If a window catches on the frame, needs a shove to close, or the handle has gone stiff, the hinge is the usual culprit — not the handle and not the lock. Friction hinges wear, and the sash drops a few millimetres out of square. £55–£110 to replace.
Friction hinges (also called friction stays) carry the whole weight of the sash on two thin steel arms. Over ten or fifteen years of opening and closing, the arms wear and the sash settles — often by only 2–3mm.
That small drop is enough for the locking cams to stop lining up with their keeps. The handle gets stiff. Someone forces it. The handle snaps. Then the sash won't lock at all, and the window is both draughty and insecure. All of it traces back to a £30 hinge.
This is why we always check the hinges when a handle or a lock has failed. Replacing the handle on a dropped sash just means you break the new handle too.
If the window is a designated escape window — a first-floor bedroom, or a loft conversion — it needs a hinge that lets the sash open far enough to give a clear escape opening of at least 0.33m², with a minimum of 450mm in each direction. Standard friction hinges do not do this; egress or fire-escape hinges do. It is worth checking you have the right ones.
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Friction hinge replaced per hinge | £60 – £110 |
| Window or door handle replaced per handle | £40 – £100 |
| Lock / locking mechanism replaced per lock | £80 – £180 |
Ranges include VAT and installation. Final price depends on size, spec, access and site condition — a survey gives you a fixed number.
Nine times out of ten the friction hinges have worn and the sash has dropped a few millimetres, so the locking cams no longer line up with their keeps. Replacing the hinges fixes the handle stiffness too — replacing the handle on its own does not.
£55–£110 per hinge, fitted. Most opening windows have two.
Yes, and it is the usual sequence. The sash drops, the lock binds, someone forces the handle, and the handle snaps. Fix the hinge and you fix the cause rather than the symptom.
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Free survey, fixed price, no pressure. Or call us and we'll give you a realistic ballpark in five minutes.
