
Arrival time: 10:52 PM (~20 minutes)
Work time: Initial unlock took approx. 10 minutes, which turned into 3 days of complete door and lock replacement with the help of 2 technicians (more time waiting was required for materials for doors to arrive)

View insights by tapping the following images:

Lock Exchange and Repair Old Door in Chiswick W4, London, UK

This morning we we’re contacted by a woman from Chiswick that knew about us from one of her neighbors, where we did a great job as he said, few weeks ago. She told us that she need to secure it’s garden annex, because its lock was broken last night. We should solve this issue as soon as possible, because she should go to the work in one hour and a half.

Old doors and their lock are always a challenge for inexperienced locksmiths because their wood is deprecated and can face many problems when you want to place a new lock on it. Our never step back from challenges, so we replaced hundreds of locks, installed new strong lock on old doors to increase the safety of our clients annex, home, garage and the other doors.

Wasn’t a simple intervention, but we successful replace the old lock, with a new one and repaired the door to be stronger for the next burglars who will try to brake it. Overall this old door now looks like a stronger one even if it isn’t a door with high security level, but it will let the impression of hard to get for usual burglars and will protect all the garden tools of our happy client from Chiswick W4.

Check our price for replacing locks for entire Greater London.

Mission: Open an annex and replace the old lock with a new one, to increase the security of garden tools
Emergency: Unlock an annex which old lock was broken and need to be replaced
Lock: Usual old lock exchange
Location: Chiswick, West 4, London, United Kingdom
Phone Call date & time: Friday, November 10, 2017, 07:30 AM
Arrival time: 07:40 PM (~10 minutes)
Work time: 35 minutes due to the old door wood rotten

Tap on the following images to expand them and swipe from left to right to see the entire gallery: