Your lock has been forced
If a door has been forced or a lock has been tampered with, leave and call the police first. Do not go inside until it is safe. Once the police have been, a locksmith can replace the damaged lock or rekey the existing one so any stolen keys stop working. If the frame is split, the locksmith can make the door lockable for now; a carpenter may be needed later.
Your smart lock has stopped responding
Most smart and keypad locks fail for dull reasons: flat batteries, a lost phone, a wiped code. Many have a key override or terminals for a temporary battery. A locksmith can open the door, reset the lock or swap it for a mechanical deadbolt if you have lost faith in it.
Lost keys and no spare
If your keys are gone and they had your address or car on them, think of them as stolen. Rekeying the house and, for cars, programming a new key and removing the old one from the car's memory where possible, closes the gap. Don't try to force a window; broken glass costs more than a locksmith.
Locked out of a safe or filing cabinet
Forgotten combinations and lost keys for safes and cabinets are common. Some safes can be opened without damage; others can only be opened by drilling, which the price list notes may leave the safe unusable. Ask for the estimate first.
Why calling someone local helps
A locksmith who works the District knows the buildings with front desks, the garages with height limits and the neighbourhoods where parking is hard. That saves time once they arrive. Call, describe what happened, and ask for the price before anyone is sent.
Need help now? See residential, commercial, automotive or emergency locksmith services, check the price list, or find your neighbourhood page.
