You reach into your pocket to grab your keys and come up with a hand full of air. Looking through the window, you see your keys lying on the kitchen counter. Turning the knob, you discover yourself locked out. How do you handle getting locked out of the home? Before this happens, you can take actions that will prepare you for moments like this.
Spares can back you out of a tight corner, but you have to hide them in a spot that no one else would look. Don’t hide the spare under the welcome mat. Burglars have caught onto this and check this as one of the first places to try to unlock the door. Anywhere that sounds obvious should never hide a spare because burglars often look for spare keys before they break into the home. Good hiding places for a spare key include:
Google, “Locked my keys,” and you can get some ideas for where to hide a spare and places where not to hide them. For example, never hide them in the mailbox, underneath a garden statue or near a potted plant next to the door.
Locked Out of Your House?
Landlords often keep a spare key for emergencies. Especially if they live nearby, they won’t have an issue dropping in to let you back into the home. Many apartment complexes require a master key. You can contact the building manager or concierge. Along with calling the landlord, you could call a family member or roommate who has a spare. You may have to wait, but you can use this to get back inside in the event of lockouts.
Many locked doors have exposed screws. You can use the small latch to remove the knob on the door. This takes time and effort, but you can pull the latch of the door with either your hand or the screwdriver once you remove the doorknob. One advantage of doing this comes from how it doesn’t damage your door or the lock.
In some cases, you can slip back in through an unlocked window or door. Granted, this becomes an invite to thieves, but if you happen to have left one unlocked, use this to enter the home. However, never intentionally leave a window or door unlocked for this purpose. You want to make a habit out of locking all doors and windows of the home.
After you land through the window, you may feel off balance. Look for objects that you can safely set your feet on to return your balance to normal.
This requires trust and not everyone feels comfortable with it, but you can leave a spare key with a friend or family member. In the event of lockouts, you can call them up to get the spare. Doing this comes in handy when you lock yourself out of the home often.
How to Not Respond to Getting Locked Out
You have several actions to avoid because it can lead to a higher cost than if you hired a locksmith. Locksmiths charge an average of $50 to $100 at a minimum, but you can expect it to average $155. In contrast, doing the things highlighted here cost more. Smashing a window, for example. Count that as a big no-no. Not only can you hurt yourself if you don’t do it right, but window replacement costs anywhere from $175 to $700. Higher-end windows cost anywhere from $800 to $1200. Think smashing a window is still worth it? During a lockout, you want to avoid making it worse.
Don’t try to climb down the chimney either. Believe it or not, people have attempted it and wound up needing the fire department to hack them out of the chimney. People have even died doing this. Chimneys weren’t designed for this.
If you have tried the other options and still can’t unlock the door, you may want to call a locksmith. DS Locksmith North Wales can unlock your door. We have the tools and know-how to let you in even if you locked yourself out. One of the most sure-fire ways to get back in the home, a locksmith course requires several months of rigorous training. They need months or even years of on-the-job training before they can strike out on their own. This means that they have the understanding required to get you back inside quickly.
Some people lock themselves out of the home more often than others. For example, the elderly have a higher risk of it, and during the winter months in Pennsylvania where frigid temperatures can plummet to 12 degrees Fahrenheit, a danger exists to them. You may find it worth the cost of investing in a keyless entry system. This uses a keyless entry pad to enter the home through a pin code. It eliminates the need for a key or a spare key.
When you Google, “Locked my keys in the house,” you will likely see several options to try before calling in the locksmith. At some point, it makes more sense and costs less to hire a locksmith. You don’t want to take erratic actions that will cost you more to fix than calling in a professional. Reputable locksmiths know how to unlock your door without causing damage to the lock. It can take anywhere from seven seconds to 15 minutes to unlock, but locksmiths can unlock most doors within 5 minutes.
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