Locked out of a house or apartment in Milwaukee
Most house lockouts start the same way: the door closes behind you, the knob was locked, and the keys are on the kitchen counter. Others start with a key that will not turn, a deadbolt that jams halfway, or a keypad that went dark. We open all of these on houses, duplexes, condos, and apartments across Milwaukee and the suburbs. Once we are at the door, most house lockouts take a few minutes.
How a house lockout visit goes in Milwaukee
- Send the addressText us or call. Tell us the street, the kind of door, and whether the deadbolt is locked or only the knob.
- Show that you live thereBring a photo ID and a lease, a utility bill, or mail with the address. It protects you as much as us.
- We open the doorWe pick the right tool for the lock in front of us and check that the door locks again.
- Keys for the next timeIf a key is gone for good, we can rekey the lock or cut spare keys on the same visit.
Doors and locks we open
- Knob and lever locks. The lock in the handle, often set by a button inside before the door swings shut.
- Deadbolts. A deadbolt locked with a key or a thumb turn holds the door at the frame, so it takes a different approach than a knob.
- Storm and screen doors. A storm door latched from inside can keep you away from the main door behind it.
- Doors from the garage. The door between the garage and the house, often with its own lock and its own key.
- Patio and sliding doors. Sliding doors lock with a hook latch, and some have a keyed handle outside. When the latch is worn, see garage and sliding door locks.
Duplexes, apartments, and rentals in Milwaukee
Milwaukee has many duplexes, with an upper and a lower flat and separate entries, and many apartment buildings with a shared front door. When you rent, we need a lease or a utility bill that shows your unit. A shared entry door belongs to the whole building, so we open it with the building manager's okay. Renters can read what to do first in our answer on being locked out of an apartment.
Landlords and building managers call us too: for a tenant who is locked out, for a unit between tenants, or for a lock a tenant left broken. They show proof that they own or manage the building, and we can rekey the unit on the same visit when a key did not come back.
House lockout prices in Milwaukee
| House or apartment lockout | from $69 |
|---|---|
| Rekey, first lock | from $59 |
| Rekey, each additional lock | from $20 |
| House key copy | from $10 |
| Lock change | from $99 |
The starting price covers opening a standard house or apartment door. A high-security lock, a damaged lock, or a lock that has to be replaced costs more, and we confirm the exact price at the door before we start.
Smart lock and keypad lockouts
Keypad and smart locks lock people out in their own ways: a dead battery, a code that stopped working, or a lock that lost its connection. Many have a key cylinder as a backup, and that key is often in a drawer inside. We open the door through the backup or the lock itself, and we can put in a new smart lock if the old one failed.
After the door is open
A lockout is a good moment to look at the lock that caused it. If a key is lost and someone could find it with your address, rekeying means that key no longer opens your door. If the key turned hard for months before the lockout, the lock is likely worn, and we can repair or replace it while we are there. When the keys are lost rather than locked inside, our answer on lost house keys lists the steps in order.
A spare key starts at $10, and we can cut one on the same visit, so the next time someone in the family has a key to bring. Every other home service and its price is on our residential locksmith page, and urgent lockouts of any kind are on the emergency locksmith page.
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 house lockouts in Milwaukee
Do I need to show ID?
Yes. We ask for a photo ID and something that ties you to the address, like a lease or a utility bill.
What if my ID is inside the house?
We open the door, and you show us the ID and the papers inside before we leave.
How much does a house lockout cost?
From $69 for a standard door. The final price depends on the lock and the door, and we confirm it before we start.
Can you change the lock on the same visit?
Yes. We can rekey the lock you have or put in a new one while we are there.
Do you open apartment doors?
Yes. Renters show a lease or a utility bill with the unit, and we open the door to the unit.
How long does it take to open a locked house door?
Most house lockouts take a few minutes once we are at the door.