Two questions, and the second one costs more than the first.
Lost your keys in Munich
Getting you back inside is the straightforward part. The question worth thinking about is whether the lost key can be connected to your address — because that, and not the loss itself, is what decides whether the cylinder should be replaced.
We will tell you which situation we think you are in. Sometimes the answer is that you do not need to spend the money.
How we work
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Wie Schlüssel verloren — dasselbe Motiv, englischer Alt-Text
- 1
Getting you in comes first
We open the door the same way as any lockout — via the latch if it merely fell shut, by picking the cylinder if it was locked. Nothing about a lost key makes the opening itself different or more expensive.
- 2
Then we look at what the key actually opened
This is the question that decides the cost. A single flat key that opens only your door is one situation. A key that also opens the building entrance, the cellar and the bin store belongs to a master key system, and that changes both the risk and the price of putting it right.
- 3
Whether a cylinder change is genuinely needed
It depends on where the key was lost and what could identify the address. A key alone, dropped in a park, is not much use to anyone. A key on a ring with a card showing your address, or lost together with your wallet, is a different matter. We tell you which of the two we think you have — including when we think you do not need to spend the money.
- 4
Changing the cylinder, if you decide to
On a standard door this takes minutes: the fixing screw comes out, the old cylinder comes out, the new one goes in and is measured to sit flush. We carry common sizes. If yours is unusual, we say so on site rather than fitting something that protrudes — a cylinder standing proud of the fitting can be gripped and snapped, which is worse than the lock you started with.
- 5
If it belongs to a master key system
Do not let anyone simply fit a replacement cylinder. It will not match the system, and the building entrance will no longer work with your key. This is a case for the Hausverwaltung — the property management company — because the system is theirs and only they can order a matching cylinder against the key register.
What will it cost?
The opening itself is priced by the state of the door — latched shut or locked with a key. A replacement cylinder is charged separately, because it is a part rather than labour, and because you may well decide you do not need one.
Our calculator deliberately names no price for this. It covers the two door openings where we know in advance what is waiting for us; here the work depends on things nobody can establish over the phone.
So we do it the other way round: describe what you are looking at, and we name the price before anyone sets off. On site it is written down before we start.
Before you call us
- Ask the Hausmeister (caretaker) or Hausverwaltung (property management). In German apartment buildings they frequently hold a spare key, and it costs nothing.
- Look for the Sicherungskarte — a credit-card-sized security card that came with a patented cylinder. It is what lets a locksmith cut a legitimate replacement key, and it is worth finding before you decide anything.
- Check your household contents insurance (Hausratversicherung). Lost-key cover is a common module and pays for exactly this situation.
- If the key opened the building entrance, tell your property management today rather than tomorrow. The decision is theirs, and it affects everyone in the building.
Questions we are asked most
Do I have to change the lock after losing a key?
Not always, and anybody insisting otherwise before asking any questions is selling you a cylinder. What matters is whether the key can be connected to your address. Lost on its own, somewhere with no link to you, the practical risk is low. Lost with a wallet, an ID card, a parcel label or a fob showing the building, the risk is real and a change is the sensible answer. We will tell you which we think applies, and we would rather tell you it is the first one.
What if the key belongs to a master key system?
Then contact your Hausverwaltung — the property management company — before ordering anything. In a master key system every cylinder is matched to a shared key hierarchy, so a replacement bought separately will not work with the rest of the building. Depending on what the lost key opened, restoring security can mean replacing many cylinders rather than one, which is exactly why these systems come with a key register recording who holds what.
I rent. Who pays — me or my landlord?
For a key you lost, you normally do. German courts treat that as the tenant's responsibility because it happened in your sphere rather than the landlord's. If the key belongs to a master key system, the sums involved can be substantial, which is why household contents insurance often includes cover for exactly this and why it is worth checking your policy before you assume you are uninsured.
Can you cut a new key instead of opening the door?
Not from nothing. Cutting a key needs either the original to copy or the security card (Sicherungskarte) that came with a patented cylinder. If you have neither, opening the door is the way in. If you do have the card, keep it somewhere other than with the keys — it is what lets you order replacements later.
How long does a cylinder change take?
On a normal apartment door, a few minutes once the right cylinder is to hand. The measuring matters more than the fitting: a cylinder must sit almost flush with the fitting on the outside. Too short and it does not turn properly; too long and it can be gripped and snapped.
Standing outside right now?
Call us. You get the price and a realistic arrival time before anyone sets off.