A home emergency normally costs between €60 and €300 depending on the trade and the hour: an emergency plumber charges €60–150/h, a locksmith €180–220 to open a door at night, and an electrician can double their rate outside working hours. Before calling anyone, two moves save money: shut something off (the water or the power) and check your home insurance.
Summary table: who to call and what each emergency costs
| Emergency | Who to call | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| Water leak | Home insurer → 24h plumber | €60–150/h in an emergency; urgent call-out ~€200, at night ~€300 |
| Electrical fault | Licensed electrician | €50–100/h during working hours; €100–200 at night or on a holiday (call-out + first hour) |
| Locked out / lock failure | Home insurer → local locksmith | €80–100 on a weekday; €180–220 at night or on a holiday + €50–150 surcharge |
| Boiler with no hot water or heating | Boiler engineer | Call-out €40–80; common repairs €80–250 |
Add travel on top (€20–50 in plumbing, €40–50 in locksmithing) and bear in mind prices vary by province and by job: in big cities they tend to run 10–15% above the national average.
First of all: call your home insurer
It is the OCU's number one piece of advice and the one most people forget in the panic: many home policies cover locksmithing, water leaks and other emergencies, with their own network of professionals and at no extra cost to you. A two-minute call can save you the whole bill.
If the insurance does not cover it or takes too long, move to plan B in each section. And always, emergency or not: ask on the phone what the call-out costs and what happens if you turn down the quote. A serious professional tells you straight.
Water leak: what to do first and what the plumber costs
The first thing is not the phone, it is the stopcock: close it (the main one is usually in the kitchen, the bathroom or next to the meter) and you have turned an emergency into a problem. If water has reached sockets or appliances, switch off the main breaker too. Photograph the damage before touching anything: you will need it for the insurer.
With the water off, call the insurer and, if it is not covered, an emergency plumber. According to Cronoshare and Habitissimo, the emergency rate is around €60–150/h, with urgent call-outs around €200 (about €300 at night) and a typical surcharge of +50% to +100% on the normal rate. As a reference for jobs: repairing a small leak starts at around €70 and rises to €150–200 if pipework has to be replaced; clearing a blockage costs €70–170. The full detail is in our guide to how much a plumber costs.
Electrical fault: who to call (and when it is not your problem)
If the power goes, before calling anyone do this 30-second check: see whether the neighbours or the stairwell are also in the dark. If the outage is general, it is the local distribution company's job and no electrician can fix it; if it is only your home, go to the consumer unit. Switch off the main breaker, unplug the last appliance you connected and switch it back on: if it trips again, there is a fault and it is time to call a licensed electrician.
According to Cronoshare, an electrical emergency during working hours costs €50–100/h (around €75/h on average), and at night or on a public holiday the call-out plus the first hour comes to €100–200. Habitissimo sums it up: an electrician's hourly rate can double outside working hours. Never open the consumer unit or touch cabling yourself: besides the risk, any botched job complicates the repair. Ranges by job are in our guide to how much an electrician costs.
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Emergency locksmith: the real price and how to avoid being ripped off
Market prices are lower than many people think. According to Cronoshare, opening a door on a weekday when it has simply slammed shut (not deadlocked) costs €80–100; deadlocked or with a jammed lock, €150–220; and at night or on a holiday, €180–220 plus a holiday surcharge of €50–150. If the cylinder has to be changed as well, add €60 to €350 depending on the security level.
And here, be very careful. The OCU reported in 2025 on "24-hour" companies advertised online charging more than €400 to open a door — four times the average market price of around €100 — for 10-minute jobs and without changing the lock. They typically refuse to give a quote up front and do not tell you what it costs to turn one down. Their advice: call the insurer first; if it is not covered, look for a locksmith in your own neighbourhood rather than the first Google ad or leaflet; insist on a quote up front (or the cost of refusing it) and the price list with surcharges; do not sign if the price is abusive; and if it is not genuinely urgent, wait for a weekday.
Boiler breakdown: what to do before calling the engineer
If you smell gas, there is no debate: close the gas valve, open the windows, do not touch any switches and leave the house before calling. If there is simply no hot water or heating, try the basics: check the system pressure and reset the boiler as per the manual. If it does not come back, it is time for an engineer.
Photo: Heiko Ruth · Pexels
According to HogarConfort, a diagnostic visit costs €40–80 (and is usually deducted if you accept the repair), the most common repairs run between €80 and €250 — a boiler that will not light comes to €80–200, no hot water €100–250 — and the big ones, like the control board, between €200 and €450. At weekends or at night there is an additional surcharge, and in Madrid and Barcelona prices are 10–15% above average. A practical rule from the same guide: if the repair exceeds 40–50% of what a new boiler costs and yours is more than 10–12 years old, it is worth replacing it.
And if it is not really an emergency?
Not everything that feels urgent is. A dripping tap, a socket that does not work or a stuck blind can wait for a weekday, and the difference is a lot of money: remember that emergency rates double the price in plumbing and electrics and add €50–150 of surcharge in locksmithing. If it can wait, get two or three quotes and compare calmly.
A separate case: when the urgent thing is not a breakdown but the professional you were expecting does not turn up and leaves your job stopped. We have a guide of its own for that: what to do when a trade drops out mid-project.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call first in a home emergency?
Your home insurer: many policies cover locksmithing, water leaks and other emergencies with their own network of professionals, at no extra cost. It is the OCU's first piece of advice. If it is not covered or takes too long, call a local professional and ask for a quote up front.
How much does an emergency plumber cost?
Between €60 and €150/h, with urgent call-outs around €200 and night ones around €300. The typical emergency surcharge is +50% to +100% on the normal rate, plus €20–50 of travel.
How much does a locksmith charge to open a door?
On a weekday, €80–100 if the door has simply slammed shut and €150–220 if it is deadlocked. At night or on a holiday, €180–220 plus a surcharge of €50–150. The OCU considers charges of more than €400 abusive — four times the average market price.
The power has gone only in my home, who do I call?
First switch off the main breaker, unplug the last appliance you connected and switch it back on. If it trips again, call a licensed electrician: it costs €50–100/h during working hours and €100–200 (call-out plus first hour) at night or on a holiday.
How much does an emergency boiler repair cost?
A diagnostic visit costs €40–80 and the most common repairs run between €80 and €250. At weekends or at night an additional surcharge applies, and in Madrid and Barcelona prices are 10–15% above the national average.
How do I avoid being ripped off in an emergency?
Always ask for a quote up front on the phone (call-out, hourly rate and the cost of refusing), insist on the price list if it is a locksmith, do not sign abusive prices and be wary of the first ad online or through the letterbox. And if it can wait for a weekday, wait: an emergency doubles the price.
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