What Should I Do If I’m Locked Out of My House?

It happens to almost everyone eventually. You pull the door shut behind you, pat your pocket, and realise your keys are still sitting on the kitchen bench. Or the kids have locked the deadbolt from the inside while you were putting bins out. Or your key snaps clean off in the lock the moment you’re already running late. Being locked out of your own home in Perth is stressful, but it’s also one of the most common calls a locksmith receives  and there’s a clear, sensible way to handle it.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do if you’re locked out of your house, in what order, and how to tell the difference between a problem you can solve yourself and one that needs a licensed professional. It’s written specifically for Perth homeowners and renters, covering everything from inner-city apartments to family homes in the outer suburbs.

Stay Calm and Assess the Situation First

The first few minutes after a lockout set the tone for everything that follows. Panicking, forcing the door, or trying to pry a window open with a screwdriver almost always makes things worse and more expensive. Before you do anything else, take a breath and work through a few quick questions:

• Is anyone still inside the house, including children, elderly family members, or pets?
• Is it a simple lockout, or is there a safety concern (a stove left on, an alarm going off, or bad weather closing in)?
• Do you have a spare key hidden somewhere, or does a family member, neighbour, or property manager hold one?
• Is the door simply locked, or is a key broken off inside the cylinder?

Answering these honestly will decide whether this is a five-minute fix or a job for a locksmith. If someone vulnerable is trapped inside, or you smell gas or smoke, treat it as an emergency and call 000 first — a locked door is never worth risking someone’s safety over.

Step 1: Check Every Other Entry Point

Before assuming you need a locksmith, do a full lap of the house. Many Perth homes, especially older weatherboard and brick-and-tile properties in suburbs like Bayswater, Victoria Park, or Scarborough, have a laundry door, a sliding door to a patio, or a side gate that’s easier to access than the front. Check:

• Back and side doors
• Sliding doors and screen doors
• Any low or unlocked windows (only if you can reach and open them safely  never climb onto a roof or balcony to force entry)
• A garage that connects internally to the house

If you find an open point of entry, use it, but still address the locked door afterwards so it doesn’t happen again.

Step 2: Think About Spare Keys and Key Safes

This is the step people forget in the moment of frustration, then remember an hour later. Consider:

• Family or housemates  is anyone nearby who holds a spare key and could drop it around?
• A neighbour  many Perth households swap spare keys with a trusted neighbour, particularly in tighter-knit suburbs
• Property managers  if you’re renting, your agent will usually hold a key and can arrange access during business hours
• A key safe  a small wall-mounted lockbox bolted near the entry, common on rental properties, that holds a spare key behind its own code

If none of these apply, don’t waste time driving around Perth chasing a key that may or may not exist. Move straight to deciding between DIY options and calling a professional.

Step 3: Know What You Should Never Try Yourself

There’s a lot of well-meaning advice online about using a credit card, bobby pin, or piece of wire to “pop” a lock open. In practice, most modern Australian door locks  particularly the deadbolts and multi-point locking systems fitted to newer Perth homes  are specifically designed to resist this. Attempting it usually results in one of three outcomes: it doesn’t work, it damages the card or pin, or it damages the lock mechanism itself, turning a simple lockout into an expensive repair.

Avoid these unless you’re certain of what you’re doing and the risk is low:

• Forcing or kicking a door, which can damage the frame, hinges, or strike plate
• Prying at window seals or sliding door tracks
• Removing external hinge pins on a door that swings outward (this can work in rare cases, but often causes more damage than it solves)
• Using online “lock-picking” tutorials on a lock you don’t understand

If your key has snapped off inside the lock, don’t try to dig it out with tweezers or pliers  this often pushes the broken piece further in and can damage the pins inside the cylinder, turning a same-day fix into a full lock replacement.

Step 4: Call a Licensed Locksmith

Once you’ve ruled out the easy fixes, the safest and fastest option is calling a licensed, local locksmith. In Western Australia, this matters more than people realise. Locksmiths operating in WA are required to hold a Security Agent’s Licence, regulated by WA Police under the Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996 — a stricter framework than in several other states, covering both the business and its individual technicians.

That licensing requirement exists for good reason. Unlicensed operators do turn up in Perth’s locksmith market, and they typically carry no insurance and offer no warranty, with a real risk of damaging your lock or door frame in ways that end up costing more than the original lockout. Before you let anyone start work on your door, it’s worth asking for their licence number and checking it through the WA Police licensing portal, particularly if you found them through a quick search rather than a recommendation. A reputable locksmith won’t hesitate to provide this.

