House Lockout in Springfield, IL

Which door has you locked out

A lockout at a Springfield home starts with the building, since some older housing near downtown is used differently now than when it was built.

• Enos Park. This area runs from Third to Ninth streets between Carpenter Street and North Grand, and many of its large single-family homes became multiple-family dwellings from the 1930s through the 1950s. You might be shut out of the street door, the shared hall or only your unit, each keyed differently and held by a different person.
• Aristocracy Hill. Studies of this area just south of downtown, between Second and Ninth streets, have looked at the growth of apartment living in Springfield. If a landlord or manager keeps a spare, a call may get you in with no work on the lock.
• Harvard Park. This 1908 neighborhood between Sixth and 11th streets grew to about 850 homes. Where one door is the only worry, a spare key left with a relative or neighbor is the simplest way back in.
• Lake Springfield. The lake counts over 735 residential sites, and ordinance or property lease sets what is allowed on them; City Water, Light and Power manages the lake. Keep a copy of your lease or deed outside the house.

Waiting out the weather

In cold weather, wait in a heated car or a neighbor's house rather than on the step; in summer heat, find shade and water. If a child, an older adult or anyone who needs medication is locked inside or stuck outside in dangerous weather, or a stove or space heater is running inside, call 911 first.

What to have ready

Whoever opens a door for you should first confirm that you live there.

• Photo ID showing the address of the home
• A lease, deed or utility bill in your name, if the ID carries an older address
• Say so in the request if those papers are locked inside

In the request, give the neighborhood and nearest cross streets, which door you are locked out of, and the kind of lock: knob, deadbolt or keypad. If your keys were lost or stolen rather than left inside, plan on lock rekeying once you are in. See also residential locksmith work.