Locked Out of Your House? What to Do Before and After You Call

By Eagle's Locksmith · November 2, 2026

A house lockout is stressful, but the next ten minutes decide whether it stays a minor inconvenience. Here's the calm, safe way to handle it — and what never to try.

Stay calm and check the simple things first

Before anything else, take a breath and walk the house once. Check every door — back doors and garage entry doors are forgotten more often than you'd think — and any window you know was left open on the ground floor. If another household member has a key and is nearby, a quick call may solve it. What you should not do is force anything: a shoulder against a door or a screwdriver in a window frame turns a lockout into a repair bill.

Don't try the credit card trick

Sliding a card between the door and the frame only ever worked on the simplest spring latches in the movies — and against a deadbolt it does nothing at all except damage the card and sometimes the door. The same goes for improvised picks. Modern locks are built to resist exactly these tricks, and the attempt usually leaves marks that complicate the real opening.

Call a local, licensed locksmith

This is the moment to call a professional. A local locksmith with the right tools opens most home locks without damage, using the same techniques whether it's noon or 3 a.m. When you call Eagle's Locksmith, tell us where you are and what kind of lock you're facing, and keep your phone nearby. While you wait, stay somewhere safe and lit — and if children or pets are inside alone, say so, because that changes the priority of the call.

After you're back in, fix the problem for good

Once you're inside, think about why it happened and make it the last time. A spare key with a trusted neighbour, a keypad deadbolt on the main door, or a rekey so every family member's key actually works — all of these cost less than one more emergency call. Ask the technician while he's there; he can usually handle the upgrade on the same visit.