When you call, a good locksmith will typically ask:

• Your address and the nearest cross street or landmark
• What type of lock or door you have (if you know)
• Whether you’re locked out or locked in
• Whether the key is lost, broken, or simply left inside

This lets an experienced technician arrive with the right tools already on the van, which speeds up the whole job — most non-destructive residential lockouts in Perth are resolved within 20 to 30 minutes of the locksmith arriving.

Step 5: Understand What It Might Cost

Pricing is one of the biggest sources of anxiety during a lockout, mostly because people don’t know what’s reasonable. As a general guide for Perth:

• Weekday business-hours callouts are the most affordable option
• Evenings, weekends, and public holidays attract higher after-hours rates, often close to double the weekday price
• Published Perth rates show weekend callout fees commonly sitting between $220 and $245, compared with roughly $121 for weekday business-hours work, with overnight callouts priced higher again

If your situation isn’t urgent — say, you’ve got somewhere else to stay for the night — waiting until regular business hours can genuinely save you $100 or more. But if there’s a safety concern, a pet alone inside, or you simply can’t wait, the after-hours premium is the trade-off for round-the-clock access.

Always ask for a clear, upfront quote over the phone before the locksmith starts work, and get confirmation of the final price before payment. A trustworthy operator will explain the cost breakdown without pressure or vague add-on fees.

Step 6: Prevent It From Happening Again

Once you’re back inside, it’s worth spending five minutes thinking about prevention:

• Arrange a spare key with a trusted neighbour or family member nearby
• Consider a professionally installed key safe if you regularly have tradespeople, cleaners, or family needing access
• Upgrade to a keyless or smart lock if losing keys is a recurring issue in your household
• Rekey the lock if you’ve recently lost a key set entirely, so a stray key floating around Perth can’t be used to access your home
• Keep a labelled hide-a-key with a neighbour rather than under a doormat or in a garden pot — these are the first places anyone would check

A locksmith visit is also a natural opportunity to have your locks assessed generally. If your home still has original locks from when it was built, particularly in older Perth suburbs, it may be worth discussing an upgrade to more secure, modern hardware.

Locked Out? Sheehan Locksmiths Perth Can Help

Being locked out of your own home is frustrating, but it’s rarely a genuine emergency once you know the right steps to take. Check every door and window, think through who might hold a spare key, avoid anything that risks damaging your locks or doors, and call a licensed local locksmith when you need one.

Sheehan Locksmiths Perth provides residential lockout assistance across Greater Perth, including 24-hour emergency callouts, lock repairs, rekeying, and lock replacement, for homeowners and renters from the northern suburbs through to the southern river suburbs. If you’re standing outside your front door right now, a fully licensed, insured technician can be on the way to get you back inside safely, without unnecessary damage to your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long does it take for a locksmith to arrive after a lockout in Perth? Response times vary by location and time of day, but most Perth-based locksmiths, including Sheehan Locksmiths Perth, aim to reach metropolitan suburbs within 30 to 60 minutes of your call, faster in central and inner suburbs, slightly longer in outer growth corridors.
2. Will a locksmith need to drill or damage my lock to get me back in? Not usually. Most residential lockouts are resolved with non-destructive entry techniques that leave your existing lock intact. Drilling is generally a last resort, used only when the lock is faulty, heavily corroded, or a key has broken deep inside the cylinder.
3. Is it cheaper to call a locksmith during the day rather than at night? Yes. Weekday business-hours callouts are the most affordable option in Perth, while evening, weekend, and public holiday callouts attract higher after-hours rates. If your lockout isn’t urgent, waiting until normal business hours can save a meaningful amount.
4. What should I do if my key breaks off inside the lock? Don’t try to remove it yourself with tweezers, pliers, or wire, as this often pushes the fragment further in and can damage the internal pins. Leave the lock alone and call a licensed locksmith, who has purpose-built extraction tools to remove the broken piece safely.
5. How can I check that a Perth locksmith is actually licensed? Ask for their Security Agent’s Licence number before any work begins, and verify it through the WA Police licensing portal if you’re unsure. A genuine, established locksmith will provide this without hesitation, along with proof of insurance.