Locksmith Insurance
A locksmith occupies a position of trust that nothing else in the trades quite matches: you are demonstrably able to enter buildings other people cannot.
Trusted With Access
That produces a kind of exposure most trades never face. If a property is burgled weeks after you changed its locks, you are an obvious thought, and so is any key or code you still hold. The suspicion may be entirely unjustified and it still has to be answered, which is a reputational and evidential problem before it is an insurance one.
The technical exposure runs alongside it. A lock you specified and fitted is relied on by the householder and frequently by their insurer, because home policies set requirements on locks. Fit something that does not meet the standard claimed and a declined burglary claim becomes your problem.
What Locksmith Insurance Covers
Public liability
Injury and damage to third parties, including the door, frame and property you work on. £2 million is the minimum and £5 million is needed for commercial and agent work.
Damage during entry
Non-destructive entry is the aim and not always the outcome. Doors, frames, glazing and locks damaged gaining access.
Professional indemnity for specification
Advising which lock meets an insurance requirement is advice relied on by a householder and their insurer. Mechanics on our professional indemnity page.
Keys, codes and access held
Master keys, suited systems and access records for landlords and agents, where a loss compromises multiple properties at once.
Loss of keys and reinstatement
Losing a client's keys can mean rekeying a whole building or a suite, which is a cost well beyond a key.
Employers' liability
Compulsory at a £5 million statutory minimum, including part time and out of hours staff.
Tools, stock and van contents
Specialist tools, key blanks, cylinders and sometimes a shop, with tools in a van overnight being the frequent theft claim.
Where The Cover Stops
Wordings differ between insurers, so treat these as the usual position rather than as universal fact. Where one of them matters to you, it is worth checking on your own schedule before you need to.
Dishonesty and suspicion
A burglary after your visit puts you in the frame. Policies respond to negligence rather than to allegations, so records are the defence.
Insurance approved locks
Where a home insurer specifies a lock standard, fitting something that does not meet it can contribute to a declined claim.
Damage on entry
Some wordings restrict damage to the item being worked on, which on a forced entry is the door and frame.
Verifying who you are letting in
Opening a property for somebody with no right to be there is the worst outcome available, and the checks are yours.
Master key systems
Holding a master for a block or an estate concentrates risk: one compromise affects every door on the suite.
Fire doors and escape hardware
Changing hardware on a fire door or an escape route can defeat its function, which is a life safety failure.
Record Who Asked And Who You Let In
The exposure that worries experienced locksmiths is not a damaged door. It is being the obvious suspect, or worse, letting the wrong person in.
An emergency call out is somebody saying they are locked out of a property. Sometimes that is not true: a former partner, an evicted tenant, a family member in a dispute, or somebody with no connection to the address at all. Open the door and you have effected an entry for a person with no right to be there, and the consequences range from a civil dispute to assisting a crime. Separately, a burglary at a property weeks after a lock change makes the locksmith an obvious line of enquiry.
Both are managed with the same habit. Identify the caller and record it: photographic identification, something connecting them to the address, and a note of what was produced and by whom. Record the job with time, address, work done and keys issued, and keep it. Where identification cannot be produced, the right answer is to decline rather than to accept a plausible story, and on tenancy or dispute situations ask for the landlord or agent to confirm. None of this is about insurance paying; it is about being able to answer a question six months later.
A Lock Is Part Of Somebody's Insurance
This is the advisory exposure in the trade and it is easy to walk into without noticing.
Home and commercial policies set requirements on door and window locking: a specified standard, a minimum specification, deadlocking, or mortice locks to a stated grade. Householders ask locksmiths what they need, and a locksmith who says a lock is fine, or fits something that does not meet the standard the customer's policy requires, has given advice the customer relies on. If a burglary follows and the insurer declines or reduces the claim because the locking did not comply, the customer's loss is the contents and they will look at who fitted the lock.
So be specific rather than reassuring. Ask what the customer's policy requires and tell them to check it rather than assuming, state in writing what you have fitted and to what standard, and avoid saying anything that reads as confirming compliance with a policy you have not seen. Where a customer wants a cheaper option that does not meet the standard, record that they were told. That one line is the difference between advice that was wrong and a decision that was theirs.
Keys You Hold Are A Concentrated Risk
A locksmith working for landlords, agents and commercial clients accumulates access, and the risk compounds rather than adds.
Master and suited key systems mean one key opens many doors. Holding spares for an agent means holding access to a portfolio. Keeping a record of cylinder codes or key numbers means holding the information needed to have keys cut. Lose any of that, or have it taken from a van or an office, and the exposure is not one door: it is every door on the suite, and the remedy is rekeying at a cost that dwarfs anything else in this trade.
So treat held keys as the valuable item they are. Keys stored in a fixed secure cabinet rather than in a van, labelled by a code that does not identify the address, a register of what is held and for whom with a sign out procedure, cylinder and key records kept separately from the keys themselves, and nothing left in a vehicle overnight. Then check the cover: loss of keys and the cost of reinstating a suite is a specific extension rather than something a general policy assumes, and the limit needs to reflect the largest system you hold.
Doors, Frames And Fire Doors
The frequent claims in this trade are physical and small, with one exception that is neither.
Non-destructive entry is the professional standard and it does not always work: a lock that will not pick, a UPVC mechanism already failing, a composite door with a hidden reinforcement, or a customer standing in the rain pressing you to get on with it. The result is a damaged lock, a scratched or bent door, broken glazing or a damaged frame, and the customer frequently expects it all put right at your cost. Explain the possibility before starting and get agreement on what happens if destructive entry is needed, because that conversation afterwards is much harder.
