Should a Locksmith Drill My Lock? (When to Drill a Lock & Not to)

Have you recently hired a locksmith & the locksmith drilled your lock to gain entry to your house as you were locked out, or your door lock was broken?

Please find out when it is acceptable for a locksmith to have drilled a door lock and when a locksmith should not be using a drill.

1. Should a Locksmith Use a Drill on my Lock?

There are instances when a locksmith has to drill a lock, such as when the lock is broken; however, drilling a lock should not be the first attempt; we would expect a locksmith to try non-destructive methods first and only use a drill as a last resort.

A professional Locksmith will have various tools and the knowledge to apply specialist techniques before drilling a lock.

We recommend always using a skilled & vetted MLA Approved Locksmith with the skill set and knowledge to know when not to drill + when drilling a lock is required as a last resort.

2. When Will a Locksmith Need to Drill a Lock?

There are various scenarios a locksmith may need to drill a lock; below are some examples :

• Lost Keys with Lock Replaced – if the customer has lost their house keys and the lock needs replacing, drilling can be used as the old lock will be replaced anyway.
• 3-Star Diamond Lock without correct Lock Pick – If the door lock is a 3-star diamond standard lock and the locksmith does not have the proper lock pick on the van.
• No, Feel in the Lock – If there is no feeling when trying to pick or bypass, the safety may need to be drilled or attacked to open.
• Lock Mechanism Failed – If the lock has failed or attacked & is fully locked or doubled locked, the locksmith may need to drill to open the lock.
• Last Resort – If the locksmith has tried to pick, bump, rake, or bypass and all have failed, drilling the lock is the last resort typically.

3. When Will a Locksmith NOT Need to Drill a Lock?

Most MLA Approved Locksmiths are skilled enough to pick, bump, rake, and bypass a lock to get a customer back in without the need to drill a lock.

A locksmith will not always need to drill your lock in various scenarios, for example:

• Locked out Keys in the Back of the Door  – the locksmith will use various non-destructive techniques rather than a drill.
  
• Lost Keys or Lockout – instead of drilling the lock, the locksmith might find another entry point easier to open than the one in question.
• Night latch Lock Out – instead of drilling a night latch lock, a locksmith has several expert techniques to open the lock without damage.
• Euro Thumb Turn Cylinder Lock Out – the locksmith can open a euro thumb using non-destructive locksmith methods.

4. Will Drilling through a lock open it?

Drilling through a lock will not open the lock; a lot of modern locks are designed to combat drilling or snapping. Therefore drilling should be considered the last thing ever to attempt.

When drilling a lock, this can cause further issues like damaging the locking mechanism inside the door, makings the job even more expensive than replacing more parts.

A Professional locksmith will be able to identify the lock in question, establish where to drill and how then open the lock with minimal damage.

5. Why do Rogue Locksmiths Immediately Attempt to Drill Locks?

A rogue locksmith will use drilling as the first attempt, as a rogue locksmith’s exact intention is to inflate the price by damaging the lock.

After drilling a lock, the invoice produced by a rogue locksmith will include lots of items to inflate the cost, such as a) labour to drill and b) labour to fit a new lock.

Multiple item charges after drilling areindicate that you could be overcharged, as the labour is usually one item while you are on site.