Locked Out of Your House? What to Do (and What Not to Do)

The door swings shut, the lock clicks, and your keys are on the kitchen counter. Or you reach the front step and they are simply not in your pocket. A house lockout feels urgent, and some of them are. This checklist helps you sort out which kind you have and what to do next.

Step 1: Check for anything urgent inside

If nothing inside is urgent, take a breath. The rest of this list is about getting the door open with the least trouble.

Step 2: Check the other doors, safely

Walk around the house before you decide you are locked out. Back doors, side doors and sliding patio doors are easy to forget when you are standing at the front step.

• Try every exterior door, including a basement door with outside steps.
• Check whether a sliding door was left unlatched.
• Look for a ground-floor window that is unlocked and easy to reach.
• Do not climb to an upper window or onto a porch roof, and do not break glass.

Step 3: Who else has a key?

Before you call anyone else, think about who already holds a key: a partner, a family member, a roommate, a neighbor, a house sitter or someone who cleans for you. If you rent, your landlord or property manager very likely has one, and your lease may say they should be your first call.

Step 4: Don't force the door

Kicking a door or prying it with a tool rarely works on a door with a deadbolt, and it usually splits the wood around the lock. A split frame has to be rebuilt before the door can lock properly again, which turns a lockout into a much bigger repair.

Step 5: Call a locksmith with these details ready

• The address, and anything about getting to the door: a gate, a shared entrance or a building code.
• The type of lock. A knob or lever lock, a deadbolt, both, or a keypad or smart lock.
• Whether the keys are inside or lost. Lost keys change what you may want done once the door is open.

What to expect

Expect to be asked to show that you live there. A photo ID with the address is the simplest proof. If yours is inside, it can be checked as soon as the door is open, along with mail or a lease with your name on it.

A locksmith who opens a door without asking any questions is a warning sign. The question protects you: it is what stops a stranger from getting into your home by claiming to live there.

If the keys are lost, not just locked inside

Keys that went missing with anything showing your address are a real risk. In that case, think about having the lock cylinders changed so the lost keys no longer work. Our guide on changing the locks when you move in explains the difference between changing the cylinder and replacing the whole lock.

How to avoid the next lockout

• Leave a spare with someone you trust who lives nearby. Not under the mat, where anyone would look first.
• Consider a keypad lock. A code cannot be left on the counter. Our guide to keypad and smart locks covers the options.
• Watch doors that lock themselves. A lock that latches when the door closes is the one that catches people off guard.
• Make keys-in-hand a habit before you step outside, the same way you check for your phone.

Our guide on where to keep a spare house key covers the good places and the ones to avoid.