House Lockout in Augusta, GA

Rented houses and old doors

Census Bureau figures for 2024 put 50.3 percent of Augusta households in rentals, so a lockout here is often at a leased house or apartment. If that is you, call the landlord or property manager first, since one of them may hold a key to the unit.

Summerville, which locals call "the Hill," began in the 1780s as a village northwest of downtown, grew into a resort with many hotels and was annexed by the city in 1912. Its 730-acre National Register district is roughly bounded by Milledge Lane, Wrightsboro Road and Highland and Heard Avenues. In an area that size, a cross street tells a locksmith more than the neighborhood name does.

What changes from door to door

• Older houses. About one Augusta home in five (20.7 percent) dates from before 1960, and the lock on such a door may be a mortise type set into the door edge rather than a bored deadbolt. A photo of the lock taken from outside helps identify it.
• Rented units. One key often opens the unit door and another a gate, back door or security door. Name the exact door you are locked out of.

Proof that you live there

Have photo ID ready, plus a lease or utility bill for the address. A photo of either on your phone helps when the paper copy is inside the house.

While you wait outside

Georgia summers run long, hot and humid, NOAA says, so a sunny step is a poor place to wait. Find shade, a neighbor's porch or cover from rain instead, and do not break a window to get in. If a child, an older adult or a pet inside may be at risk, call 911 first.

In your request, give the street address, the nearest cross street, the kind of building, which door and a photo of the lock. If keys are lost rather than locked inside, lock rekeying is worth asking about afterward. See house lockout for the service and Augusta for the city. Georgia Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Augusta.