Home · right now
Locked out. We are 20 to 30 minutes away.
Call rather than type. Tell us the address, whether it is a house, an apartment or a building with a lobby, and whether anything is cooking on the stove.
What happens when we get there
First, we check it is yours
Photo ID plus something that ties you to the address. A lease, a utility bill, mail with your name on it, a neighbor who knows you.
If everything you own is behind the door, say so on the phone and we will work out what you can show. What we will not do is skip it.
Then we open it
The normal outcome is non-destructive entry. The lock is manipulated open and still works afterwards. That is the skill, and it is what you are paying for.
A few situations do not allow it: a high-security cylinder, a key snapped and seized inside, a lock already damaged by an earlier attempt. You are told before anything irreversible happens, with the cost of the replacement, and you decide.
Then the part that matters
If the lock opened faster than you would like, that is information.
We will tell you plainly whether what you have is adequate. We will also tell you plainly when it is fine and you should keep it. We would rather do a rekey next week than sell you hardware you do not need.
Words you will hear
Flats, buildings, and what complicates it
- A lobby or security gate. We can open your own door. The building's common door belongs to the building, and most managers require their own authorization. Call the manager while we are on the way.
- A smart lock with a dead battery. Most have emergency contacts under the outside escutcheon, or a concealed keyway. Often two minutes, not a call-out.
- Mailboxes. A cluster box in a lobby is frequently USPS property, and only the Postal Service may rekey those. A private box in your own building we can do.
- A child or a pet shut inside. Say it in your first sentence. That is an emergency-services call as well as ours, and we will tell you so.
Questions
Will you have to drill my lock?
Almost certainly not. Drilling is the last resort and it costs you a new lock. If we reach the point where it is the only route, you hear it first.
I am a tenant and the landlord changed the locks on me.
In California, locking a tenant out without a court order is unlawful, and the exposure runs per day plus your legal costs.
We can let you back into your own home if you can show the tenancy. What we will not do is help a landlord do the lockout.
Can you come at three in the morning?
Yes, and a person answers the phone at three in the morning.
Need someone now?
A person answers, at any hour, in English or Spanish. If it is not urgent, we will hold a day and a time for you instead.
Or leave your details and we will call you.