Broken Key Extraction
A snapped key is one of those situations that tends to happen at the worst possible moment — arriving home late to your flat on Kentish Town Road, standing in the drizzle outside a Victorian terrace off Fortress Road, or returning from a night shift to find the broken stub sitting stubbornly inside your nightlatch. The fragment does not have to mean a ruined lock or a costly replacement. When the job is handled correctly by a skilled technician, the key can usually be removed cleanly and the lock left fully intact.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Fully insured
Kentish Town Locksmiths is a fully insured, mobile locksmith service operating across the NW5 area and the surrounding streets around every hour of every day. We send a qualified technician straight to your door — usually within about 30 minutes — with the specialist extraction tools needed to clear the broken piece without forcing or damaging the lock mechanism. This page explains what we do, which lock types are involved, and what to expect when you call us on 020 7871 7825.
What we do
Available 24/7
Day, night, weekends and bank holidays — a real local locksmith answers and sends a fully-stocked van.
We come straight away
Based in Kentish Town, we send a locksmith straight away — we're usually with you in about 30 minutes.
Fully insured
Vetted locksmiths, a clear price on the phone, and no surprise add-ons when we arrive.
Damage-free entry
We pick and bypass locks the right way, so most lockouts are solved without drilling anything.
Why Keys Snap Inside Locks — and Why It Matters for Kentish Town Homes
Keys break inside locks for several reasons: metal fatigue from years of daily use, a lock mechanism that has stiffened up due to wear or lack of lubrication, forcing a key that is slightly bent or damaged, or simply turning with too much pressure when in a hurry. In Kentish Town, a large proportion of the housing stock consists of converted Victorian and Edwardian terraces — properties that frequently still carry original or early-replacement mortice locks and Yale-type nightlatches that are many decades old. When the internal components of an aged lock are worn, the resistance they put on a key increases noticeably, and that is exactly the scenario in which a key is most likely to give way.
The concern for homeowners and tenants is not just getting back inside; it is whether the lock itself survives the process. A fragment left in a nightlatch barrel or wedged inside a 5-lever mortice can prevent the lock from operating at all, and clumsy removal attempts using improvised tools — tweezers, pins, or folded card — tend to push the broken piece deeper rather than draw it out. If you are a tenant in a managed block or a flat with a communal entrance, your obligation to leave the property secure makes it even more important to resolve the situation properly rather than improvise.
Broken Key Extraction from Nightlatches, Mortice Locks and Euro Cylinders
The technique and tools required for broken key extraction differ depending on the type of lock involved. A Yale-type nightlatch — the spring-loaded latch most commonly found on the upper position of a front door — has a relatively accessible barrel, and a practised technician can usually engage the broken fragment with a purpose-made hook extractor and draw it out without dismantling the lock. The process is delicate: the aim is to catch the key's serrated edge or shoulder, not to push it further into the plug.
A 5-lever mortice deadlock, common on the lower position of timber front doors in period properties throughout Kentish Town and the surrounding NW5 streets, presents a different challenge. The keyway is narrower, and the broken piece sits deeper within the lock body. Extraction often requires a combination of a specialist extractor and controlled manipulation of the levers to relieve pressure on the key fragment before it can be drawn clear. Euro cylinders — the type found in uPVC and composite doors, which are increasingly common on newer flats and houses as well as refurbished properties near Kentish Town station — can sometimes allow the cylinder to be carefully removed first, making access to the broken key more straightforward while also allowing the technician to inspect the cylinder for signs of wear or anti-snap vulnerability at the same time. In each case, our technician assesses the situation on arrival and explains clearly what approach will be taken before any work begins.
What Happens When You Call Us — a 24 Hour Locksmith London Residents Can Reach Any Time
When you ring 020 7871 7825, one of our team will take a brief description of the situation: which type of lock is affected, whether any part of the broken key is visible, whether you are locked out or simply unable to operate the lock from inside, and your address. From that information we can give you a clear, confirmed quote before the technician leaves — that figure accounts for factors such as the type of lock involved, the time of day (evenings, weekends, and bank holidays are relevant), how far our nearest available technician is from your location, and whether any parts are needed. There are no surprises when the job is done.
