Burglary repairs
24-Hour Burglary Repairs in Woking
Call with your postcode for a current arrival estimate.
- 24-hour emergency cover
- No call-out charge
- Price agreed before work starts
Been Broken Into? Here Is What Matters First
Come home to a forced door or a broken window? If anyone could still be inside, or the property looks unsafe, stay outside and call 999. Once you know it is safe, report it to the police before you ring anyone else, us included.
After that, Woking Locksmith repairs the damage and makes the property secure again, at any hour of the day or night. You can call 01483 377197 for advice even while the police are still dealing with it, so you know what happens next. For other urgent call-outs, see emergency locksmith.
Before You Touch Anything
The natural reaction is to tidy up and check what has gone. It is worth holding off: forensic evidence is easiest to recover in the first hours, and handling destroys it. Leave cleaning, moving things and touching the damaged entry point until the police say what can be handled. In practice:
- Leave the forced door, damaged lock, broken window and the frame around them alone
- Do not pick up anything the intruder may have dropped
- Keep away from broken glass and debris near the entry point
- Do not use the bathroom, as intruders sometimes do and may have left evidence there
- Leave handles, drawers and surfaces that have clearly been disturbed as they are
- Take photographs from a distance rather than up close
Photos of the entry point and each affected room help both the police and your insurance claim. Follow any instructions the police give about photographs. There is more in the full guide to what to do after a burglary.
When Can You Actually Secure the Property?
This is where people get stuck. The police want the scene left as it is. Your insurer will expect the property not to be left open. And a home that has been broken into once can be targeted again, because intruders sometimes come back for what they could not carry the first time.
The way through is to ask the police directly when work on the entry point may begin, and whether forensics are coming. Response times vary by force and by case, so ask when they expect to attend rather than assuming. If they are coming soon, wait. If they cannot reach you until tomorrow, a door or window should not be left open overnight, and securing it is the right call. Most insurers expect to be told promptly, so check your policy wording for what yours asks.
One detail rarely mentioned: a locksmith working on a door has to handle it, and with or without gloves that can disturb marks at the entry point. That is exactly why it is worth asking the police first instead of guessing either way. Once you have an answer, call 01483 377197.
What We Repair After a Break-In
A forced entry rarely damages just one thing; the lock, the door and the hardware around it are often all affected. Here is what typically needs attention and what happens to each. For everything else we do, see all our locksmith services.
Doors and door frames
Forced doors, split frames, and damaged keeps, strike plates and door edges. A door forced at the lock usually has frame damage too, and fixing only the lock leaves the weak point where it was. Where the frame cannot be repaired in the same visit, it is secured temporarily first; major joinery may need a carpenter or door specialist. Lock-only faults are covered under.
Locks and cylinders
Snapped cylinders, drilled locks and damaged mortice cases are replaced with equivalent or upgraded locks, depending on the door and what your policy asks for. If keys that open the property were taken, the affected locks may need changing so those keys stop working, whether or not the locks were damaged.
uPVC and composite door mechanisms
A forced uPVC door often damages the multipoint mechanism as well as the cylinder, even when the door looks intact, so it may still need attention even if it closes. The detail is on our uPVC door lock repair page.
Windows and window locks
Forced sashes, damaged handles and broken locking mechanisms. We deal with the locking hardware; where the glass or a sealed unit is broken, a glazier is the right trade, and you will be told so plainly.
Boarding up where needed
Where a door or window cannot be put right in one visit, boarding closes off the opening and keeps the property secure until the permanent repair can be arranged. Our emergency boarding up page explains how it works.
Secure Tonight, Repaired Properly Afterwards
Many people assume everything has to be sorted tonight, at tonight's prices. It does not. Some damaged entrances can be repaired on the first visit. Others need securing for now while parts are sourced or separate glazing, door or frame work is arranged. That first visit makes the property safe to leave and to sleep in, using an immediate repair, a replacement component, temporary locks or boarding, whichever the entrance allows.
The permanent repair follows once the police have finished, your insurer has been told and any parts have arrived. Any extra repair, part or return visit is discussed separately, and you are told which stage you are at, what it involves and what it costs before either stage begins. See emergency boarding up and lock replacement for each stage.
Paperwork for Your Insurance Claim
Insurance requirements vary. Check your policy, contact your insurer promptly and ask what evidence it needs; most insurers will want something along these lines:
- The crime reference number supplied by the police
- Photographs taken in line with police guidance, plus any correspondence from your insurer
- Invoices for temporary securing and for the completed repairs
[CLIENT TO CONFIRM: that an itemised invoice describing the damage, the work carried out and any locks fitted, including the standard they meet, can be provided as standard] If your insurer asks for particular information about the damage, the repair or the locks fitted, tell us before work begins. Keep the invoice with the crime reference and your photographs. Your insurer will decide what is covered under the policy. For help judging any tradesperson, read how to choose a trustworthy locksmith.
Upgrading Security After a Break-In
This is information for when you are ready, not tonight. A break-in shows how the property's security actually held up, and the entry point is the obvious place to start. Forced entry can affect the lock, the cylinder, the keeps, the frame or several together, so looking at the whole entrance shows whether one new part is enough or related hardware needs attention as well. A bigger upgrade is not automatically required.
