House Lockout in Orlando, FL

Which door you are locked out of

In Orlando, 62.8 percent of occupied homes are rented, per the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates, so one of the first questions is who else may be able to open the door, such as a landlord or property manager.

• Creative Village apartments. Amelia Court, The Julian and Modera Creative Village hold the 957 apartments in the district's first phase. A lobby, garage or amenity entry may run on the complex's own access system, controlled by management. In your request, say whether the door is your unit or a shared one.
• Houses. In Lake Nona, annexed in 1994 and 1998, or Baldwin Park, on the site of the former Naval Training Center Orlando, a house lockout usually involves the front deadbolt, a knob lock or the door from the garage into the house.
• Rentals. If a landlord has changed the locks to keep you out, that may be a legal matter rather than a lockout: section 83.67(2), Florida Statutes, bars a landlord from preventing a tenant's reasonable access by changing the locks. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to have ready

1. Photo ID showing the address. If your ID shows an older address, add a lease, deed or utility bill for the property, on your phone if the paper copy is inside.
2. The door and lock: unit, front, back or garage entry, and whether it is a deadbolt, knob lock or keypad.
3. For an apartment, the building name, floor and unit number, and who can let a visitor through the lobby or garage gate.
4. Anything urgent inside, such as a stove left on. If a child or anyone who needs help is alone inside, call 911 first.

Original doors in historic districts

In a local historic district such as Lake Eola Heights or Lake Cherokee, a house may still have its original entry door. If yours is original, say so in the request. It matters for what comes after you are back inside: lock repair or rekeying keeps an original door in place, and the lock replacement page covers the city's rules for replacing one.

The house lockout page describes the service, and the Orlando page covers the city.