Locked Out of Your House in Columbia, MO? What to Do First

You step out to grab the mail or take the trash to the curb, the door swings shut behind you, and the keys are on the kitchen counter. A house lockout is rarely dangerous, but it is frustrating, and what you do next decides whether it ends with a simple fix or with a broken door frame. Here is what to do, in order.

Step 1: Try every way in that belongs to you

Start with the doors and windows you normally use, and check them calmly, one by one:

• The back door and any side door.
• The door between the garage and the house, if the garage is open.
• A keypad on the garage door, if you know the code.
• A sliding patio door. Its latch doesn't always catch when it's closed in a hurry.
• Ground-floor windows you know you left unlocked.

Step 2: Find the nearest spare key

Think about everyone who has ever had a key to the house:

• A partner, roommate or family member.
• A neighbor or friend you gave one to.
• A dog walker, cleaner or sitter who still has one.
• Your landlord or property manager, if you rent.

If you rent, call your landlord or property manager before anyone else. They may have a key, and your lease may say who is allowed to work on the locks. That's worth knowing before a new lock goes on a door you don't own.

Step 3: Don't break in

Kicking a door, putting a shoulder into it or prying at the frame almost never goes the way it does in films. The door usually holds and the wood around the lock splits instead, and a split frame is a job for a carpenter before any lock can go back on. Broken glass is worse: it has to be cleaned up, boarded over and replaced, and it leaves the house open until it is.

Step 4: Call us, with the right details

If there's no spare within reach, call us. These details help:

1. The address, and anything that makes the house easy to find, like a gate code or which door you're standing at.
2. What kind of lock it is. A knob or lever lock only, a deadbolt as well, or a keypad or smart lock.
3. Whether the deadbolt was locked. If only the knob locked behind you, say so.
4. Anything urgent inside. A stove that's on or water running changes how you should wait. If there's smoke or a gas smell, call 911 first.

We work at the door, whether it's a house, an apartment or a rental, in the towns we cover across Mid-Missouri.

Step 5: Wait somewhere comfortable

• A neighbor's porch, your car or a nearby coffee shop beats the front step in bad weather.
• Keep your phone charged and switched on, so you don't miss our call.
• If you feel unsafe, or anyone is hurt, call 911.

After the door is open: locked in or lost?

There's a big difference between keys locked inside and keys that are gone. If the keys are inside, you're done once the door opens. If they're lost, and especially if they were on a ring with anything showing your address, think about who could now walk in.

• Rekeying changes the inside of the lock so the old keys stop working, and you keep the hardware you have.
• Replacing the lock makes sense when it's worn, damaged, or you want something different, like a keypad. See lock replacement.

Either way, ask about it while we're at the door.

How to avoid the next house lockout

• Leave a spare with someone you trust who lives nearby, rather than under the mat, a rock or a flowerpot. Those are the first places anyone looks.
• Lock the door with the key, from outside. If your knob locks when you push the button and pull the door shut, that's the one that locks people out. Using the key to lock it means the key is in your hand.
• Consider a keypad lock on one door. A code can't be left on the counter. Our smart lock installation page explains the options, and our guide to a smart lock with a dead battery covers the one thing to plan for.
• Keep keys in one place by the door, so leaving without them feels wrong.