Window lock services
Window Lock Repair and Replacement in Lancing
Call with your postcode for a current arrival estimate.
- 24-hour emergency cover
- No call-out charge
- Price agreed before work starts
Window Will Not Lock, or the Handle Has Broken?
A window that will not lock is almost always a hardware fault, not a glass fault, so it is a repair rather than a new window. L.M.N Locksmiths Lancing repairs and replaces window locks, handles and mechanisms across Lancing, on uPVC, aluminium and timber frames.
Most people tell us one of three things: the handle is loose or spins, the handle turns but nothing locks, or the window is stuck shut. There is no call-out charge. See window locks for the work in more detail.
The Lock or the Window: Which Is at Fault?
Is the trouble in the hardware, or in how the sash meets the frame? You can often find out by opening the window fully and gently trying the handle with the sash open, provided the window opens normally and you can do it safely.
When it locks fine with the sash open
The locking points may not be engaging the keeps on the frame. The sash may have dropped on worn hinges, or the keeps may need adjusting. Inspection then confirms whether the window needs realigning or another part plays a role.
It fails with the sash open too
A handle that stays loose, stiff or ineffective suggests the hardware: the handle, spindle, gearbox or the locking strip along the sash. Inspection identifies the affected part, and any replacement is discussed with you, with compatible options, before work begins.
Stop the moment the handle or key requires force; a stiff handle or key should never be forced. If a component becomes loose, bends or needs excessive force, stop using the window altogether.
The locking system contains several connected parts, so a problem in one can affect the handle, the opening sash or the locking points. The check helps show whether you need an adjustment, an individual replacement part or a compatible mechanism. A window that won't close or lock can leave your property less secure, but it may not need replacing outright; the fault may involve the handle, the locking mechanism or how the window sits in its frame. Tell us whether it is stuck, hard to close or no longer locking securely, so we can understand the problem and arrange an inspection.
Urgent help: ground-floor or otherwise accessible window that will not secure? Call us.
What Is Your Window Doing?
Use these symptoms as a shortcut when you phone us about a window in Lancing. They cover faulty handles, failed mechanisms and windows that no longer align with the frame, but the lock, handle and alignment still need an inspection before the work is confirmed.
The handle is loose or wobbly, or spins
Think loose fixings, a worn spindle or a handle damaged internally. Fitting a new handle may be enough to bring the window back to normal operation, provided the locking mechanism checks out too.
When the handle turns but the window will not lock
A faulty spindle, gearbox or locking strip lets the handle move without operating the locking points. The window can appear shut while unsecured. Do not leave an accessible window in that state.
The window is stuck shut and will not open
A jammed handle, gearbox or locking strip may be holding it. Do not force the handle or pull against the frame, as that adds strain. Inspection is needed to identify the jam and confirm a safe way of opening the window.
The window will not properly close
It may have dropped or moved out of line, with worn hinges or wrongly positioned keeps stopping it closing and locking. Adjustment, rather than lock replacement, may be the solution. Forcing it shut strains the locking hardware.
The key will not turn within the handle
A worn or damaged key, or a failure of the small lock inside the handle. Check an undamaged spare if available, forcing neither. Depending on the design, a replacement for the entire locking handle can be fitted with new keys provided.
Urgent help: unable to secure an accessible window?
Lost Your Window Key?
Before calling anyone about a missing window key, check whether a replacement key can be found. If the handle and key pattern can be identified, one may be available; some locking handles use identifiable patterns, and a code on an existing key or on the handle can point to the right replacement. The handle and key pattern, together with the supplier, determine availability.
Please don't try forcing a key that only looks similar. It may not match the internal pattern and could damage the handle you are trying to save.
A replacement locking handle is the more suitable option in four situations: the existing lock is damaged or unreliable; a compatible replacement key cannot be identified; the handle itself has stopped working; or you want keys you cannot account for to stop operating the window. The new handle is compatible with the window and comes with matching new keys, which closes off any old keys still in circulation.
You Do Not Need a New Window
When a window will not lock, the natural reaction is to phone the company that fitted it or start pricing new windows. Yet a window that will not lock, open or close properly does not always need replacing. Whether the problem lies with the lock hardware or elsewhere in the window structure determines which service is appropriate. Glazing companies replace windows; locksmiths repair the hardware that locks them.
