Locksmith Dénia Dénia · Marina Alta
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Opening a locked door in Dénia, and keeping the lock in one piece

Most locked doors can be opened without destroying the lock. How it is done depends on the door, and Dénia has three very different ones: the old street door, the armoured flat door and the villa with three locks between you and the sofa.

24-hour emergency line · 7 days

+34 678 583 290
  • Non-destructive methods first
  • Proof of residence asked
  • New cylinder fitted if one is lost
A locksmith kneels at a white front door, easing a slim tool into the cylinder below the handle

Three doors, three different jobs

  • The street door of a Baix la Mar house

    The old fishermen’s quarter is protected as a site of local relevance, and its houses open straight onto the street through one timber door. Old locks are common. The aim is to open it through the lock and leave nothing on the door that shows from the street.

  • An armoured door in a Les Marines flat

    Beach blocks along the three kilometres of Les Marines, and many flats in the centre, have a puerta blindada: one cylinder driving several bolts. Latched, it is quick; locked with the key, it takes patience, not force. The street door of the block may come first.

  • A villa in Les Rotes or on the Montgó

    Gate, garage and front door, each on its own lock, and often an aluminium or uPVC door as well. Knowing which one you actually need open saves the other two.

How a door is opened without damage

  1. Latched or locked?

    The first question, because a door held only by its latch can often be opened without going near the cylinder.

  2. Through the lock itself

    Non-destructive methods on the cylinder, chosen for the make and grade of lock. Most ordinary cylinders open this way and carry on working afterwards.

  3. Only the cylinder, if something has to give

    A high-security cylinder, or one that has failed inside, sometimes cannot be saved. Then the cylinder is sacrificed, never the door, and a new one goes in before anybody leaves.

  4. Tested before the van goes

    The door is closed and locked with the key in your hand, from both sides where it matters, before the job counts as finished.

If the door you are locked behind is a uPVC or sliding one, the mechanism is different: see uPVC, aluminium and sliding doors. If the lock was lost in the opening or you simply want a better one, that is a new cylinder.

Whose door it is

No door is opened on somebody’s word. Before anything starts you are asked for proof that you live there or are entitled to be inside: ID with the address, a rental contract, a booking confirmation, or the owner or the agency confirming it by phone.

That rule is the same for holiday guests. With more than 5,000 registered holiday lets in Dénia, a lot of openings are for people staying in someone else’s property, and the host or manager authorises them: see work for holiday-let hosts.

Standing outside the door at this moment? What to do in the next five minutes, or ring the number below. Every other way to reach us is on the contact page.

Questions about getting a door open

Will the lock have to be drilled?

Usually not. Drilling is the last option, used when a high-security cylinder or a broken mechanism leaves nothing else. If it comes to that, only the cylinder is lost, and a new one is fitted before the door is left.

The door only swung shut behind me. It is not locked. Does that help?

A great deal. A door held only by its latch can often be opened without touching the lock at all. Say so on the phone, because it changes both the time and the price.

Our flat has an armoured door with bolts on every side. Can it be opened?

Yes. If the bolts were thrown with the key it takes longer than a latched door, because the work is on the cylinder that drives them, but the door itself is not damaged.

Can you open the street door of the building as well?

Yes, with the same proof that you live there. Often a neighbour will buzz you in, which saves one of the two jobs, so it is worth trying the other bells first.

How long does an opening take?

From a couple of minutes for a latched door to much longer for a security cylinder with its bolts thrown. You are given an honest idea on the phone once the door and the lock are described.

Tell us about the door

Which door, latched or locked, and what the key did last. A photo of the lock on WhatsApp answers most of it.

24-hour emergency line · 7 days

+34 678 583 290
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