Locked Out of Your Apartment: What to Do Now
Locksmith Milwaukee Now opens apartment doors for tenants who are locked out in Milwaukee and about 30 miles around it. A lockout starts at $69. We ask for a photo ID and a lease or a utility bill that shows the unit. We work 24/7, every day of the year. Call or text us.
Who to try first
When you are locked out of an apartment, start with the people who already hold a key. That is usually the property manager, the leasing office, on-site maintenance, or a roommate. Many management companies list an after-hours line on the lease, the building door, or their website. If someone with a key can come in a reasonable time, that is often the simplest way back in. If no one answers, or the wait is long, a locksmith can open the unit door. In Milwaukee an apartment lockout starts at $69, and we work 24/7.
If a person inside needs help, or something is cooking on the stove, call emergency services first and the locksmith second.
What a locksmith asks a tenant to show
Opening a door for the wrong person is the one mistake a locksmith cannot undo, so we ask everyone for proof. A tenant shows a photo ID and something that ties them to the unit: a lease, a utility bill, or mail with the apartment number. If those papers are inside, we open the door and you show them to us before we leave. Our answer on proof of ownership lists what we ask for each kind of job.
If your name is not on the lease, for example a partner or a guest who stays there, we need the leaseholder or the manager to confirm you live there. A text or a call from them while we are at the door is usually enough. This protects you as much as anyone else in the building.
Your unit door and the building door
Many apartment buildings have two locked doors: the shared entry and your own unit. They work differently.
The shared entry door, the lobby door, or a fob reader belongs to the whole building. We open it only with the owner's or the manager's okay, because opening it lets anyone in. If you are stuck outside the building, the manager or a neighbor who lets you into the hallway is the fastest first step.
Your unit door is the one we open for you, once you show the papers. Milwaukee also has many duplexes, with an upper and a lower flat. Each flat has its own entry, and we treat each one like a separate unit.
How the door gets opened
How long it takes depends on what is locked. If only the knob or the lever is locked, the door is held by a spring latch, and that usually opens fast. If the deadbolt is locked too, the job takes longer, because a deadbolt is built to resist being pushed back.
Most unit doors open with picking or a bypass tool, and the lock keeps working afterward. When a lock cannot be opened that way, drilling the cylinder is the last step, and the lock then needs a new cylinder or a new lock. We tell you before we drill, and we tell you the price of the part.
If the key broke in the lock
A key that snaps in the cylinder leaves you locked out with the key still in the door. Do not push the broken piece deeper with another key. We pull the piece out with a thin extractor and cut a new key from it when the cut part is whole. Our page on a key broken in the door explains that job.
What the landlord can and cannot do
Each lease sets its own rules for lockouts. Some landlords open the door for free during office hours, some charge a lockout fee, and some send a locksmith and bill the tenant. Read the lockout section of your lease, or ask the office, before the next time.
If you are locked out because the landlord changed the lock to keep you out, that is not a job for a locksmith. Wisconsin's rental rules, in chapter ATCP 134 of the state code, bar a landlord from locking a tenant out or removing a tenant without a court order. The Wisconsin consumer protection agency, DATCP, takes those complaints. We do not open a unit in a dispute between a tenant and a landlord.
After you are back inside
Once the door is open, think about the key. If it is locked inside the apartment, you are done. If it is lost, the lock may need a rekey, and in a rental that takes the landlord's okay. Our page about lost house keys walks through when a rekey makes sense.
A spare key with someone you trust saves the next lockout. Many leases allow copies of the unit key, but some buildings use restricted keys that only the manager can copy. If your key says Do Not Duplicate, our page on Do Not Duplicate keys explains what that stamp means.
What it costs
| House or apartment lockout | from $69 |
|---|---|
| Broken key extraction, house door | from $99 |
| Rekey, first lock | from $59 |
| House key copy | from $10 |
An apartment lockout starts at $69. Pulling a broken key and cutting a new one starts at $99. A rekey starts at $59 for the first lock, and a copy of a standard key starts at $10. A trip fee may apply at some times and places, and we tell you the total before we start.
What to tell us when you write
The address and the unit number, whether the deadbolt is locked or only the knob, and whether you have your ID with you. A photo of the lock helps us bring the right tools. If the manager is on the way or not answering, tell us that too.
Cities we serve around Milwaukee
Milwaukee and about 30 miles around it: Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Ozaukee County, Washington County, and Racine County.
Questions about apartment lockouts
Should I call my landlord or a locksmith when I am locked out?
Try the landlord, the manager, or a roommate first, because they already have a key. If no one can come, a locksmith opens the unit door.
How much does an apartment lockout cost?
From $69. The total depends on the lock, the time, and the place, and we tell you before we start.
What do I need to show the locksmith?
A photo ID and a lease, a utility bill, or mail that shows the unit number. If they are inside, you show them after we open the door.
Can you open the front door of the building?
Only with the owner's or the manager's okay, because that door belongs to the whole building.
Can the landlord lock me out?
Wisconsin rules bar a landlord from locking a tenant out, and only a court process can remove a tenant. That is a legal matter for the state consumer protection agency, not for a locksmith.