The hardware is usually the problem when the handle is loose, broken or spinning, when the key or handle no longer works the locking points, when the gearbox or mechanism is stiff or jammed, when the locking points miss the frame, or when a minor alignment problem is stopping it locking. Those can often be put right by adjustment, repair or a compatible replacement part.
It is a different job if the glass or sealed unit is damaged, the frame is cracked or badly distorted, the sash is structurally damaged, the misalignment is too severe for a locksmith, or new locking hardware would not cure the wider problem. Glass and sealed-unit faults normally go to a glazier, and structural work on the frame or sash may need a window specialist.
Not sure which you need? We assess the fault and explain whether it falls within our window-lock service, and if another trade suits it better, we tell you before any work is agreed.
The Parts That Fail on a uPVC Window
Four components do the work of locking a uPVC window, and almost every fault involves one of them. Knowing which helps you describe the problem and helps us find the right part.
The handle and spindle
The handle is what you turn. Its connection to the locking mechanism inside the sash is provided by a square metal spindle. Loose fixings, a worn spindle or damage inside the handle can stop the lock working, and if nothing else is affected, replacing that part may be the only repair.
Your gearbox
Behind the handle is the gearbox, transferring the handle's movement to the mechanism. Signs of a fault are stiffness, a handle spinning without engaging, or locking points that no longer move. Depending on design it is replaced separately or as part of the strip, and must match the existing dimensions and mechanism.
The espagnolette strips
The "espag" is the metal strip fitted along the sash edge, carrying the locking points that engage the frame; certain windows use a related shootbolt system. When bent, worn or jammed, it can prevent opening or locking, and the replacement has to be compatible with the window dimensions and existing hardware.
Hinges and the keeps
The friction hinges support the opening sash and shape how it sits in the frame. The keeps receive the locking points. The window can struggle to close and lock smoothly if the hinges are worn or the keeps are incorrectly positioned. A window specialist may be needed where the fault goes wider.
Let us know whether the window is stuck, difficult to close or will not lock, what happens at the handle or key, and the open-sash result if you completed it safely. That description gives us the price on the call, which stands unless the job differs on site; you hear any change before work starts. The agreed work is carried out and tested with you where practical. It is normally a planned appointment in Lancing; if an accessible window cannot be secured, call to discuss current urgent availability.
[DEVELOPER NOTE — remove before publication: use an original labelled diagram showing the handle, spindle, gearbox, espagnolette strip, locking points, keeps and friction hinges.]
Window Locks and Home Insurance
Do your window locks affect your cover? They can. Some policies specify key-operated locks or other security measures on accessible windows, such as those on the ground floor or reachable from a flat roof, balcony or extension, but requirements vary. For confirmation of what applies to your property, consult your policy wording or contact your insurer. When a window no longer locks, its key will not turn or the handle has stopped operating the mechanism, tell us what is happening and pass on the written requirement. Depending on the fault, we may adjust, repair or fit a compatible replacement component, and we can assess the window and explain whether a suitable key-operated locking handle or window lock can be fitted. Your insurer alone can confirm whether the installation meets your policy requirements. For door locks, see BS 3621 and insurance-approved locks explained.
Locksmith pricing
How Does the Job Work?
Windows rarely need an emergency visit, so we normally book a time that suits you. A ground-floor or otherwise accessible window that won't secure is different: phone us, day or night, with no call-out charge.
You call.
Explain the symptom and tell us what happened when you tried the handle with the window open.
We diagnose and price.
That detail lets us narrow down the probable component and quote you before the visit.
We test.
After the repair, the window is opened, closed and locked to prove it works.
Locksmith pricing
What Does a Window Lock Repair Cost?
Window not locking properly? A reliable price depends on the fault, the component affected and the work required, because a loose handle, an alignment problem and a failed locking mechanism each involve different parts and labour. As a guide, a handle swap is normally the least costly outcome and a full espagnolette replacement the most, with a gearbox in between, and all of them generally cost well below a new window. Four things shape the figure:
Tell us what the window is doing and share clear photographs if we ask; the open-sash check helps too, because it shows whether an adjustment may solve the problem. We give you the price on the call from your description, and it holds unless the job differs on site; any change is explained before work begins. We assess lock and alignment problems on uPVC, aluminium and timber windows, explain the repair and replacement options, and agree the required work before the repair starts. There is no call-out charge. On cost, the rule is simple: 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.
Is a faulty or unreliable lock on your window causing you trouble? Let us know how many windows need attention and describe the fault.
