A safe locksmith opens safes when the code is forgotten, the key is lost, the keypad has died or the bolts have jammed, and then repairs and recodes them. It is specialist work: not every locksmith does it, and the tools and skills differ from house locks. Gun safes, office safes, home safes and old dial safes all come up. Tell us what kind of safe you have and what is wrong, and safe specialists near you will send free quotes, with no obligation.
What a safe locksmith does
- Safe opening after a lost code, a lost key or a lock failure
- Keypad faults: flat batteries, a dead keypad or a lockout after wrong codes
- Combination changes when staff leave or a safe changes hands
- Repairs and servicing of bolts, handles and locks
- Bolting down a new or moved safe; see safes
Try this before you call
On a digital safe, replace the batteries first: many keypads go dead without warning. Some models have an external battery point or a backup key behind a cover; check the manual or the maker's website. If you have entered wrong codes several times, the safe may be in a timed lockout, so wait before trying again. Do not hammer or pry the door, which can trigger relockers and make opening much harder. Find the receipt or any papers that came with the safe.
Gun safes, proof of ownership and opening methods
A good safe locksmith will ask for proof that the safe is yours or that you have the owner's authority. For a gun safe they may ask about the firearm licence. Gun safes must meet SANS 953-1 and be bolted down, so a repaired or replaced gun safe must still comply. Opening starts with non-destructive methods. If the safe must be drilled, a skilled locksmith drills at a precise point and repairs the hole so the safe can be used again.
Prices and what to ask
The type and grade of safe, the lock, the fault and whether it must be drilled set the price. A heavy safe in an awkward spot or a long drive to a farm adds to it. Ask each safe locksmith:
- the price to open, and what happens if the first method fails
- the cost of a new lock or repair afterwards
- whether the safe will still be usable and keep its rating
- how long the job should take
Mention the size and age of the safe in your request, and add a photo of the door and lock if you can.
What to include in your request
- The type and size of safe
- Dial, key or keypad lock
- What happened: lost code, dead keypad, jammed
- Where it is and how it is bolted down
- Proof of ownership ready
Safe Opening and Repairs for different clients
- Homeowners: a home safe with a forgotten code or a keypad that died overnight
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: a body corporate office safe or a resident's safe with a lost key
- Offices, shops and practices: shop and office safes recoded when staff leave or opened after a lock fault
- Landlords and letting agents: a safe left behind in a rental, opened and recoded for the next tenant
- Factories, warehouses and workshops: cash and document safes in factory offices opened and serviced
- Farms and smallholdings: a gun safe in the farmhouse that will not open before the season
- Schools, clinics, churches and hostels: school, church and clinic safes recoded and serviced on a schedule
- Builders, shopfitters and contractors: estate agents and executors who need an inherited safe opened
Frequently asked questions
How much does a safe locksmith charge to open a safe?
My digital safe keypad is dead. What now?
Will opening my safe damage it?
Can a locksmith change my safe combination?
Safe Opening and Repairs by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg