Lock Change and Lock Repair in Altea
A new cylinder after a key goes missing, a tired lock brought back to life, or an upgrade because the one on your door was never much of a lock to begin with. Work you can book, quoted before it starts.
Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
Six moments when a new cylinder is the right answer
Keys you cannot account for
Lost, never returned by a previous tenant, or handed to a builder in 2019. A cylinder change is cheaper than wondering.
You have just moved in
You have no idea how many keys exist for your new front door, and neither does the person who sold it to you.
The key has become a ritual
Lift the handle, pull the door, jiggle twice. A lock that needs a technique is a lock close to failing.
Salt has got into it
Properties near the water in La Olla and Cap Negret go through cylinders faster than those up the hill. Corrosion is the local cause of death for locks.
The lock is basic
Plenty of doors here carry the cheapest cylinder the builder could buy. Upgrading one barrel costs less than most people expect.
Too many keys in circulation
Rentals, cleaners, gardeners, the neighbour who waters the plants. At some point the sensible move is to start again.
What we fit and what we repair
Replacement and installation
- Euro cylinder replacement, measured to the door
- Anti-snap cylinders where the barrel is exposed
- Cylinders keyed alike across several doors
- Mortice and rim locks on older timber doors
- New locks on doors that never had one
- Handles, escutcheons and strike plates
Repair and adjustment
- Stiff cylinders cleaned, serviced and correctly lubricated
- Broken key blades extracted from the barrel
- Loose or dropped handles refixed
- Strike plates realigned when a door has swollen
- Multipoint mechanisms repaired on conventional doors
- Gates, garage doors and pedestrian entrances
One thing we do not do
We do not cut or duplicate keys. When a cylinder is replaced it arrives with its own set, and additional keys for that cylinder come from its manufacturer through the usual channel, not from us.
How a lock change is done
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Look at the door
The cylinder is measured from both sides of the door. A barrel that projects past the handle plate is the single most common security fault we find.
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Choose the cylinder
Standard replacement or an upgrade, explained in terms of what each one resists. The choice is yours and the price of both is on the table.
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Fit and test
Fitted, then tested with the door both open and closed, because a cylinder that turns beautifully on the bench can still bind in a frame.
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Keys and paperwork
You get every key that came with the cylinder, an itemised invoice, and the old lock if you want it.
Where this work overlaps with other pages
If the door was forced, the job is different: there is frame damage to assess and an insurer who will want photographs. That is repair work after a break-in.
If the door is uPVC or aluminium and the problem is that it will not lift, will not lock or has dropped on its hinges, the fault is usually the mechanism rather than the cylinder. See uPVC and patio door repairs.
For shops, restaurants and offices where the work has to happen around trading hours, see commercial locksmith services. For properties let to guests, holiday rental work covers changing locks between bookings.
Related services
Burglary Repair
Forced doors made secure again, with a report your insurer can use.
Read moreuPVC Door Locksmith
Multipoint gearboxes, sticking patio doors and doors that have dropped.
Read moreCommercial Locksmith
Shops, restaurants, offices and small hotels, worked around trading hours.
Read moreHoliday Rental Locksmith
Guest lockouts, changeover key problems and cover for owners who are away.
Read moreQuestions about changing and repairing locks
Repair or replace: how do I know which I need?
Handles, strike plates, worn keys and stiff but intact cylinders can usually be repaired or adjusted. A cylinder with internal wear, a bent cam or a snapped key inside is replaced. You will be told which one your lock is, and shown why, before anything is ordered.
What is a euro cylinder and do I have one?
It is the flat, keyhole-shaped barrel used in most doors fitted in Spain in the last few decades, held in by a single long screw through the edge of the door. If your key goes into a keyhole shaped like a figure eight on its side, that is a euro cylinder.
Can you change the lock without changing the whole door furniture?
Almost always. On a euro cylinder the barrel comes out and a new one goes in, and the handles, the plate and the door itself stay exactly as they are. Matching the length correctly matters more than the brand on the box.
Can several doors share one key?
Yes. Cylinders can be keyed alike, so a front door, a back door and a garage all open with the same key. It is popular on villas where the walk from the gate to the door involves three different locks. This is done by fitting matched cylinders, not by copying keys: we do not cut keys of any kind.
My key has started sticking. Is that the key or the lock?
Usually the lock, and near the coast usually corrosion. Salt air works into the mechanism and the pins stop moving cleanly. A stiff key is a warning that gets ignored until the day it will not turn at all, which is invariably the day you are in a hurry.
What does a lock change cost?
It depends on the cylinder chosen and how many doors are involved. You get a figure before the work, and the choice between a standard replacement and an upgraded one is explained rather than decided for you.
Thinking about a new lock?
Send a photograph of the key and the door edge on WhatsApp and you will get a straight answer about whether it needs replacing, repairing or simply cleaning.
Calls answered 24 hours a day, every day. WhatsApp works too, if a photograph explains it faster.