Type of fault
adjusting alignment is different work from repairing a jammed mechanism.
Component or mechanism
the handle, the gearbox and the wider locking mechanism each price differently.
Compatible parts
older or discontinued hardware can take longer to identify or need a suitable alternative.
Number of windows
mention every window needing attention so the work can be considered together.
Window Lock Repairs Across Lancing
Window jobs are usually planned, and often involve several windows in the same home, so we book them as one visit for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Lancing.
Visits are available in North Lancing, South Lancing and Lower Cokeham, across every postcode in BN15 and the parts of BN43 around Lancing, and in Sompting, which has its own page. About 23,000 usual residents live in the area (Census 2021, ONS, output areas approximated to the built-up area).
Stock age gives a feel for the windows: 48.5% of Lancing's homes were built from 1945 to 1982, 32.4% from 1900 to 1939, 11.4% from 1983 to 2008, 5.9% from 2009 and 1.8% before 1900 (VOA council tax property stock, 31 March 2026). Older frames may have been replaced at some point, which is why the technician checks what is actually fitted. North Lancing is mostly houses (Census 2021, ONS).
North Lancing is also a conservation area (planning.data.gov.uk, designated 1975). Repairing a window lock does not alter the frame, but replacing windows there is a different matter to raise with the council; the national data shows no Article 4 direction on windows, and absence means unknown.
See all areas we cover.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Book a Window Lock Repair in Lancing
Ring 01903 377061 to book a time, and count up the windows that are failing first, since several can usually be done in one visit. There is no call-out charge, and the price is agreed before work begins.
- Phone: 01903 377061
- Booked work: Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
01903 377061
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a broken window lock mean I need a new window?
Not usually. As long as the frame, glass and sealed unit remain suitable, the fault may well sit in the handle, spindle or locking mechanism, and a hardware repair is a small job compared with a replacement window. An inspection can confirm the answer: an adjustment, a repair, a replacement component, or, if the window itself is the problem, attention from another window specialist.
How do I know if it is the lock or the window itself?
Open the sash fully, then gently try the handle and lock. A handle that behaves normally suggests an alignment problem: the sash may have dropped or the keeps may need repositioning. A handle that still sticks or fails suggests a hardware fault, perhaps in the gearbox or locking strip. Avoid forcing anything, and pass the result on when you call so we can judge the likely job.
My window handle is loose and spins. Is that expensive to fix?
Generally, no. Loose and spinning handles usually point to loose fixings or a worn spindle rather than a failed mechanism, and the handle is often the cheapest part on the window to replace. Replacing it can be the complete repair. We check the mechanism for deeper faults. Your description sets the call price, which holds unless the job differs on site; any change is explained before work starts.
Can I get a replacement key for my window lock?
In many cases you can. A key code, the model of the handle or a manufacturer marking may identify a compatible replacement key, and many window handles use widely shared patterns, though availability varies. Don't force a lookalike key. If the right one cannot be obtained, the lock is damaged or old keys are unaccounted for, replacing the locking handle is often the better answer.
Do my window locks affect my home insurance?
They may. Some policies specify key-operated locks for accessible windows, which typically means ground-floor windows plus any reachable from a flat roof, balcony or extension. Because requirements vary by insurer and property, check your policy wording. A window lock that no longer works is worth repairing promptly, both for security and for your cover. When getting in touch with us, pass on any requirement set out in writing.
My window is stuck shut. Can you open it without breaking anything?
Usually yes. A window stuck in the locked position normally has a jammed mechanism or a worn locking strip, and it can generally be released without damaging the sash or the glazing. It does need inspecting first to confirm the cause and a safe way to open it. Please call before forcing it, because forcing a jammed sash can crack the frame and turn a hardware repair into a glazing job.
Can you do several windows in one visit?
Certainly, and it often makes sense. Windows of a similar age tend to develop faults around the same time, so it is worth having them checked together. Tell us how many need attention so the work can be planned as one job. We will point out which windows genuinely need repair now and which are fine as they are.
Should I call a locksmith or a glazier?
If the window will not lock or the handle has failed, call a locksmith: handles, spindles, locks and multipoint locking mechanisms are locksmith work. If the glass is broken, the sealed unit damaged or the panes are misting inside, a glazier is generally more appropriate. A window specialist may be needed for structural sash or frame faults. We will tell you honestly if the problem is not ours to fix.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01903 377061, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.