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Patio Door Lock Repair Oxford Sliding and French Doors
Sliding door hook lock not catching, French door slave leaf flapping or a bi-fold that will not lock? We repair the mechanism, realign the door and add anti-lift protection where needed.
Get a patio door lock price
Tell us what you need and we will call you straight back. Calling is quickest: 07520 644 595. Photos by WhatsApp: 07466 695655
Sliding door hook locks
Hook bolts and keeps realigned or the lock case replaced to match.
French door shootbolts
Slave leaf shootbolts and flush bolts repaired so both doors lock tight.
Anti-lift blocks
Stops older sliders being lifted out of the track from outside.
From £85 plus lock
Lock £40 to £80, fixed price agreed before we come out.
Our patio door lock repair service in Oxford fixes and replaces locks on sliding patio doors, French doors and bi-fold doors, from £85 plus a lock of £40 to £80, usually within 10 to 30 minutes of your call inside the city. Most faults come from doors that have dropped on their rollers or hinges, so we adjust the door as well as the lock and check it can no longer be lifted or levered open.
Back doors face the garden, where nobody sees someone working at them. That makes getting these locks right more important, not less.
Which type of patio door do you have?
Sliding patio door
One or two glass panels run on rollers in a track. The lock is a narrow case in the edge of the moving panel that throws one or more hooks into a keep on the frame. Usually uPVC or aluminium, with a euro cylinder and a slim handle.
Usual weak point: worn rollers and lift-out.
French doors
A pair of hinged doors. The master leaf has a multipoint lock and handle; the slave leaf is held by shootbolts at top and bottom, worked by a small lever on its edge or by flush bolts on timber doors.
Usual weak point: slave leaf not fully bolted.
Bi-fold doors
Three or more panels folding to one side. One master door has a multipoint lock, the others are held by shootbolts into the head and threshold.
Usual weak point: misalignment after settling.
Sliding door lock repair: hook bolts and rollers
When a sliding patio door will not lock, the lock itself is rarely the first thing to fail. The bottom rollers wear, the panel sinks a few millimetres, and the hooks no longer line up with the keep. You turn the key, feel resistance and stop, or the key turns but the hooks hit the edge of the keep.
- Adjust before replacing. Most rollers have an adjustment screw at the bottom of the panel. Raising the panel back into line often brings the hooks home again.
- Clean the track. Grit and leaves in the bottom track make the door ride up and down unevenly.
- Replace the lock case if the hooks are bent, the gearbox is broken or the key snaps the mechanism. Cases come in many lengths and backsets, so we measure and photograph before ordering.
Older aluminium sliders from the 1970s and 1980s can have discontinued locks. We source the nearest equivalent or fit a supplementary lock rather than leave you with a door that cannot be secured.
Can your sliding door be lifted out?
On some older sliding doors the moving panel was fitted from outside, which means it can be lifted up and out of its track if there is enough gap above it. Anti-lift blocks screwed into the top track take up that gap so the panel cannot rise far enough to clear the bottom rail.
A quick check you can do
With the door closed and locked, press upward on the moving panel from inside. If it lifts noticeably, it needs anti-lift protection. We fit blocks or a second lock as part of a patio door visit.
Patio doors with a basic euro cylinder are also exposed to snapping. Our TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder upgrade applies just as much to the back door as the front.
French door lock problems and the slave leaf
French doors are only as strong as the leaf that does not have the handle. If its shootbolts are not thrown fully into the head and sill, both doors can be pushed open together even with the master door locked.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Handle lifts but the key will not turn | Doors dropped, hooks or rollers miss keeps | Hinge and keep adjustment |
| Slave door rattles when locked | Shootbolt lever loose or bolt not reaching | Repair or replace shootbolt |
| Handle floppy, no locking | Broken multipoint gearbox | New gearbox or full mechanism |
| Timber French doors bolted only by the latch | No flush bolts fitted | Fit flush bolts and a mortice lock |
For uPVC French doors the master leaf uses the same multipoint gear as a front door. Our multipoint lock replacement page explains gearboxes and centre cases in more depth, and timber French doors often benefit from the bolts described on our door bolts page.
Bi-fold door locks
Bi-folds are increasingly common on extensions across Oxfordshire, from Kidlington to Didcot. Their locks are reliable while the frame stays square, but house extensions settle in the first year or two and a small drop on the master door stops everything lining up. We adjust the hinges and running gear, replace failed shootbolts, and swap the master cylinder if keys are lost. Some bi-fold systems use proprietary parts, so we identify the make from the frame or hardware before ordering.
Lost patio door keys and back door lockouts
Patio door keys tend to live in the lock or on a hook nearby, so they go missing in house moves and when builders or cleaners have had access. Because most sliding and French doors use a standard euro cylinder, the fix is usually a new cylinder rather than a new lock: quick, cheap and the old keys stop working at once. While we are there it makes sense to upgrade to a 3-star cylinder, since a patio door is out of sight of the street.
If the patio door is your only way in and the key is inside, we open it without damage where the lock allows and change the cylinder on the same visit. Children or vulnerable people stuck inside, or a cooker left on, is a 999 call first. For general lockouts at the front of the house, see our emergency lockout page.
How a patio door lock repair in Oxford is handled
Photo and price
Send a WhatsApp photo of the lock edge and handle to 07466 695655. We confirm the likely part and a fixed price.
Adjust first
On site we test the door, adjust rollers or hinges, and only replace parts that are broken.
Test and secure
Every hook, shootbolt and key is tested, anti-lift checked, and you get an itemised invoice.
Lock repairs are no fix, no fee, the same as our general door lock repair service. If the door itself is warped or damaged after a break-in, our door repair service can make it safe. You can see every other job we handle on the Oxford locksmith services page, and the home security checklist covers the rest of the back of the house.
Patio door lock prices
VAT and labour included; the lock, mechanism or handle is listed separately.
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Patio door lock | £85 to £125 + lock £40 to £80 | Sliding, French or bi-fold |
| uPVC door adjustment (dropped/misaligned) | £65 to £95 | Rollers, hinges and keeps |
| Door handle replacement | £55 to £85 + handle £25 to £60 | Matched to spindle and screw centres |
| uPVC multipoint mechanism replacement | £85 to £125 + mechanism £65 to £150 | French door master leaf |
| Anti-snap cylinder upgrade (TS007 3-star) | £95 to £135 + cylinder £50 to £120 | Back doors included |
Prices include VAT and labour. Parts are listed separately. See the full Oxford locksmith price list.
