After a break-in
Burglary repair in Villajoyosa: lockable tonight, stronger next week
Someone has forced the door, snapped the cylinder or tried and failed. First the door is made to close and lock tonight, so you can sleep in the house or leave it. Then, when you are ready, the weak point is replaced with something that will stand up to the same attempt.
Open 24 hours · 7 days
- Lockable on the first visit
- Report and photos for insurers
- High-security upgrades after
The first hour
What to do before the locksmith arrives
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Stay out if they might be inside
If you think anyone is still in the house, do not go in. Ring 112.
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Report it to the police
You will need the report for your insurer. Ask whether they want to see the door before it is touched.
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Photograph everything
The door, the lock, the frame, marks on the cylinder, anything moved inside.
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Ring for the repair
Say what is damaged: a snapped cylinder, a split frame, a door that no longer closes.
Tonight
Secured on the first visit
The first job is a door that closes and locks. A snapped or drilled cylinder is replaced on the spot. A frame that has split around the keep is reinforced or the keep moved to sound wood. If the door itself is too damaged to hold, it is made secure for the night and a proper repair is planned. The price is agreed with you before the work starts, and you get an invoice describing the damage and the work for your insurer.
Next week
High-security locks and the rest of the security upgrade
- High-security cylinders that resist snapping, bumping, picking and drilling.
- Guard plates that stop the cylinder being gripped and snapped.
- Extra locking points or a second lock on doors that rely on one.
- Proper locks on sliding terrace doors, which on many flats are held only by a catch.
- Armoured doors: advice on whether yours is worth upgrading or replacing.
A routine cylinder change, when there has been no break-in, is planned work on the lock change page.
Weak points in La Vila
Where the weak point usually is, by type of home
Flats near the beach and in La Cala
Ground-floor and first-floor flats with terrace sliders, and towers with many identical doors. On a slider, the lock is often the weakest part of the whole flat.
Holiday flats between lets
With 1,782 registered tourist dwellings in the town, a flat can stand empty between guests, and a forced door may go unnoticed for days. A cylinder that resists attack matters more there.
Old doors inside the walls
A wooden street door with an old mortice lock can be strengthened without losing the door, as described on the old town page.
Houses in the partidas
Country houses between the Amadorio and the Torres, and up the valley, are further from neighbours. Gates, back doors and outbuildings deserve the same attention as the front door.
Businesses and safes
Shops, bars and safes after a break-in
A forced shop door or shutter is secured the same way, so the business can open in the morning: see locks for shops and bars. A safe that was attacked often still holds but will not open; that is a job for safe opening. If you are shut out as well, the emergency service handles both at once. Photos of the damage can be sent ahead through the contact page.
Asked on the phone
Reports, claims and the lock that replaces the old one
Can I tidy up or repair the door before the police come?
Leave it as it is until the police say otherwise, and photograph everything. If you have to secure the house before they come, tell them when you report it; the locksmith can photograph the damage before starting.
Will my insurance want a report from the locksmith?
Many policies ask for one. You get a written invoice describing the damage found and the work done, with photos on request, to attach to your claim.
They got in without breaking anything. Is my lock still safe?
Probably not. If there are no marks, the lock may have been opened by a technique the cylinder was not built to resist, or with a key that should not exist. Change the cylinder for one that resists snapping, bumping and picking.
Is a high-security cylinder enough on its own?
It is the most important part, but it works with the rest of the door: a guard plate so the cylinder cannot be gripped, a frame that holds the bolts, and on a sliding door, a proper lock rather than a catch.
Next door on the chart
After the door is secure
- A new cylinder New euro cylinders, anti-snap upgrades, tired multipoint locks and sliding terrace doors that no longer catch. Booked for a day and time that suit you.
- A safe that will not open Safes that refuse the code, have a flat battery or came with a flat and no instructions. New safes bolted down where they cannot be carried off.
- Locks for a shop or bar Shutter locks, glass shop doors, back doors and office locks, with the work fitted around opening hours. Shops, bars and offices only: no industrial units.
A forced door you cannot lock tonight?
Ring now. Send photos of the damage on WhatsApp if you can.
Open 24 hours · 7 days