We then send a fully insured, experienced locksmith to you straight away. In most parts of Kentish Town and the surrounding area we are typically with customers in around 30 minutes, though we never promise a specific arrival time because road conditions and concurrent call volume both play a part. Once on site, the technician will assess the lock, carry out the extraction using professional extraction tools, test the lock thoroughly, and advise you on its condition. If the lock has suffered previous wear or the extraction process reveals damage that was already present, we can discuss door lock replacement London options or a lock change at that point — again with a clear quote before anything proceeds. If you are dealing with a broken key right now, do not wait — call 020 7871 7825 and we will get someone to you.
After the Key Is Out — Lock Health, Anti-Snap Upgrades and Keeping Your Door Secure
Broken key extraction is frequently the moment when a lock's underlying condition becomes visible. A mechanism that has stiffened enough to snap a key may have worn levers, a corroded bolt, or dry internal components that will cause problems again before long. Our technician will give you an honest assessment: if the lock is fundamentally sound and just needs lubrication, that is what we will tell you. If the cylinder or lock body has sustained wear that compromises security, we can carry out a lock change London that brings you back to a secure, fully functioning standard.
For properties with euro cylinders — particularly those on uPVC doors and composite doors — a broken key event is a sensible prompt to consider whether the existing cylinder offers adequate protection against a known attack method called cylinder snapping. Anti-snap cylinders meeting the TS007 3-star rating are designed to sacrifice an outer section under force rather than allowing an attacker to manipulate the internal cam. Many home insurance policies and letting agents in the NW5 area now ask specifically about cylinder standards. If a replacement is needed, our technician carries suitable stock and can carry out upvc door lock repair London work and euro cylinder replacement in a single visit, leaving your door properly secured before we leave.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what our customers ask most. Still unsure? Just call.
Can you remove a broken key without damaging the lock?+
In the majority of cases, yes. Our technicians use purpose-made extraction tools designed to grip and withdraw the broken fragment without forcing or scarring the lock mechanism. Whether extraction is fully damage-free depends on how deep the fragment has travelled, whether any improvised removal attempts have already been made, and the condition of the lock itself. We assess every situation on arrival and explain what we expect before we start work. Where the lock cannot be saved, we discuss replacement options with you so you can decide how to proceed.
What information should I have ready when I call?+
It helps to know which type of lock is affected — a nightlatch at the top of the door, a mortice lock in the middle or lower position, or a euro cylinder on a uPVC or composite door. If you can see any part of the broken key stub protruding from the keyway, that is useful to mention. We will also need your full address, including the postcode district, and a contact mobile number so the technician can reach you on arrival. The more detail you can give us, the more accurately we can confirm your quote before anyone sets off.
How is the price worked out?+
We do not publish fixed price lists because the right figure depends on several factors: the type of lock involved and how accessible the broken key is, the time of day — evenings, weekends, and bank holidays affect the rate — the distance our nearest available technician needs to travel to reach you, and whether any replacement parts such as a new cylinder or lock body are required after extraction. Our team confirms an exact quote with you over the phone before the technician departs, so you know the full cost before agreeing to anything. There are no additional charges added at the door.
What if the broken piece has been pushed deeper by an earlier attempt to remove it?+
This is more common than you might expect — improvised tools like tweezers or nail files tend to push a fragment further into the keyway rather than drawing it back out. It does not necessarily prevent professional extraction, but it can make the process more involved. Our technician will assess what has happened and may need to use a different extractor profile or approach the removal differently. We explain the situation clearly and confirm whether the original quote still applies or whether anything has changed before proceeding.
Do you operate in Kentish Town at night and on bank holidays?+
Yes. Our service runs around the clock, every day of the year, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. A snapped key does not keep office hours, and neither do we. When you call 020 7871 7825 at any hour, you will reach a real member of our team who can take your details and dispatch a technician. We are usually with customers in Kentish Town and the NW5 area in approximately 30 minutes, though we do not guarantee a fixed arrival time.
What if the extraction is successful but the lock then feels loose or stiff?+
After the broken key is removed, our technician tests the lock in full — checking the bolt throw, the action of the handle or key turn, and the alignment of the door. If the mechanism feels stiff or unresponsive after extraction, we will diagnose whether the issue is simply a need for lubrication or something more significant such as worn levers or a faulty cam. Any further work, whether that is a lock change London, a cylinder swap, or a uPVC door lock repair, is discussed and quoted separately before we begin — you are never committed to additional work without agreeing to it first.
Locked out or need a lock fixed? We are on the way.
We answer 24/7 — talk to a real local locksmith now.
020 7871 7825