Locked Out? Top 5 Reasons You Should Never Break a Window to Get Back In

We’ve all had that sinking feeling. You pay your pockets, check your bag, and realise the keys are on the kitchen table – on the wrong side of a locked door. Standing outside your own home in the cold, it’s tempting to look at the nearest window and think, “I could just break that and climb in.”

Please don’t. However, frustrating the moment feels, breaking a window is almost always the worst way back into your home. Here are five reasons why – and what to do instead.

1. It Costs Far More Than You Think

Breaking a window to save the cost of a locksmith is a false economy. Once you add up a new pane of glass, any damage to the frame, and the labour to fit it all properly, you’re usually looking at a bill well beyond what it would have cost simply to have someone let you in. And if the window was double-glazed or part of a sealed unit, the cost climbs higher still. What feels like the cheap, quick option at the moment tends to be the expensive one by the end of the week.

2. You’re Left with a Serious Gap in Your Security

A broken window doesn’t just cost money – it leaves your home exposed. Until it’s properly repaired, a smashed or boarded-up window is an obvious weak point that anyone passing could notice, and it undermines the very thing you were trying to protect. This matters more than people realise: the Office for National Statistics has found that around 30% of burglaries involve entry through a window. If you’ve already got a broken window, getting it secured quickly is essential, and window repair and boarding-up specialists can make it safe again the same day rather than leaving it as an open invitation.

3. There’s a Real Risk of Injury

Breaking glass is genuinely dangerous, and it’s easy to underestimate in the heat of the moment. People cut their hands and arms badly trying to reach through a broken pane, and shards can end up on the floor inside exactly where you’re about to climb in. A lockout is inconvenient; a trip to A&E on top of it is a great deal worse. No entry is worth injuring yourself over.

4. It Might Not Even Work – and Could Affect Your Insurance

Modern windows are tougher than they look. Toughened and double-glazed units can be surprisingly hard to break, and you may do a lot of damage, hurt yourself, and still be standing outside. There’s an insurance angle too: damage you cause yourself is treated very differently from damage caused by a break-in, and it can complicate any claim. It’s always worth checking your own policy, but as a rule, deliberately damaging your own home is not something you want to have to explain to an insurer.

5. A Professional Can Get You in Without Any Damage at All

Here’s the part most people don’t realise in the moment: a trained locksmith can usually get you back into your home without breaking anything. It’s called non-destructive entry – opening the lock without damaging the door, the window or the frame – and for a professional it’s often quicker than you’d expect. It’s almost always cheaper than replacing a window, and you’re left with your home exactly as secure as it was before. When you weigh it up, calling an expert in building security is the sensible choice every time.

What to Do Instead When You’re Locked Out

So, if breaking a window is off the table, what should you actually do? Take a breath and work through it calmly. First, check whether there’s another way in – a back door, or a window you left open – but only on your own property, and never anything that would look to a neighbour like you’re breaking in. Next, think about who else has a key: a partner, a housemate, a trusted neighbour, a family member, or your landlord or letting agent if you rent. If none of that gets you in, call a reputable, accredited locksmith who offers non-destructive entry and clear pricing agreed before they arrive.

A lockout is stressful, but it’s a small problem with a simple solution. Resist the urge to reach for the nearest window – keep calm, make a couple of calls, and you’ll be back inside without the damage, the danger or the unnecessary expense.