Locked Out of Your House? What to Do and What Not to Do
The door closed behind you. Your keys are on the counter, or in a coat, or somewhere in the house you can see through the window.
There is a right order to do things in, and a few popular ideas that turn a lockout into a repair bill.
What does a house lockout service cost?
A residential lockout commonly costs around $85 to $175, depending on the time of day, the lock, and how far the technician travels.
Late nights, weekends and high security or damaged locks sit at the higher end. A standard daytime call on a normal deadbolt sits at the lower end.
The price should be agreed on site, before any work begins. If a technician will not tell you the price before starting, do not let them start.
Work through this before you call
- Check every door and window, calmly. Back doors, side doors and garage doors get forgotten more often than you would think
- Ring anyone who holds a spare — a partner, a neighbour, a family member, the letting agent
- If you rent, call the landlord or the building manager first. Many will come out, and some will not reimburse a locksmith you called yourself
- Check whether your home insurance or a home emergency policy already covers lockouts. Some do
- If a child or a pet is shut inside, or something is on the stove, stop reading and call the fire service
What not to try
The credit card trick works on a spring latch, badly, and most exterior doors have a deadbolt precisely because it does not. What it reliably does is ruin the card and scratch the door.
Do not take out a window. Glass costs far more than a lockout, and the mess outlasts the inconvenience.
Do not let anyone drill a lock that does not need drilling. A competent technician opens the great majority of residential locks without damage. Drilling means buying a new lock on top of the call, and a company that reaches for a drill immediately is telling you something about how it works.
Be careful about who you call. Quotes far below everyone else, no company name when they answer, and no clear price before the work starts are the pattern behind most locksmith complaints.
What we will ask you
Any locksmith should confirm you are entitled to be let in. Expect to be asked for photo identification with the address on it, or a tenancy agreement, a utility bill, or something else that ties you to the property. If your ID is inside, a neighbour who can vouch for you or a landlord on the phone usually works.
It can feel like an obstacle at the wrong moment. It is the same check that stops someone doing this to your house.
Before it happens again
- Leave a spare with someone you trust rather than under a mat or in a fake rock — both are the first places anyone looks
- A keypad deadbolt removes the problem entirely for most households
- If the latch has been catching or the door needs a shove, get it adjusted. Doors usually warn you before they lock you out
- Have a spare cut while you still have a key. It is a fraction of the cost of an emergency call
Need this done? See our Residential locksmith page, or call (425) 675-6617 and tell us what you have.
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CALL NOWFrequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about car key replacement, lockouts, key fob programming, and mobile locksmith service across Puget Sound
In the great majority of residential lockouts, yes. Standard latches and deadbolts are opened with picks and specialist tools that leave the lock working normally afterwards.
Usually not. If the lock is opened without damage it keeps working with your existing keys. A new lock is only needed if the mechanism was already broken or had to be drilled.
There are other ways to establish you belong there — a neighbour who can vouch for you, a landlord or building manager on the phone, mail addressed to you inside the property. Tell us the situation when you call.
Once the technician is at the door, most residential lockouts are open within fifteen minutes. Travel time is usually the larger part of the wait.
Yes. Late evening and overnight calls cost more than a daytime visit, and the price is agreed on site, before any work begins.
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