House Lockout in Jacksonville, FL

Locked out of a Jacksonville home

The building you are standing outside shapes a house lockout, and Jacksonville's neighborhoods offer very different doors.

• Riverside bungalows. Riverside, southwest of downtown on the St. Johns River, took in many displaced residents after the Great Fire of 1901. A bungalow can have a front, back and side door, so name each one that is locked.
• Avondale homes. Mostly Mediterranean Revival, Avondale was developed from 1920. An older house may have a garage entry, a side gate and a back door on separate keys, so list every entry you have already tried.
• Southbank towers. Residential towers such as The Peninsula and The Strand, and Brooklyn's mixed-use developments at the far southwestern corner of downtown, may control the lobby, garage gate or elevator with a building-managed fob. Building staff handle those; a locksmith works on the lock of your own unit, so say which door you are shut out of.

Waiting outside

NOAA's state climate summary puts Florida's average annual precipitation at 53.7 inches, so a wait on a Jacksonville doorstep can be a wet one. Stay under cover or with a neighbor, and keep your phone charged. If a young child or anyone at risk is inside, or someone needs medical help, call 911 first.

What to have ready

1. Photo ID showing the address, or a lease, deed or utility bill in your name. If those papers are inside, say so.
2. The street and cross street, or the building name, floor and unit.
3. Where the keys are: inside, lost, or broken in the lock.

Florida Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Jacksonville. The house lockout page describes the service, and lock rekeying retires keys that are lost for good. For more of the city, see the Jacksonville page.