It happens faster than you think: the key is in the lock, you push a little harder \u2013 and suddenly it snaps. A broken key in Berlin is not an isolated incident, but one of the most common reasons Berliners call us. The good news: the problem can be solved without destroying the door. The bad news: anyone who reaches for a drill themselves now or pokes around with pliers risks significantly more effort and ultimately much higher costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually several factors come together: an older, slightly bent key, a stiff cylinder that has been jamming for a while, and an awkward twisting angle at the wrong moment. Sometimes it is also due to the lock itself; when the locking mechanism gets stuck, the key becomes the predetermined breaking point. Old residential buildings in Berlin-Reinickendorf, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, or Lichtenberg are particularly frequently affected: old cylinders, old keys, and little maintenance over the decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first impulse is understandable \u2013 to somehow get the stub out. But this is precisely where most people make mistakes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do not drill.<\/strong> Anyone trying to drill out the key will damage the cylinder so severely that it has to be replaced entirely \u2013 even if that wouldn't have been necessary beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not pry with pliers.<\/strong> If the stub is still sticking out slightly, many people try to grab it with needle-nose pliers. That rarely works and usually pushes the broken key fragment deeper into the cylinder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not press any further.<\/strong> Inserting a second key from the back to push out the broken one sounds logical, but it is usually counterproductive and jams both of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short: The more you try to do yourself, the more expensive it usually gets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An experienced locksmith has special extraction tools for such cases, which can be used to remove the broken key from the lock cylinder\u2014without causing unnecessary damage to the cylinder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few weeks ago, we had just such a call in Berlin-Mitte: The customer had first tried to remove the cylinder himself using a wire hanger\u2014without success. During a subsequent attempt, the key broke off inside the cylinder. When we arrived, a closer inspection revealed that the bolt had also broken. The latch had to be pulled back manually, which meant that the door and lock had to be cut open in specific areas. The result: a new lock, a new cylinder, new door hardware\u2014and no trace of the repair remained. If the call had come in earlier, the effort involved would have been significantly less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The usual process: We arrive, take a quick look at the job, quote the exact price, and then get to work. No starting the job and then renegotiating the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That depends on whether the door was not yet locked or already deadbolted, and whether the cylinder is still functional afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a rough guide (all prices include travel expenses and sales tax, within Berlin only):<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow does a locksmith perform the removal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How much does it cost to have a key removed in Berlin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n