OwnAway

Maintenance playbook

Tenant is locked out: what a landlord has to do

Updated

A lockout is the request most likely to arrive at midnight. It is rarely a legal obligation and always a relationship moment. The triage question is whether the tenant is locked out, or whether the lock is broken.

How urgent is it?

OwnAway treats "won't lock" and "break-in" as P0 Emergency (4-hour target, owner paged): a door that cannot secure is a safety problem for the tenant and a liability for you. A tenant who lost their keys with a working lock is a lockout, which OwnAway handles as urgent for response but not as a repair — the fix is a key or a locksmith, and the cost usually sits with the tenant.

  • Break-in or door that won't secure: P0. Locksmith or board-up tonight, at the owner's cost.
  • Lock jammed or key broken in the lock: P1. Locksmith same day; owner's cost unless the tenant broke it.
  • Keys lost, lock fine, tenant outside: respond now, resolve with a spare or a locksmith; tenant's cost per most leases.

Decide in advance, not at midnight

Write a lockout policy into the lease and into your notes: where the spare key is, whether you will meet the tenant, the locksmith you use, and the fee. Then the 1am text has a script.

Text to the tenant (lost keys, working lock)
Sorry — I can't get there tonight, but [Locksmith] can: [phone]. Per the lease the lockout fee is the tenant's; it's usually [$]. If the lock itself is broken, let me know and I'll cover it.

What to text the locksmith

Text to the vendor
Hi — Lockout / lock repair at the front door, tenant is on site at [address, unit]. Tenant is [name], reachable at [phone]. Can you get there tonight? Reply with a window and I'll confirm with the tenant.

Afterward

  • If a lock was replaced, get the new key to your spare set within the week.
  • If there was a break-in, file a police report number with the unit and check whether the lease or local law requires a lock change.
  • Consider a keypad deadbolt on units with repeat lockouts. One code change beats one locksmith visit.

Questions

Does a landlord have to let a locked-out tenant in?

Generally no, unless the lease says so. But a broken lock is the landlord's to fix, and a door that cannot secure is an emergency. Most landlords provide a locksmith's number and a lockout fee in the lease so the tenant is never stuck.

Can I charge a lockout fee?

If the lease sets one, usually yes. If the lock failed on its own, no.