Got the house but not all the keys

martyn05

Get a locksmith in to gain access and change the lock. If the lock can not be picked then it will have to be drilled and he will know where to drill it. It should cost you between £75 - £100 depending on the type of lock fitted. People always seem to think locksmiths are really expensive but they are just the same as other tradesmen.

Another option is for you to try to force the door open yourself but you run the risk of damaging the door or mechanism.

What type of lock is fitted to it? Can you post a picture?

pledgeX

martyn05 wrote: »

What type of lock is fitted to it? Can you post a picture?

The lock says Apex on it and it looks like this one:
http://www.kenilworthspares.co.uk/Detail.aspx?ProdID=26

So the lock is attached to the handle but not on the part of the handle that actually turns.

As for alternative entry - no chance. As for breaking the door down, I'm sure I could find a way but I'd be spending a lot more getting a whole new door as well methinks!

DazCM

Is it good practise to get all the locks changed anyway when you move into a house?

The house I'm in the process (fingers crossed) of buying has been rented out previously; I dread to think how many ex-tenants may still have keys or copies of them...

spandles

Call a locksmith, change the locks and dispose of all the contents and then send her the bills via your solicitor! I bet she would 'find' the key then.

golddustmedia

If you want to avoid the cost of a locksmith then 2 options for a garage door.

Get 2 flat bladed instruments like wall paper stripping knives and slide in either side where the door spring catches fit the frame to release the mechanism manually.

OR

Get a drill with a metal drill bit and drill out the lock. Takes a while to do this one but once the lock is destroyed you should be able to release it manually.

Also, 2nd hand garage doors on ebay go very cheap indeed!

pinkteapot

We moved into a house last year and the owners had lost the patio door keys. The patio door had two different types of key-operated lock, one at the top, one in the middle by the handle. Cost us just over £100 so for a single garage door lock I would only expect to pay £75 ish... We didn't bother trying to claim off the seller. In the grand scheme of the total cost of selling/buying/moving it didn't add much to the budget.

Our garage has no way in besides the main up-and-over door.

Guitar

G_M wrote: »

Or have a key party - invite all your friends round, bringing their keys. Who know, maybe one will fit......?

G_M is trying to trick you!

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=key+party

boo2410

I work for an HA and when we have to repo garages a lot of them have that type of lock, once you get the door open (as a previous poster has said, gently slide down each side of the door, sometimes you need to slide along the top too, although you need to be careful as sometimes the door creases a bit) the locks are easy to change.