Home Lockouts in Phoenix

Locked Out of a House, Apartment or Rental

Most home lockouts start the same way: the door closed behind you with the keys inside, a key went missing, or a key snapped off in the lock. Less often the lock itself fails. A cam breaks inside a deadbolt, a latch sticks in a knob, or a keypad deadbolt runs out of battery while the backup key sits in a kitchen drawer.

A locksmith will normally open a house door through the lock rather than around it. Once it is open, we look at why it locked you out, because a lock that has failed once tends to do it again.

Lockout Situations and Their Usual Causes

The way you got locked out usually says what the lock needs:

Lockout situation	Common cause	What to try first	When to call a locksmith
Keys locked inside	A knob or lever locked with its button, or a door that locks as it closes	Every other door you use, and anyone nearby with a key	When no one has a key and every other door is locked
Key lost or stolen	The key is gone, and whoever has it may know the address	A spare with someone in the household, a neighbor or the landlord	As soon as you can, with a rekey planned for the same visit
Key turns, bolt stays put	A broken cam or tailpiece inside the lock, or a bolt binding on its strike	Push or pull the door toward the frame while turning the key	If the bolt still does not move after a gentle try or two
Key will not go in or turn	Dust or grit in the keyway, a bent or worn key, or a worn cylinder	A spare key, and a look at the key for bends or worn edges	When the spare will not turn either
Key broken off in the lock	A worn key, or a key forced in a stiff cylinder	Leave the broken piece alone, and do not push it in with another key	Before anyone tries the lock again, since the piece has to come out first
Keypad or smart lock dead	Flat batteries, most of the time	The backup key, or outside battery contacts on models that have them	When the backup key is inside and the lock has no outside contacts

Checks to Make Before Calling a Locksmith

1. If a young child or anyone who needs help is alone inside, or a pan is left on the stove, call 911 before anything else.
2. Try every other door you use: the back door, a side door, and the door from the garage if the garage opens with a remote or a keypad.
3. Check the windows from the ground only, to see whether one was left unlatched. Do not pry a screen, force a window or climb to reach one.
4. Think about who has a key: someone in the household, a neighbor holding a spare, or the landlord or property manager, who often keeps one for the unit.
5. On a keypad or smart lock, enter the code once more, slowly, then look for a backup key cylinder and, on some models, battery contacts on the outside.
6. Leave the door itself alone. Kicking it, shouldering it or prying at the latch with a screwdriver usually splits the frame at the strike, and a lockout becomes a door repair.

When the Lock Itself Locked You Out

Not every lockout is about keys. These signs point to the lock:

• The key turns all the way, but the bolt stays thrown.
• The knob or lever turns, but the latch does not pull back.
• The key goes in but will not turn, and a spare will not either.
• The deadbolt only turns when you push, pull or lift the door, often worst in summer on a door that takes the afternoon sun.
• The key comes out bent, or with a sliver missing from its edge.

A bolt that will not pull back and a key that has started to bend should not wait: the next try is often the one that leaves you outside, or leaves half the key in the lock. A key that only turns with force usually points to a worn cylinder or a bolt dragging on its strike, and forcing it is how keys snap.

What a Lockout Visit Looks At

Locksmith

• The Way InPicking the cylinder or working the latch, with drilling kept as the last resort.
• The Lock That FailedWhy it locked you out: a broken cam, a stuck latch or a flat battery.
• The Strike and FrameWhether the bolt lines up with the strike, and whether the frame is sound.
• Keys and CodesWhether a missing key calls for a rekey, or a keypad for new codes.
• AfterwardsWhat was found, explained, and the lock tried with the door open, then shut.

Opening the Door and Checking the Lock

Most house doors open without damage. A knob or lever that is only latched can usually be opened by working the latch, while a locked deadbolt needs its cylinder picked, since its bolt cannot be pushed back from outside.

Drilling is kept for locks that are badly worn, broken inside or built to resist picking, such as a high-security cylinder. A drilled cylinder cannot be used again, so it is replaced with a new one, keyed to your existing keys where the keyway allows, or to new keys.

With the door open, the lock gets a closer look: whether the bolt throws its full length, whether the latch catches in the strike without a push, and whether the key goes in and turns smoothly.

Details That Shape a Lockout Call

A knob that is only latched and a deadbolt that is locked are opened in different ways, so these details are worth having when you call:

• The address, and which door you are locked out of: front, back, side or the door from the garage
• The kind of lock: a knob or lever, a deadbolt above the handle, a handleset with a thumb latch, a keypad or a smart lock
• Whether the deadbolt is locked or only the knob, if you can tell from outside
• What happened: keys inside, a lost key, a broken key, or a lock that stopped turning
• Whether you own or rent the home
• A phone number where you can be reached while you wait

A locksmith will normally ask for proof that you live there, before or right after opening the door: a photo ID with the address, or a lease or a bill in your name if the ID is locked inside. With those details together, book a visit or call.

Why Lockout Costs Vary

The cost of a lockout depends mostly on the lock and what it takes to open it:

• The kind of lock: a latched knob, a locked deadbolt, a high-security cylinder, or a keypad or smart lock
• Whether the lock can be picked, or has to be drilled and its cylinder replaced
• How many locks are locked: a knob and a deadbolt on one door count as two
• Parts that turn out to be broken, such as a cam, a latch or a key snapped in the cylinder
• Any rekeying, new keys or new codes wanted at the same visit