The exception is fire doors and escape hardware. Changing a lock, adding a deadbolt, fitting a closer or altering escape hardware on a fire door or a final exit can defeat its function: a door that no longer latches, no longer self closes, or no longer opens from inside without a key. On a commercial property, an HMO or a block, that is a life safety failure rather than a damaged door, and it is the one part of locksmithing where getting it wrong hurts somebody.
How To Choose A Broker For A Locksmith
Keys held and specification advice are the gaps. We are an FCA regulated broker and will not tell you we are the best choice. These are the questions that decide it.
Is loss of keys and reinstatement covered?
Losing a master or a suite means rekeying a building, which is a cost well beyond a key and usually a specific extension.
Is lock specification covered as advice?
Telling a customer a lock meets their insurer's requirement is advice, and a declined burglary claim is a financial loss.
Is damage during entry covered?
Non-destructive entry is the aim, not always the outcome, and some wordings restrict damage to the item worked on.
Does the limit match agent and commercial work?
£2 million works for domestic callouts, but letting agents and commercial clients generally specify £5 million.
Are tools in the van overnight covered?
A locksmith's tools are specialist, valuable and frequently the subject of the trade's commonest theft claim.
Has fire door hardware been raised?
A broker who mentions it understands the one part of this trade where a mistake is a life safety failure.
Factually, here is what we do against those questions. We check loss of keys and the cost of reinstating a suite is covered at a limit reflecting the largest system you hold, we arrange professional indemnity where you advise on lock specification because a declined burglary claim is a financial loss, we confirm damage during entry is covered, and we tell you to record identification on every emergency entry. We are a broker, so it goes to several insurers rather than one.
We also insure security systems installers, access control installers and glaziers, so doors, access and insurers' requirements are familiar ground here.
What Moves The Price
Every policy is priced on the business behind it. These are the things that move the premium:
- Whether you hold keys or master systems for clients
- Whether you advise on lock specification
- The domestic, commercial and letting agent split
- Whether emergency and out of hours work is carried out
- Whether safes are installed or opened
- Tool values and overnight van security
- Whether there is a shop or key cutting counter
- Claims history, including damage on entry
We are a broker, so we take it to several insurers rather than quoting one. Call 02382 000820 for a quote.
What We Need To Quote
- The work you carry out, including emergency callouts
- Whether you hold keys or masters, and for how many properties
- Whether you advise on insurance approved lock standards
- Domestic, commercial and agent split
- Whether safe work is undertaken
- Tool values and where tools are kept overnight
- Your identification procedure on emergency entries
- Any claims in five years, including damage on entry
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this policy.
- Security systems installersAlarms and CCTV alongside physical security.
- Access control installersElectronic locking, and escape route release.
- Glaziers and window fittersGlazing broken on entry, and window locking.
- Estate and letting agentsWho you hold keys for, and their own obligations.
- Tool coverSpecialist tools, and what happens in a van overnight.
- Talk to a brokerAsk whether loss of keys and rekeying is covered.
Common questions
What insurance do locksmiths need?+
Public liability at £2 million as a minimum and £5 million for commercial and letting agent work, written so damage during entry to the door, frame and lock is covered, because non-destructive entry does not always succeed. Then professional indemnity where you advise on lock specification, cover for keys and access you hold including the cost of reinstating a suite if they are lost, employers' liability at a £5 million statutory minimum, and tools and stock cover including tools left in a van overnight.
What happens if a property is burgled after I changed the locks?+
You become an obvious line of enquiry, and that has to be answered whether or not it is justified, which is why the job record is the real protection. Policies respond to negligence rather than to allegations, so what helps is being able to show exactly what you did: the time, the address, the work carried out, how many keys were issued and to whom, and who asked for the work. Keep those records rather than relying on memory, and keep them long enough to answer a question six months later.
Am I liable if the lock I fitted did not meet the insurer's requirement?+
Potentially, and it is the advisory exposure people walk into without noticing. Home and commercial policies set locking requirements, and a customer who asks what they need and is told a lock is fine has relied on advice. If a burglary follows and their insurer declines or reduces the claim because the locking did not comply, their loss is the contents. So ask what their policy requires and tell them to check rather than assuming, state in writing what you fitted and to what standard, and record it where a customer chooses a cheaper non-compliant option.
How should I handle keys I hold for landlords and agents?+
As the valuable item they are, because the risk concentrates rather than adds: one master opens many doors, and losing it means rekeying a building at a cost far beyond anything else in the trade. Store keys in a fixed secure cabinet rather than a van, label by a code that does not identify the address, keep a register of what is held and for whom with a sign out procedure, keep cylinder and key records separately from the keys, and leave nothing in a vehicle overnight. Check that loss of keys and reinstatement is actually covered.
What if I have to force a door to get in?+
Have the conversation before you start rather than afterwards. Non-destructive entry is the professional standard and it does not always work: a lock that will not pick, a failing UPVC mechanism, a composite door with hidden reinforcement, or a customer in the rain pressing you to get on with it. The result is a damaged lock, a bent or scratched door, broken glazing or a damaged frame, and customers frequently expect it put right at your cost. Explain the possibility and agree what happens if destructive entry becomes necessary.
Who insures locksmiths in the UK?+
It is written within general trades and security trades insurance, so options are reasonably broad and the differences sit in the extensions rather than the headline price. It is placed both direct and through brokers. What separates placements is whether loss of keys and reinstatement of a suite is covered and at what limit, whether lock specification advice is covered, whether damage during entry is included rather than restricted, and whether tools in a van overnight are properly insured.
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