Where a timber door was forced, suitable timber doors may use qualifying locks certified to BS 3621, which some policies specify. Where a uPVC or composite cylinder was snapped, the direct answer is an anti-snap cylinder: euro cylinders and compatible hardware may carry TS 007 ratings, while qualifying cylinders may carry SS 312 Diamond certification. These ratings apply to particular products or hardware combinations; they do not certify the whole door or guarantee that every policy is satisfied. Ask your insurer or property manager to confirm any required specification in writing first, and take any landlord or managing agent requirement into account. Some of this may be covered by the claim, and like-for-like replacement is always available if you prefer. More in BS 3621 door locks explained.
Locksmith pricing
What Do Burglary Repairs Cost?
No burglary repair price has been published yet. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: whether a burglary repair starting price can be published] The cost depends on the damage, which entrance was affected and whether the job is immediate, follow-up or both, and the final figure can only be confirmed once the door, lock or window hardware has been seen. The main factors:
- What was damaged and how badly
- Whether it can be repaired now or needs securing first
- Which locks, cylinders or other parts are needed, and to what standard
- Whether compatible parts must be sourced, and the time of day
There is no call-out charge, and you get a price on the call from what you describe; if anything on site changes it, you are told before work starts. Normal hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, and evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays are charged at a higher labour rate. You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged. If you are claiming, the work can be priced in a way that is straightforward to submit. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: claim-friendly itemised invoicing]
Call 01483 377197 for a price, or read our full guide to locksmith prices in Woking.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
What Happens When You Call
- Tell us what has been damaged, what the police have advised and whether they have been and gone.
- You get a price and an arrival estimate. [PROVIDER PACK: arrival ranges]
- A technician [PROVIDER PACK: DBS check evidence] makes the property secure and explains what can be repaired now and what needs a second visit.
- You receive an invoice for the work. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: itemised invoice format]
Asking about the police matters because it decides whether the entry point can be worked on yet. Contact us at any hour.
Burglary Repairs Across Woking
We attend break-in repairs for homeowners, tenants, landlords and business premises across Woking. A property should not be left open overnight, so these calls are attended rather than booked for later, once the police have said when work may begin. We take calls 24 hours a day and there is no call-out charge. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: genuine coverage areas]
Report a break-in to Surrey Police on 101, or online at https://surrey.police.uk/, and get a crime reference before you claim; use 999 if it is still happening or anyone is in danger. For context, 137 burglaries were recorded in the Woking built-up area over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026 (Surrey Police via data.police.uk). Around Mount Hermon there is a high share of flats and much private renting (Census 2021, output areas near Mount Hermon), so tenants should let their landlord or managing agent know, as communal doors and flat entrances may need their agreement before work.
We cover the GU21 and GU22 postcode districts (ONSPD Feb 2026), a built-up area of around 75,700 residents (Census 2021, ONS), including Mount Hermon, Knaphill and Horsell. From Woking we also serve three neighbouring towns, each with its own page: Sheerwater, New Haw and West Byfleet. See all areas we cover.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call Woking Locksmith
We answer 24 hours a day and there is no call-out charge. You can ring for advice even if the police have not finished, so you know what comes next.
- Phone: 01483 377197
- WhatsApp: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: WhatsApp availability]
- Online: contact us
01483 377197
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I call the police or a locksmith first?
The police. Call 999 if the break-in may still be going on, someone could be inside or anyone is in danger; otherwise report it through the non-emergency route, 101 or online. You will get a crime reference number, and you can ask whether the damaged entrance has to stay untouched before arranging repairs or boarding.
Can I secure my door before the police have been?
Ask them first. If forensics are coming soon, wait, because working on a door can disturb marks at the entry point. If the police cannot attend until the next day, a door or window should not be left open overnight. If the property cannot be secured, tell the police.
Will my insurance cover the repairs?
That varies by policy. Your insurer will decide whether the claim is covered. Keep your crime reference, permitted photographs, insurer correspondence and repair invoices, and ask your insurer what it needs. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: itemised invoice provided as standard]
Do I need to change my locks if nothing was damaged?
If keys were taken, usually yes, because whoever has them could come back, and an undamaged lock does not change that. Tell the police and your insurer which keys were taken. It is also worth changing locks where spare keys in the house were within reach.
Can everything be fixed the same night?
Not always, and it does not have to be. The first visit makes the property secure enough to leave and sleep in, using temporary locks or boarding where a full repair is not yet possible. The permanent repair follows once the police have finished and parts are available.
Could they come back?
It does happen, which is why securing the property quickly matters. Intruders sometimes return to the same address, particularly where there were things they could not carry the first time. Limit movement through the affected area meanwhile, and follow any police advice on preserving evidence.
My uPVC door was forced but it still closes. Is it damaged?
Possibly, and it is worth having it checked. A forced uPVC door often damages the multipoint mechanism inside even when the door and frame look fine, and the fault can show up days later as a handle that will not lock.
What if the frame is damaged as well as the lock?
That is common, because a door forced at the lock often splits the frame around the keep. Replacing only the lock leaves the weak point in place. Where the frame can be repaired it is done alongside the lock; where it needs a carpenter or door specialist, the door is secured until then.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01483 377197, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.