Bungalows, flats, villas, storerooms, gates
Door opening Pilar de la Horadada: through the latch before the drill
Every door is tried the gentlest way it allows: through the latch, then through the cylinder, and only then with a drill, if you agree. The method depends on the door, so this page goes through them one by one.
Open 24 hours · 7 days
- Latch first, drill last
- You decide before anything is drilled
- Price agreed before any work
Door by door
How each kind of door here is usually opened
The same three questions decide it every time: was it locked or only pulled shut, what holds it (a latch, a bolt, a multipoint), and what cylinder is in it.
| Door | Usually opened by | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Bungalow front door | Slipping the latch, or working the cylinder if it was locked | Upstairs bungalows often have a second door to the solarium; check it before you ring. |
| Armoured flat door | Through the cylinder; the bolts follow it | Heavier and slower, but the leaf itself is rarely touched. |
| Villa door | Latch or cylinder, depending on how it was left | Many have a separate deadlock; say how many keyholes there are. |
| Storeroom or garage | Usually the cylinder; simple locks | Proof that it belongs to your flat is asked for. |
| Garden gate | The gate lock, then the house | Electric gates need the motor released first; mention it. |
| Aluminium or uPVC door | Depends on the mechanism | Profile doors and sliders have their own page. |
Methods
The order things are tried in
-
Through the latch
A door that was pulled shut but not locked is opened by slipping the latch back, with nothing left to see.
-
Through the cylinder
A locked door is opened by working the cylinder itself. Usually it carries on working afterwards; if not, a new one goes in.
-
Drilling, if you agree
Only when nothing else will do, and only once you have said yes. The cylinder is replaced the same visit, so the door locks again.
When this needs doing in the middle of the night, ring the round-the-clock line; the method is the same.
Here
The doors this municipality is made of
New blocks and their storerooms
In the first nine months of 2021, Pilar de la Horadada started more new homes than any other municipality in the Vega Baja, and many new blocks come with a storeroom and a garage space. Those small doors get opened as often as front doors. Whose lock is the storeroom’s, and what to do when a new home’s locks need changing: the new-build page.
Villas up at Campoverde
Pinar de Campoverde has been built since the mid-1980s, so its front doors range from the original timber to modern steel. Older doors are often easier to open and harder to lock again properly; if the lock is tired, a lock change can follow.
Country houses with a family name
Out among the greenhouses, houses go by names like Lo Ferrer or Los Gracia rather than a number. A pin, or the camino and the name of the house, gets the van to the right gate. Reading the place names.
A photo of the door and the lock, sent through WhatsApp or email, tells us most of what we need. Every part of the municipality is listed on where we go.
Questions
Questions about your kind of door
Will anyone be able to tell the door was opened?
Most doors that were pulled shut, not locked, open through the latch and show nothing. When a cylinder has to be worked or drilled, it is replaced there and then, and you are told before anything is done.
Our door has a key-operated deadlock as well as the latch. Is that harder?
It takes longer, because the bolt has to be drawn through the cylinder rather than the latch slipped. It can still usually be opened without touching the door leaf itself.
Can you open the storeroom in the basement of our block?
Yes. Storerooms usually have a simple lock and open quickly. You will be asked to show the storeroom goes with your flat, for example with the deeds or the community’s list of owners.
The garden gate is locked and the house key is inside the house.
The gate is opened first, then the front door if that is locked too. Gate locks take a beating from sun and rain, so if it was stiff before, it is worth replacing on a later visit.
Next
Often needed after the door is open
Guides that point here
Send us the door
A photo of the door and the lock tells us how it is likely to open. Or ring and describe it.
Open 24 hours · 7 days