Does home insurance cover a locksmith?

What is almost always covered

Nearly every Spanish home policy includes opening the door after keys are lost or stolen, and replacing the lock after a break-in or an attempt. It usually sits under home assistance or under theft, and it does not count against you the way a large claim does.

Changing the cylinder after keys are stolen is normally covered too — stolen, not lost, and insurers do treat those differently — along with damage a break-in attempt did to the door or the frame.

What almost never is

The door that shuts behind you with the keys inside. It is the single most common callout there is and the one fewest policies cover, because technically you have not lost anything: the keys exist, they are just on the other side.

Also rarely covered: changing a lock because you want a better one, or changing the cylinder when a tenant or a flatmate moves out. That is maintenance, not a claim.

And one that surprises people: many policies send their own locksmith. If you call somebody else yourself, you may not get reimbursed even when the case was covered. The call to your insurer is worth making first, not last.

How to do it right, in the right order

Ring your insurer first, even in a hurry. Most have a 24 h assistance line and will tell you in two minutes whether it is covered and whether they are sending somebody. If they are, that is the end of it and it costs you nothing.

If they are slow — in August, at night, they are — or the case is not covered, then call a locksmith. Keep the itemised invoice: if you claim later, the insurer will want the work described clearly, not "sundry works".

And if there was a break-in or an attempt, report it to the police the same day. Without that report the theft cover does not activate on any policy I know of, however obvious the damage to the door.

If your policy is not a Spanish one

Plenty of people on this coast own here and insure through a broker at home, or have travel insurance that includes some home assistance. Those policies rarely have a Spanish assistance network, which in practice means you pay and claim it back.

That makes the itemised invoice matter even more, and it makes the price agreed in writing beforehand more useful than usual: it is the document you will be sending to somebody in another country who was not there.

Common questions

The door shut with my keys inside. Is that covered?

Usually not, though some policies do include it under assistance. It is a cheap thing to solve, so it is generally quicker to pay than to argue. Asking costs nothing: two minutes on the phone to your insurer.

My keys were stolen with my bag. Will they change the cylinder?

On most policies yes, and they will normally want the police report. It is one of the most clearly covered cases there is, and one of the most urgent: whoever has your keys may also have your address.

Do you deal with the insurer for me?

We give you the itemised invoice with the exact work described, which is what the insurer needs to reimburse. The claim itself is always opened by the policyholder, which is you.

What we do about this

• Lock replacement
• Euro cylinder change
• Emergency locksmith