← Back to Blog

When to Call a Locksmith in Egham (And When Not To)

Find Out More →

Book a locksmith at the wrong time of year and you're looking at a two-week wait. I learned that the hard way last November when I locked myself out of my house near the station and discovered half the town had the same idea. If you're planning to use a locksmith in Egham, timing genuinely matters—and not just for your peace of mind. Some seasons are chaos, others are quiet, and knowing the difference could save you days of frustration.

Why Winter Is The Busiest Time For Locksmiths

Winter is when locksmith schedules get strangled. November through February sees the highest demand, and there's a concrete reason: cold weather and damp air damage locks. Brass components contract, mechanisms stick, and moisture gets into cylinder chambers. If you've got an old lock, winter will find its weak spots.

But it's not just weather. Winter also brings house moves (people escaping before Christmas, or sorting out new places before the new year), burglaries spike, and people lose keys while juggling bags, kids, and coats. Add in the fact that students at Royal Holloway come home for the holidays with lockout stories, and you've got a perfect storm of demand. Locksmiths in Egham can be booked out for weeks solid during this window.

If you need work done before December—or you suspect your locks are wearing—book in September or early October. You'll get a slot within days, not weeks.

Spring And Summer: Your Golden Window

March to August is genuinely the best time to call. People aren't losing keys as frantically, locks aren't seizing up, and the weather doesn't amplify every minor mechanical fault. You can usually get someone out within 24 to 48 hours without any stress.

If you need a lock upgrade, a security audit, or routine maintenance, summer is your slot. Not only will you get faster service, but you'll also have the flexibility to do work during daylight hours. That matters if you want to supervise work or need your door or windows accessible for other repairs at the same time.

Summer's also quieter because fewer people are in crisis mode. You're not competing with ten other emergencies in the queue.

What About 24-Hour Emergencies?

The real question people ask is: if I'm locked out at midnight on a Tuesday, can I actually get help? Yes—but there's a difference between a locksmith answering the phone at 2am and having availability.

A 24-hour locksmith service in Egham exists for genuine emergencies. You've locked your keys inside. Your door won't open. You've got a security issue that can't wait. That's when you need someone who operates outside standard hours. The cost is higher (call-outs between 10pm and 6am carry a premium), but it's the trade-off for getting someone there when other services are closed.

What doesn't qualify as an emergency? Realising on a Friday evening that you need new locks fitted before you move house on Monday. That should have been booked in July. Same with 'I'd like an upgrade but I'm only free next Tuesday at 8am'—those requests get squeezed in around actual emergencies, and you'll wait.

If you do have a genuine emergency, call. But if you've got time to plan, use it. A 24-hour service exists for when time runs out, not as a workaround for poor planning.

Flood Season And Damp: An Underrated Factor

Living near Egham, you know we get flooding concerns, especially when the Thames rises or heavy rain hits. Damp doesn't just damage your house—it wrecks locks. Moisture creates rust, keys stick, and bolts jam. If you're in a low-lying area or near the river and heavy rain is forecast, don't wait until your lock fails in the middle of a flood crisis.

Get any problematic locks serviced or replaced before the wet season hits. September is ideal. If you're already seeing signs of rust or stiffness, book sooner.

The Smart Way To Plan Ahead

Here's what works: identify what you actually need, then book it in a quiet season. If you want security work done, target April or May. If you need emergency service, understand that premium pricing applies and accept it as the cost of being helped at 3am. If you're planning a house move or renovation, book your locksmith six weeks before you need the work, not two weeks.

And if you do lock yourself out on a Saturday afternoon in July, you'll get through to someone the same day. Lock yourself out on a Friday before Christmas, and you might be spending the weekend at your mum's.

The key (no pun intended) is treating locksmith bookings like any other trade—dentists, electricians, plumbers. You call ahead when you can, and you only ring at odd hours when something's genuinely broken. Find out more about us and our availability, or if you do have an emergency, Locksmith Egham operates 24 hours for genuine call-outs. But if you've got time to plan, give yourself—and them—a break and book during quieter months.