Auto locksmith: locked out, keys lost or a key to cut and code.
If you are locked out, have lost your keys or need a spare programmed, tell Recovru what you need and what key your vehicle takes. Vetted auto locksmiths nearby send one price each, and the one you choose confirms you are entitled to the vehicle before opening it. If a child is shut inside, call 999 now.
Auto Locksmith
Operators nearby send one price each and you choose one. The price you choose is the total you pay, with any VAT the operator charges included. Your card is held when you accept and charged when the job is done. If no operator nearby quotes, nothing is held or charged. Cancelling can cost a charge once the operator has set off: see Cancellation and Refunds and the Cancellation Rates.
The Recovru app opens in your browser today; iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.
Recovru is not an emergency service. If you are in danger, call 999.
What happens when you ask for a locksmith
- Tell us where the vehicle is, what you need and what kind of key it takes. Asking is free and commits you to nothing.
- Auto locksmiths nearby send one price each for the whole job, with the time they can reach you.
- Accept a price and the money is held, not taken. Follow your locksmith on the live map and message them in the app.
- When they arrive, you give them your 4-digit arrival code, and they check you are entitled to the vehicle before they open it or cut and code a key.
What an auto locksmith can do
Getting in is one job; cutting and coding a key is another, with different kit on the van, so the app asks which you need.
- Get back in
- Your vehicle opened when the keys are locked inside or you are locked out
- A new key
- A new key cut and coded when there is no key to use
- A spare programmed
- A spare you already have, programmed to work with your vehicle
- Your kind of key
- A plain key, a key with lock and unlock buttons, a keyless fob for a car with a start button, or a key card
Proof the vehicle is yours
Every locksmith on Recovru must confirm you are entitled to the vehicle before they open it or cut a key. The app suggests the logbook (V5C) and photo ID, or insurance or finance papers in your name, and the locksmith decides what they need to see. If your proof is locked inside the vehicle, say so in the app. If the vehicle belongs to your employer, ask them for written authority to have it opened.
What the app asks when you are locked out
After where the vehicle is and how safe it is there and which vehicle it is, the app asks:
- What do you need?
- Get me back into the car, a new key cut and coded, or program a spare I already have. It decides the trade and the kit.
- Is anyone or any animal shut inside the car?
- A child means call 999 now: they will reach you faster than any operator and will not charge you. For a pet on a warm day, call 999 too.
- What kind of key does it have?
- A plain key with no buttons, a key with lock and unlock buttons, a keyless fob with a start button in the car, or a key card. It tells the locksmith which key or fob to bring.
- Does any of this apply?
- A spare nearby or far away, no spare at all, and where your proof of ownership is: with you, locked inside, at home, or none. A spare nearby may be quicker and cheaper than a new key.
Have these ready
- Proof the vehicle is yours: the logbook (V5C) and photo ID, or insurance or finance papers in your name
- Someone who can bring a spare key, if one is nearby
- Your vehicle's registration, so the app can fill in the rest
If someone is shut inside
- If a child is shut inside, call 999 now. Do not wait for a locksmith.
- If a pet is shut inside on a warm day, call 999 too. The RSPCA says that if a dog is in danger, dialling 999 should be your first step.
- If you are at the roadside, wait somewhere safe away from traffic, not beside the vehicle in the road.
Who comes to open it
Locksmith work goes only to operators our staff have cleared as auto locksmiths, a clearance of its own. Each is an independent business, checked before they can send you a single price:
- Identity
- Photo ID, matched to a live selfie
- Right to work
- Checked before their first job
- The business
- A company, or a sole trader on record. A VAT number is checked with HMRC and must match the business
- Screening
- Sanctions and politically exposed person lists
- Documents
- The insurance and licences each service needs, read by our staff
A clearance lasts only while the documents behind it are in date. Once one expires, that operator is not sent those requests.
For locksmith work, the Operator Terms also ask for:
- A basic DBS certificate issued within the last 12 months, renewed every 12 months
- Our proof of entitlement procedure: they must confirm you are entitled to the vehicle before they open it
- Professional indemnity cover
- Public liability insurance of at least £1 million
How the price for a locksmith works
Recovru does not set prices. Each operator names one price for the whole job as you described it, and that price is the total you pay: it includes their attendance and assessment fee and any VAT, so nothing is added at the end. The quote says “inc VAT” when the operator is VAT registered and “No VAT to pay” when they are not. Your invoice or receipt is in the operator's name, issued by Recovru as their agent, and shows the VAT when there is any. There is no booking fee and no card fee, and you can take any price or none.
Getting in and a new key cut and coded are different jobs with different prices, so choose the one you need when you ask. If you cannot show the vehicle is yours, the locksmith cannot go ahead, so find what proof you can before they arrive.
Accept a price and the money is held, not taken, until the job is done. If the job turns out different, nothing extra is done or charged until you approve a revised price in the app. You pay the attendance and assessment fee, VAT included, instead of the price only if your operator arrives and cannot do the job because what you told us was materially inaccurate, left out something important or was misleading; the Terms of Use cap it.
Cancelling is free until your operator sets off, and for two minutes after you accept whatever they have done. After that the Cancellation Rates show how any charge is worked out, you see the exact figure before you confirm, and you never pay more than that figure. If your operator cancels, you pay nothing.
Your contract for the job is with the operator, and Recovru collects the payment as their agent. How It Works and Cancellation and Refunds have the detail.
Questions
A child or a pet is locked in the car. What do I do?
For a child, call 999 now and do not wait for a locksmith. For a pet on a warm day, call 999 too.
What proof will the locksmith ask for?
They must confirm you are entitled to the vehicle before they open it or cut a key. The app suggests the logbook (V5C) and photo ID, or insurance or finance papers in your name. Have what you can to hand.
I have lost every key. Can a new one be made?
Yes. Ask for a new key cut and coded, and tell the app what kind of key your vehicle takes, so the locksmith brings the right blank or fob.
Will getting in damage my car?
Getting you in without breaking glass is what an auto locksmith is for, and they see your vehicle's details before they quote. Nobody can promise no marks at all, so ask the locksmith how they will open it.
Can a spare key I already have be programmed?
Yes. Choose “Program a spare I already have”, and a locksmith programs it to work with your vehicle.
Related help
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Tell us where you are and what has happened, and operators nearby send you their prices. You do not need a plan to get help.