To think this is extortionate

[Butterflykissess]

I've lost my house keys, I've searched high and low. I've been looking for at least 2 hours. Even in the wheelie bins. Realistically there is nowhere else for me to look now. I called the council and apparently it is £94 for a locksmith. Aibu in thinking that is ridiculous? How do they justify that. I simply can't afford that amount. I know I should have had a spare (I did silly me gave it to my nephew when he stayed here and he never gave it back, now doesn't know where it is.)

Under a hundred quid? Bloody bargain! I bet you don’t misplace them again.
Our neighbours had to wait at our house not last week because their lock broke and locksmith was 2 hours. Theirs cost nearer £250.

Yes, I remember the toy box was the recipient for my keys on several occasions.

Mum superpowers might mean she comes in and finds them straight away

@Lou22 Your comment was very harsh and uncalled for. The OP is not ‘pathetic’

Best of luck OP and ignore people like that

Pray to St Anthony. He can be very helpful in such situations (seriously). Also use my mantras for when things go missing. 'It can't be nowhere- it has to be somewhere' and 'things can't fall upwards, they have to fall downwards'.

Good,luck.

"Omg turns out my mum has a key!"

Hurrah!

Fingers crossed it's the right one.

I didn't even think she had any as I got locked out a couple of years back (gosh I must sound really clumsy!) and my brother climbed the garden wall to get me in as my mum didn't have a key. Must have given her one after it happened.

Check shoes! Especially if you keep them by the door. I had a situation like this once and the keys were in the bottom of one welly. No idea how they got there, but they did. To add, I know you don't need it anymore, but £94 is very reasonable. Last week, a friend paid £200 plus VAT for a locksmith. It was Sunday afternoon and he was there within 20 mins but my God what an expensive afternoon that was.

I paid £150 pounds for a replacement 5 leaver lock.

We've just paid £175 for a replacement lock (including emergency callout), they cost a fortune!

Fingers crossed your Mum's key works!

Seriously though I can't do DIY but can change the barrel of a lock. If you take the one you have taken out to a DIY/hardware store and check that the one you buy is the same(!), you can't really go wrong.

I used to misplace my keys all the time. Then I bought a handbag that by chance had a key lanyard. Attached my keys to it and basically never took them off as the lanyard was long enough to lock/unlock the door without detaching the keys. I ended up sewing key lanyards into all my handbags without them and it's the first thing I look for when I buy a new bag.

Hoping your mums key works OP, and your original set show up soon x

Checked inside the car?

Just be careful that copying a key from a copy isn't always successful. It is best to copy from a master key.

Last time I lost some keys, they turned up in my dressing gown pocket.

Mine are usually in pockets (coat, jacket, trousers) or in a compartment of my bag that I have forgotten about

When did you unlock door,everything that goes in my bin is in a bin bag

Mismatched the op said she thinks the key is in the bin but doesn’t want to empty it out. That is pathetic, fact.

I've tried as much as I can with the bins without pouring the lot out which I won't be doing
Just in case you missed it!

Just beware though that if they have been taken, them you're not secure unless you replace the lock

I'm a council tenant too and the amount of times I've locked myself out is unbelievable! I don't know about yours but council (also South East) charges the same, but doesn't ask for the money upfron. I've had invoices with a generous time to pay, and on one occasion I asked them to charge it to rent account. Hope that helps for future reference, and glad you got it sorted out!

*My council

*upfront

They are in the house. Keep looking. Pick everything up. You know they'll be somewhere random. Even if you looked there already, look again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!

I put my phone in the fridge salad crisper when putting tomatoes away and charge ran out before I realised I could not find it. I thought I had hunted everywhere and cancelled sim only to find it in fridge when making the tea. Check even in really unlikely places. If you cannot afford it keep looking. It will turn up eventually.