It’s not uncommon for people to get locked out of their homes. In fact, this happens to the very best of us. We might be running late for work or an event and sometimes we could forget to take our house keys along with us in the rush to be on time to a particular venue. So you need not feel bad when this happens as rest assured you will be able to get back into your home eventually. The main thing to keep in mind here is to remain calm and not panic when you realize that you have forgotten your keys at home and locked yourself out.
There are a lot of people who make quite a few mistakes when they are in a lockout situation, such as;
1. Break down a door or window –
The first mistake that people usually make when they get locked out is that they feel the only way to get back into their home is to try breaking down the front door or maybe break the glass of one of the windows. Taking this step is actually quite extreme and very unnecessary. While breaking down the door or window will give you access to your home, you will have to spend more to replace the damaged door or window glass. Hence, this extreme step must be taken only as a last resort.
2. Call up a relative –
While it is alright to contact a family member when you need help, it is not required for a lockout situation. If that relative does not have a spare key to your house, then they might not be much of a help to you with regards to getting you access to your home. What’s more, admitting that you have locked yourself out is quite embarrassing. Thus, you should think about calling your relative for help if you need a place to stay for sometime while you figure out how to get back into your home.
3. Trying opening the door with a credit card –
You might have seen this method being used to open doors in old movies or shows. However, the truth is that opening a door with a credit card or any card for that matter might not work, especially if you have a door that has a deadbolt lock. Moreover, if you haven’t tried to use a card to open a door before, then chances are that you might end up damaging your credit card. Also, if your neighbors see you trying to enter in this way, then they could mistake you for a burglar and alert the authorities.
4. Attempt to pick or break the lock –
When some people are so desperate to get back into their homes once they are locked out, that they actually attempt to try and pick the lock themselves using a bobby pin, screwdriver, etc. If an inexperienced person tries to do this, then they could end up damaging the lock entirely. Hence, you should not try this unless you are really confident that you can pick the lock. If you have no knowledge of picking a lock, then in attempting to do so, you might unknowingly end up damaging it.
So what should you actually do when you get locked out of your residence?
Lockouts happen, so if you find yourself in this unfortunate circumstance then don’t try wasting time attempting to get back into your home using any of the above methods. Instead, just pick up your phone and dial your nearest locksmith. There are many professionals available who are well-trained and experienced when it comes to picking locks and so they will be able to help you enter your home again in no time.
What’s more, most locksmiths would be available even at odd hours of the day, so you should not hesitate to try contacting your nearest one whenever you need urgent assistance in re-entering your home or office after being locked out. A locksmith can easily pick the lock gently without damaging it, so you won’t have to spend any money to replace the entire lock. There might be some instances where the lock might need to be removed through drilling in order to gain access to your home or office space but this happens very rarely.
Always remember to immediately contact a locksmith when you are in a lockout situation as these experts have the skills, tools and know-how to resolve this issue so that you can re-enter your residence safely and quickly.