In short:
- Deal with safety before the door: a child, a pet or a vulnerable person inside, a stove left on or a bath running all come first. For danger to life, call 112 from a cellphone or SAPS on 10111.
- Work out which barrier is actually stopping you. Quite often it's the security gate in front of the door, not the door itself.
- Phone around before you phone a locksmith: whoever else holds a key, your landlord or agent, and the guardhouse or body corporate if you live in an estate or complex.
- Have proof of residence ready, even if it's on your phone. The technician has to see it before opening the door.
- Don't climb, kick or pry. We try non-destructive entry first, and you get a quote on site before any work starts.
Before anything else: is anyone or anything at risk inside?
Most lockouts are an inconvenience: you're standing on the step with the keys on the kitchen counter. A few are emergencies, and it's worth ten seconds to decide which kind you have.
Treat it as an emergency if a small child, an elderly or ill person, or a pet is shut inside on their own and can't open the door for you, or if something dangerous is running: a pot on the stove, a heater, a bath filling. If anyone's life or health is in danger, call 112 from a cellphone or SAPS on 10111 straight away, and don't wait for a locksmith.
If a child inside is old enough to talk to you, keep them calm through a window. Don't ask them to climb, reach for high latches or hand you keys through burglar bars if that puts them at risk. If nothing urgent is going on, take a breath. There's time to sort it out properly, and a calm call gets you back in with less fuss than a rushed attempt at a window.
Which barrier is actually keeping you out?
A home is often more than one locked door. Between the street and your lounge there can be an estate or complex gate, the gate on your own stand, a security gate across the front door and then the door's own locks. Knowing which one is the problem tells you who to call and how big the job is.
| What's stopping you | Typical cause | First call |
|---|---|---|
| Estate or complex pedestrian gate, boom or turnstile | Access tag or remote left inside, or tag not working | The guardhouse, estate office, body corporate or managing agent. That gate isn't yours to have opened. |
| Security gate across the front door | A slam-lock gate pulled shut behind you with the key inside | Anyone else with a gate key; otherwise a locksmith |
| Front door nightlatch | The door swung shut and the latch caught | Anyone else with a key; otherwise a locksmith |
| Front door deadlock | Keys lost, stolen or locked inside; or a lock that won't turn even with the key | A locksmith. If the key is in your hand but won't work, it's a lock fault, not a lockout. |
| A key snapped in the lock | Worn or bent key | A locksmith, for broken-key extraction |
Slam locks deserve a special mention. Trellidor, a South African security-gate maker, lists the ease of locking yourself out as one of the drawbacks of slam locks, which lock as the gate closes, and points out that children can lock themselves in or out with them. If a slam-lock gate has caught you more than once, our guide to a security gate lock that's stuck or won't turn explains the alternatives.
Phone around before you phone a locksmith
A spare key on the other side of Roodepoort usually costs less than a call-out, even if someone has to drive it over. Before you book anyone, run down this list:
- Who else lives here or has a key? A partner, a housemate, older children, a neighbour you trust, a family member across town.
- Your landlord or rental agent, if you rent. Many keep a set, and some leases say who to call in a lockout.
- Your domestic worker or gardener, if they have keys for their working days.
- The estate office, guardhouse or body corporate, if you're in an estate, complex or block of flats. They can help with common gates and confirm to a technician that you live there.
- Your home insurance or bank card benefits. Some include home assistance that may cover a locksmith. Check the policy wording before you rely on it.
If nobody can get a key to you in reasonable time, that's when a lockout call-out makes sense. We don't cut or copy keys, so the visit is about getting you inside and, if needed, repairing or replacing the lock.
Renting? A lockout is not the same as being locked out
If you rent and your key simply won't open the door any more, stop and think about why before calling anyone. A lock that's been changed without your knowledge is not a locksmith problem.
The Rental Housing Act makes it an offence to unlawfully lock out a tenant or shut off the utilities to a rental property (section 16). Property industry commentators put it plainly: without a court order to evict a tenant, a landlord can't lock the tenant out, change the locks or cut off the water or electricity. If that's what has happened, speak to the landlord or agent, get legal advice, and contact SAPS if you need to. A locksmith won't open a door where the right to live there is in dispute.
For an ordinary lockout in a rented home, your lease is good proof of residence. Tell your landlord or agent afterwards if a lock had to be repaired or replaced, since the lease may say who pays for that and who must hold a key. Our article on lock changes between tenants covers the landlord's side of the same question.
