House Lockout in Athens, GA

Getting back into an Athens home

A house lockout request is about getting you back inside without damaging the door or the lock, and the first question is which door. Athens-Clarke County has local historic districts, among them Cobbham, Dearing, Boulevard and Milledge. On Milledge Avenue, the county's design guidelines describe the surviving original doors as mostly wood, with glass panes or panels, often under a transom, so say what your door is made of before anyone starts work.

Chapter houses, apartments and shared doors

In 1938 and 1939 sororities bought three Milledge Avenue mansions, and offices, apartments and more Greek houses followed. At an address like that, work out whether you are locked out of the shared front door, your own unit door or both, because each can have a different keyholder. The owner or manager may need to confirm who can authorize entry.

If you rent

Renters make up 60.6 percent of Athens-Clarke County households by Census Bureau estimates for 2024, so a landlord or property manager may hold a spare. Ask before you book anything. Georgia's Landlord-Tenant Handbook says a landlord cannot remove a tenant or block access without the court dispossessory process, and it calls self-help evictions illegal even when the tenant has violated the lease. If the landlord is the reason you cannot get in, that is a different matter from a lost key. This is general information, not legal advice.

While you wait

NOAA describes Georgia's summers as long, hot and humid. If you are locked out on a summer afternoon, wait in shade or at a neighbor's home and drink water. If a child or anyone who may be unwell is shut inside, call 911 first.

What to have ready

• Photo ID, plus a lease or a utility bill for that address.
• Which door it is: front, side, or a unit inside a larger building, and whether it is wood, glass-paned or modern.
• The street and nearest cross street, or the historic district by name.
• Whether a landlord, manager or neighbor holds a spare.

Send those details through the Georgia contact page. The house lockout page explains the service, and a residential locksmith can change the locks afterward if keys are gone. More on the Athens page.