The door clicks shut. You pat your pocket. Nothing.
Your keys are on the kitchen bench, exactly where you can picture them. Panic ensues. You’re locked out. And on the wrong side of a very good lock.
Take a breath. This is solvable, and usually able to resolve within the hour.
Here’s how to handle it without making it worse or more expensive.
Step 1: Check the obvious things (calmly)
Before anyone calls anyone, do a quick lap:
- Back door, laundry door, side gate, garage. People lock the front and forget the rest.
- Windows. Only ones you can reach safely from the ground. No climbing on bins, no standing on the barbecue. An emergency locksmith is far cheaper than an ambulance.
- Your bag or car, properly. Empty it. Keys hide.
- Anyone with a spare? Partner, housemate, parent, the neighbour you gave one to in 2021.
Step 2: If you rent, call your agent first
In NSW, your landlord or property manager will often hold a spare key, and going through them is usually the cheaper and correct path during business hours.
A few things worth knowing as a tenant:
- If you do change or add a lock, you generally need the landlord’s agreement, and a copy of the new key must be given to them within 7 days. There are exceptions, including emergencies and certain AVO situations.
- Keep every receipt if you have to call a safe locksmith yourself.
- If you’re not sure where you stand, NSW Fair Trading can help on 13 32 20.
Live in a unit or strata block? If you’re locked out of the building rather than your own door, try the building manager or strata contact before anything else. Some common-area doors and fobs are controlled by the owners corporation and can’t be touched without approval.
Step 3: Please don’t try the credit card thing
We say this with love. Every locksmith in Sydney has been called out to fix the damage from a YouTube tutorial.
- The card trick only works on a basic spring latch, and most Australian front doors have a deadlock. What it usually does is snap the card and score the door frame.
- Kicking the door breaks the frame, not the lock. You’ll pay for a door, a frame, a lock and a locksmith.
- Breaking a window is glass, a glazier, a mess and a hazard, all to save an hour.
- Coat hangers through car door seals damage weather strips, wiring and airbag sensors on modern cars.
A licensed locksmith gets most doors open without damage. That’s the whole trade.
Step 4: Call a licensed locksmith and check the licence
Locksmiths in NSW must hold a security licence issued by NSW Police. It exists because we’re trusted with skills that bypass security. Any genuine locksmith will happily give you their licence number. (All Time Locksmiths operates under NSW Master Security Licence #000102478.)
When you ring, have this ready. It speeds everything up:
- Your address, including unit number and any building access details.
- What type of door and lock it is, if you can see it.
- Whether you own or rent.
- Whether anyone vulnerable is inside (a child, an elderly person, a pet) or if a stove is on. Say this first. It changes the priority immediately.
- Whether you have ID showing you live there. You’ll be asked for it.
Red flags to watch for:
- No licence number, no business address, no company name on the vehicle.
- A suspiciously low phone quote that balloons on arrival.
- Reaching for a drill straight away. Most residential locks can be opened without one, so a technician who drills first and thinks later is either untrained or upselling you a new lock.
- No written invoice.
Step 5: Decide what happens next
Getting in is the first job. The second is deciding whether your keys are lost or just misplaced.
Misplaced (you know they’re on the bench) → open the door, done.
Lost or stolen → think about re-keying. Re-keying changes the internals of your existing locks so old keys stop working. It’s usually cheaper than replacing the whole lock, and it’s the sensible call if your keys went missing with anything showing your address: a wallet, a bag, mail, or a delivery label.
It’s also worth doing when you move into a new home. You have no idea how many copies of that key exist, or who has them.
While we’re here: how to not do this again
- Give a spare to someone you trust. Not under the mat. Burglars invented that hiding spot.
- Fit a small key safe with a combination, mounted properly out of sight. Very popular with families, carers and holiday rentals.
- Consider a keypad or smart lock for the front door. No key, no lockout — just keep a mechanical backup.
- Check your latch habits. If your door locks behind you automatically, make a rule: keys in hand before the door closes. Every single time.
Locked out right now?
All Time Locksmiths runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across all of Sydney. Our fully equipped vans usually reach you in 30 to 60 minutes, whether you’re in the CBD, Newtown, Bondi, Chatswood, Castle Hill, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Bankstown or Kogarah.
We open doors without damage wherever we can, we quote before we start, and we’ve been doing it as a family business for more than 35 years.
Call 1300 705 307
We’ll get you back inside.