Proof you live there, even when your ID is inside
Before any door is opened, the technician has to be satisfied that it's your home or that you're entitled to be let in. That protects you: the same rule stops a stranger from having your door opened while you're at work. What helps:
- Your ID or driving licence, if it's on you.
- Something linking you to the address: a municipal account, a lease, a bank or cellphone statement, or a delivery confirmation. A copy on your phone is fine to start with.
- Someone who can vouch for you: the estate office, the body corporate, the landlord or a neighbour who knows you.
If your ID and paperwork are all locked inside, say so when you call. The technician can agree with you how you'll show proof once the door is open, before leaving.
What not to do while you wait
- Don't climb in through a window, especially upstairs or above paving. A fall costs far more than a call-out, and burglar bars aren't meant to take your weight.
- Don't bend or cut burglar bars or force a security gate. Gates and bars are expensive to repair, and a damaged gate leaves the house open until it's fixed.
- Don't kick or shoulder the door. You're more likely to split the frame than open the door, and a broken frame needs more than a locksmith.
- Don't try methods from online videos. They tend to wreck locks that could have been opened cleanly and turn a lockout into a lock replacement.
- Don't announce on a community group that your house is open or your keys are missing. Tell people you trust directly.
What happens when we arrive
We're a mobile locksmith in Roodepoort, with no shop or counter, so the technician comes to your door at any hour, 24/7. Here's how the visit works:
- Proof of residence is checked, as above.
- The technician looks at the locks and the gate and explains how they plan to get you in. Non-destructive entry is always tried first.
- You get a quote on site before any work starts. Nothing is done until you agree. If a lock can't be opened without damaging it, you're told before that happens and what a replacement involves.
- Payment is by EFT, cash or card. The call-out fee is R250.
For more on what goes into the quote, see what a mobile locksmith costs in Roodepoort.
If your keys were lost or stolen
Getting back in solves today's problem but not the bigger one: somebody else may have your keys, and possibly your address. If the keys were stolen with your bag or wallet, or lost somewhere you can't retrace, think about rekeying or replacing the locks they open. Our guide on whether to rekey or replace after losing your keys helps you decide, and lock replacement can be done on the same visit if you agree to it.
What to tell us when you call
- Your street address and suburb, plus the complex or estate name and unit number if there is one.
- How the technician gets to you: guardhouse procedure, visitor parking, intercom or a code.
- Which barrier is locked: estate gate, security gate, front door, or more than one.
- The kind of lock, if you know: a gate lock, a deadlock, a nightlatch, a cylinder lock. A photo on WhatsApp is even better.
- Where the keys are: inside, lost, stolen or broken in the lock.
- Whether anyone or anything is inside that makes it urgent.
- What proof of residence you have with you.
Questions
Will you have to break my lock to get me in?
Not usually. Non-destructive entry is always tried first. Some high-security or faulty locks can't be opened cleanly; if that's the case, the technician explains why and quotes for the replacement before doing anything.
I'm locked out of my complex, not my unit. Can you open the complex gate?
Common gates belong to the body corporate or estate, so the guardhouse, estate office or managing agent is the right first call. If your own unit door or gate is also locked, we can help with that once you're through the complex gate.
Can you make me a spare key while you're here so it doesn't happen again?
No, we don't cut or copy keys. A sensible precaution is to leave a key with someone you trust nearby, rather than hiding one outside.
The key turns but the door still won't open. Is that a lockout?
It's a lock fault rather than a lockout, but the result is the same: you can't get in. Tell us exactly what the key does when you call. It may need a lock repair rather than an emergency opening.
Need a locksmith to look at it?
If this hasn't solved the problem, our emergency lockouts service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Roodepoort, so we come to your door.
Sources and further reading
- Eyewitness News: 10111, 112 or 107? What number should you call in an emergency? — 10111 reaches SAPS; 112 can be called from a cellphone in an emergency
- Trellidor: The myth about slam locks — Slam locks lock as the gate closes; users can easily lock themselves out and children can lock themselves in or out
- Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999, section 16: Offences and penalties (Acts Online) — Unlawfully locking out a tenant or shutting off utilities is an offence
- The Citizen: What landlords can and cannot do to tenants for late or non-payment — Without a court order to evict, landlords cannot lock tenants out, change the locks or cut off water or electricity