The Best Way to Deal with Different Types of Property Lockouts

Commercial Lockouts

A business lockout is unique among property lockouts due to not the inconvenience of the situation, but also the potential loss of revenue and customer activity. The methods for dealing with a commercial or industrial property lockout partially depends on whether your business has manual or electronic entry, and the level of sophistication involved. You or one of your employees may only be locked out of an office, or a broken lock or malfunctioning keypad might be keeping you out of your entire commercial property.

Contact another employee who has a key. If your business uses manual locks and keys, think over whether another staff member has a key. If so, contact them for assistance. If you have a property manager for your building, they may also have a key you can use.
If your business has electronic security, refer to the manual. If your business utilizes electronic security or access control and it’s giving you trouble, consult the informational material you received when the locks were installed. You may also be able to find this information online.

Automotive Lockouts

Vehicle lockouts are extremely common and occur on a regular basis. It’s easier than you may realize to lock your keys in your car or lose them during the course of running errands. When this occurs, you may worry that you’ll be stranded all night, which can cause you a significant amount of anxiety. Take a deep breath and follow these steps. If you’re still locked out of your vehicle, contact a professional automotive locksmith to assist you.

Always have a spare car key or remote that you keep in a safe place. This is more of a proactive step, but it’s crucial. You should always have a spare copy of your vehicle key or remote fob. Usually this is provided when you purchase the vehicle, but if not, or if this unit gets damaged or lost, have a new one created by a locksmith right away. In addition, keep your spare in an accessible but secure place, such as in your home safe or with a trusted friend or neighbor.
Check all of your windows and doors. Most modern vehicles automatically lock as a safety precaution after a certain time period or when the key is out of proximity. Older vehicles, however, do not have this protection. Check all of your windows and doors to ensure none of them have been accidentally left open.
Use a bent clothes hanger to reach your lock. This old trick has been around forever. While it won’t work on all vehicles, and your window usually needs to be cracked, you can use a bent coat hanger to access manual lock mechanisms. If you do try to use this technique, take great care not to scratch the paint on your vehicle.

Residential Lockouts

Residential lockouts often happen at the worst possible times—maybe you ran out to the store to get some cough medicine in the evening, and now you can’t get back inside. Or maybe you just got home from a long day at work and now you can’t even enter your own home and put your feet up. It’s never worth it to try to break in to your own home, although desperation leads many people to attempt this. It would cost far more to replace a window or a broken lock in most cases than to call a locksmith.

Check every window and door on the ground floor. As with an automotive lockout, make sure you physically check every door and window on the ground floor, including your garage door. Even if you pride yourself in checking every single lock before you leave, you may get lucky and discover that you forgot one.
Use your credit card. If your door is only locked with a knob lock and not a deadbolt, this trick may work. Using a flexible card, slide it between the door and the jam back and forth. Pressure on the lock’s spring mechanism may cause the bolt to retract.

Choosing a Locksmith

Go Local – It’s best to choose a local company, especially with a lockout because it’s usually a locksmith emergency that is time-sensitive. A local locksmith, such as Pro Locksmith Goodyear if you’re in Goodyear, AZ, will be able to reach you quickly when you call for aid. Locksmiths offer a wide variety of essential security services in addition to lockout assistance, including safe repairs, key replacement, rekeying services, lock upgrades, security consultations, break-in damage repairs, electronic lock installations, and much more. Once you find a locksmith company that you’re pleased with, consider saving their number in your smartphone so you have immediate access to the help you need if the situation arises. You’ll save yourself time and frustration in the event of an emergency involving your security.