A house lockout is stressful in the first thirty seconds and then just annoying. Here’s how to handle it without making it worse or spending more than you need to.
First, the safe things to try
- Check every other door and the ground-floor windows — gently. People lock the front door out of habit and leave a slider or a back door open.
- Ask whoever else has a key. A partner, a neighbour, a landlord, the person who watches the dog.
- Don’t force it. Prying a door or a window almost always costs more to repair than the lockout would have cost, and you can hurt yourself on aluminium frames and glass.
- Don’t buy a “lock pick set” off a shelf. Modern deadbolts don’t give way to a novice, and you can jam the lock so it has to be drilled.
When to just call
If it’s late, if you’re not dressed for the weather, if there’s a child or a pet inside, or if you’ve already been standing there ten minutes — call. A residential locksmith will get you in without damage in the large majority of cases, using picks and bypass tools rather than a drill.
What a home lockout costs
For a standard-hours, non-destructive entry, expect from $65 in our area — see the full price list. There is no call-out fee and no distance surcharge inside the service area, and the price is agreed before any work starts. If a lock is already broken and needs replacing, you’ll be shown the problem and quoted the part first.
Two things worth doing afterward
- Hide a key properly, or use a lockbox. Not under the mat — a small key lockbox bolted somewhere discreet is cheap and far safer.
- If you just moved in, rekey. You have no idea how many copies of that key are floating around. Rekeying is quick and inexpensive.
Standing outside right now? Call 561-200-2832 — 24/7, a licensed technician is usually 20–30 minutes away.