3 Helpful Tips When You’re Locked Out of Your House

These short post will cover some helpful tips when you’re locked out of your house, including: finding an open window, taking off the door knob and calling a locksmith.

Locked Door

Image Source: Flickr

Below are 3 helpful tips when you’re locked out of your house:

Finding an Open Window

Find an open window that you might be able to get through. If it’s on the second floor — start getting creative. Is there a fire escape you could climb? A trellis? A tree?
However, this article does not advocate risking your life. If there’s even a question as to whether you would break your neck, don’t do it.
If you have a tiled roof and a ladder, you may be able to climb onto the roof. Remove tiles and see what’s underneath. If there’s anything that’s not completely stationary, do a little bending and twisting. Or, use the roof to get to a window that’s too far away from the ground level to utilize. But if it’s not going anywhere, don’t force it. Otherwise you’ll get wet every time it rains. Source: wikiHow

Taking Off the Door Knob

Another way to get into a place in an emergency is flat out destroying the doorknob like some sort of maniac. If your doors are older and they’re not deadbolted shut, you can take a hammer and deliver a firm downward blow to the knob, and then remove the rest of the mechanism, freeing the door to swing open unimpeded. Opening a door this way will necessitate replacement of the door knob, and if you remove the knob you won’t be able to close the door again unless you dead bolt it from the inside, so this is something that should only be done in emergencies. Plus, if you do this, everyone will think that you are robbing someone and they may call the police. It looks suspicious as hell. Finally, if you’re terribly desperate, you can try removing the door by the hinges but only do this if there’s a baby in there or something. Source: Jezebel

Calling a locksmith

When all options have been exhausted, it may be time to call a local locksmith. Start by getting some quotes on how much they will charge to unlock your house. Many shops charge a visit fee on top of the actual service fee, so call around to get the best deal.
Set yourself up for success.
Once you’ve gained entrance to your home take steps to prepare for the next time you inevitably find yourself on the wrong side of a locked door.

  • Give a spare key or two to a close friend or neighbor for easy access
    • If you aren’t close with your neighbors, consider buying and stashing a “hide-a-key”. Look for a realistically designed one made to blend in with natural surroundings, like a rock or a log (Amazon). But be aware that thieves know of this time-honored hiding spot and choose a location that is unnoticeable and out of the way.
    • Get into the habit of reciting the following mantra as you leave the house: “Keys, wallet, phone. Keys, wallet, phone. Keys, wallet, phone.” Source: Safewise

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Mr. Pro Lock