Nothing will cause a groan and/or sigh of disappointment faster than realizing you’ve been locked out of your house. Getting locked out is simply one of those inconveniences we face, and it’s especially frustrating because we know that we are the ones who are responsible (special occasions exempted). We can check and double check our keys, we can make it a habit to check for keys before we leave a place, but we are also imperfect. In the world of locksmiths, this human imperfection is expressed in the form of ending up locked out of your home.
Not to fear, because ABC Lock and Key is here. Read on to see what steps you should take when a house lockout happens to you in the Nashville area, and call us for auto locksmith, emergency locksmith services, and more!
Before you read further…
Losing your keys can already be a bit of a hassle, but it can be even more complicated if you’re without a means to contact a locksmith. Add ABC Lock and Key into your phone to ease the pain that comes from being locked out of your house. The last thing you want is to be in an area without service, unable to look up the nearest Nashville locksmith, trying desperately to figure out how to get back into your home. Program 615-456-LOCK (5625) into your phone to ensure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.
Got it in your phone? Nice! Back to what to do when you’re locked out of your house:
Assess what you currently have with you.
It might sound silly, but when you’re locked out of your house, do a quick and immediate assessment of everything that is on your person. You never know, you might actually have the keys in your pocket! No such luck? Having a phone on you is the next best thing, because then you can make the necessary locksmith call. If you have neither of those two essentials, then it’s time to move onto step two.
Assess the safety level of yourself and others.
This might seem like the first thing you would check, but checking any items you currently have takes no more than five seconds, and could end up saving you from any ensuing panic. Essentially, you could jump immediately into freak-out mode, or you could calmly take a couple of seconds to see if you already have keys with you.
Kids are awesome and wonderful little humans, until they decide to lock the door when you’re outside. Trust us when we say it happens more frequently than you might think. Babysitters have likely had their fair share of this experience as well (which is why it might also be a good idea to leave our locksmith contact info on a list of important phone numbers).
Yet regardless of if it was an accident, an intention, or just a freak circumstance, the important thing to do in the situation is to think of the safety of everyone involved. If you have children in the house who are five years old and up, they will likely be able to unlock the door (though if they were the ones who locked the door, this might be harder to do!) With younger children, communicate to them to stay where they can see you while you make a call to your neighborhood Nashville locksmith services.
In the event you’re without a phone, check to see if anyone is walking around who could lend you their mobile device. The last resort would be to leave your home to get access to a phone, but that sometimes is unfortunately the case. Communicate to your toddler where they need to stay until you get back, and feel free to make it enticing to them to stay put as well for desired results. If you have an even younger child in the house (such as an infant), hopefully they are in a place with limited mobility while you can get help.
Preventative Measure: Make it a habit of carrying your phone when you go outside, even if it’s just for a moment. This is less necessary if there’s another adult around or in the home, but this is a good tip to remember if you are the only grown-up present. As a second tip, look into installing locks that are child-proof or are more difficult for children to mess with. When you need a new lock installation, call ABC Lock and Key for highly experienced residential locksmith services.
Consider where a spare key might be.
We will be happy for you if you have a spare available, but we are really hoping it is not located in some obvious location. Many, if not most, people know that spare keys are often found under some object or another on the front porch. Be it underneath a welcome mat, inside a decoy decoration, or anything else, this is putting yourself at huge risk for a break-in.
Think about if your neighbor has a spare, and if they are available to get you the assistance you need. However, relying on someone else’s time is a less-than-stable back-up plan. Unless, of course, you rely on ABC Lock and Key—we have 24-hour locksmith services for a reason.
Preventative Measure: Install a coded garage door opener that can open without the use of a key. Granted, this will only be a success if the door connecting your garage to your home is unlocked. One of the best preventative measures you can take is simply having ABC Lock and Key programmed into your phone; we promise to try and reach you in about 30 minutes.
Call a residential locksmith.
Calling a locksmith does not mean you have to replace your keys. That would be pretty unnecessary, especially considering they might be sitting on your favorite end table in the living room. As we mentioned previously, one of our specialties as residential locksmiths is unlocking your home and giving you back the access you need. In the event you need locks to be re-keyed or a master key system setup, we can definitely take care of that for you as well. But so often with getting locked out of our house, we simply need a way to get back in.
Instead of trying to break back into your home or scale a wall and hop through a window, prevent further damage (to both you and your locks) by calling a locksmith. In the 30 minutes you could spend trying to figure out if that stray bobby pin in your hair is going to help bust open your door lock, you could be waiting patiently for the locksmith to arrive. Not to mention, trust the professional locksmiths when we say it’s pretty unlikely you’ll be able to unlock your door using alternative methods on your own.
Preventative Measure: The evidence pretty much speaks for itself, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, have the contact information for ABC Lock and Key readily available. With this simple step, your lockout could go from disastrous to a minor inconvenience. We’ve been serving the Nashville area for over 15 years, and we’ve practically seen it all. Call us for emergency locksmith services that you can not only rely upon, but love as well.