What to Do if You Become One of the UK's 38% of People Locked Out of Their Homes Annually

Have you ever found yourself locked out of your house by accident? Don’t worry, many of us have been there. Statistics show that more of us are getting locked out of our homes than you may realise. So, what should you do if you find yourself locked out for one reason or another? 

Whether you’ve broken your key in your lock, lost your set of house keys, or been inadvertently locked out by another resident who’s unable to return for a long time, or have found yourself unable to access your property for any other reason, it can be a scary experience. 

Data suggests that you’re not alone if you’ve ever become locked out of your home. In fact, as much as 38% of UK residents find themselves locked out at least once a year–with 8% claiming that it’s happened three or four times annually. 

So, what should you do if you’re unlucky enough to be stuck outside of your home? Let’s take a look at seven essential steps to take to ensure that you regain access to your home as soon as possible. 

1. Don’t Panic

Firstly and most importantly, try to stay calm. In some circumstances, this can be more difficult should you have children or dependants inside and unable to get out.  

Although it may be difficult, your best chance of planning your next steps is through clearing your mind and trying to remember if you have an accessible key nearby or any other easy fix to regain access. 

2. Check Your Other Doors and Windows

One of the first things you should do if you’re locked out of your home without any straightforward means of regaining entry is to check the property for any unlocked doors or windows. 

Did you leave your back door unlocked after putting the washing on the line? Could your windows be unlocked and accessible from the outside? 

Here, it’s a good idea to never climb through an open window without first checking what’s on the other side. Try to avoid falling onto sharp or breakable objects if you find a way of accessing an open window, as this could put you at risk of injury. 

If you see an open window on the first floor of your house and have assessed your options, it may be worth asking a neighbour or friend to bring a ladder and help you reenter your home. Attempting to climb dangerous heights to get into your house should only be attempted as an absolute last resort in the case of an emergency. 

3. Call Somebody Who Has a Key

If there are no ways for you to gain access to your home, you may be able to make some calls to help you get back indoors. Calling your partner, roommate, parents, or anyone else who has keys to your home is a safe way of regaining access if you’re locked out. It may take a little while to arrive but can be better than risking your safety to climb back in. 

Furthermore, if you rent your property, it’s likely that our landlord will have a key to the house and should be local enough to unlock the door relatively quickly. 

The same could apply if you live in an apartment complex that has a manager’s office. However, be warned that you could be liable to pay a lockout fee if somebody has to help you access your apartment. 

4. Use a Plastic Card to Open Your Lock

Yes, opening locks using credit cards is usually confined to Hollywood movies, but there’s certainly some truth to the process and it could help you to get out of a sticky situation should you be locked out with no way of getting back into your property. 

If you’re locked out with your wallet or purse, it may be worth finding the most flexible card you have and using it between your door and doorjamb to try to open the lock. 

It’s also important to avoid using a card that you use regularly, or an ID card which may come in handy later on if you’re still unable to reenter your home. 

Before you attempt to become a master lock breaker, it could be worth attempting to remember the type of locks your door has. Many modern locks are designed to be resistant to attempted credit card break-ins and the approach won’t work on deadbolts–which is largely for the best if a little inconvenient in this circumstance. 

5. Dismantle Your Door Handle

If your neighbours are available to help, you may find that you can dismantle your door handle using a set of tools. 

Of course, the ease of this approach is largely down to the type of door handle that you have and how it was originally designed. Despite this, most handles are able to be taken apart using a screwdriver, hammer, and paperclip. Here, you’ll need to use the screwdriver to take off the screws keeping the handle in place, then remove the hinge screws with the paperclip. 

Again, it’s essential that you don’t cause any lasting damage to your door if it’s not an emergency, and you’ll need to put your handle back together once you’re inside to avoid providing burglars with easy access later on. 

6. Call a Locksmith

While it can be tempting to go it alone and gain access to your property without professional help, in many cases, a trusted locksmith can help to provide you with access to your home without the risk of incurring damage to your property or yourself. 

Although enlisting the help of a locksmith on an emergency callout may seem like a costly option, locksmith prices for this type of job can range between £70 and £130, which may prove to be a cheaper option than breaking open your door or smashing a window.  Use a key cutting service to make duplicates of your keys and avoid these situations in the future. 

7. Break In as a Last Resort

Thankfully, most instances of lockouts aren’t emergencies. But sometimes, particularly if you have young children, unwell loved ones, or have identified a threat to another resident, you may feel that breaking in is your only option. 

As a last resort, you can attempt to break in through a door or window that’s well out of the way of anyone who may be inside. However, this approach is extremely dangerous and you’ll need to be careful to avoid coming into contact with shards of glass. 

In the vast majority of cases, you won’t need to break into your home if you haven’t got a key or any easy means of access so this point shouldn’t be required. 

If you have no simple way of gaining entry into your property, by far your safest option is to pay for an emergency locksmith call out. 

While bad luck can conspire to put you in the 38% of unfortunate UK residents who are locked out of their homes each year, knowing a strong plan of action to regain access can help you spend far less time locked out. So, with this in mind, don’t panic and clear your head. In most cases, you’ll find a way back inside in no time.