What to Do When You’re Locked Out

Posted by Michel Marino on September 21st, 2019

If You’re Locked Out, You Can Follow The Simple Ways

Getting locked out is arguably the worst experience any homeowner can experience. The feeling is unexplainable because of different reasons. First, home — according to many people — is a haven and lack of access is a reason enough to worry. Second, getting locked out also means that you cannot access to important home facilities.

Call a friend, landlord or inform the neighbors

When you are lockout of your home, the most logical decision to make is to inform your neighbors or call your friends. There are different reasons why you should inform one of the three types of people.

The main purpose of calling a landlord is to inform them that you cannot access the house. In an ideal situation, the landlord should either give you spare keys or recommend a suitable locksmith. The two types of solutions are important, especially if the tenancy agreement is strict on breaking into the house or using alternative ways.

Calling friends and neighbors is important, especially if you have children or elderly family members with you. Informing neighbors and friends that you are lockout helps them to prepare for extra guests for the night. It is also an important security measure, especially if you plan to use forceful methods to get into your house.

Contact a locksmith

In case you are locked out of your home, calling a locksmith is without a doubt the best decision for any homeowner. Thanks to the internet and mobile phones, it is easy to communicate with a locksmith at any given time. Most professional locksmiths also have websites where chat options are fully functional. The following are some of the additional reasons why calling a locksmith is vital.

It is cheaper to contact a locksmith in such a situation — most professional locksmiths bill hourly as opposed to collective billing. Compared to the cost of destroying and replacing a lock system, it is advisable to contact a locksmith and save the cost of replacing a lock system.

Thanks to locksmith exposure, it is possible to find a solution quickly. In an ideal situation, a locksmith finds a solution in less than 20 minutes. Compared to DIY approaches — which takes a lot of time and thinking — it is easier to access your home after a few minutes with a locksmith.

Check whether your windows are open

Getting into your home — through the window — is the most classical way to access the house in case of lost keys. However, the process of getting into your house through the window has its own set of challenges. First, you are likely to step on important house items. Second, there are chances that you may fall while trying to access your house through a window.

Therefore, you should put all the above factors into considerations when using an open window to access your home.

Should you break into your own home?

Ideally, breaking into your home is not advisable. Most lock systems have automatic alarms and therefore, breaking into your home may trigger the alarm. In case your lock system does not have an alarm, pundits point out that it is unethical.

However, some cases outweigh the importance of not breaking into your home. Some of these factors include the following.

•  If you left a baby or an elderly member of the family alone at home, then breaking into your home is understandable.  

• If you were baking or cooking something before locking yourself out — then breaking into your home is advisable.

In conclusion,

locking yourself out is common, and you should, therefore, plan. However, as discussed above, calling a locksmith is the best decision because of the above factors. Some of the solutions discussed above only apply to certain situations — and therefore, they are not universal solutions. Calling a locksmith is fortunately ideal, regardless of the lock type or the time of the day.