Emergency Locksmith in Rockville, MD

Safety first, then the lock

Some situations need 911 before anyone thinks about a lock:

• A child, a vulnerable adult or a pet shut inside a car or home, above all in heat or cold.
• Signs of a break-in: a forced door, broken glass or a damaged lock. Leave, call the police from somewhere safe, and do not go back in until they have checked the property.
• Fire, a gas smell or a medical emergency.

Once people are safe, a lock problem becomes urgent when a door will not secure after a break-in, when you are locked out with no safe place to wait, or when a key snaps in the only working entry. In a Rockville building with many units, tell management as well, because the lobby door and each unit door may be controlled by different people.

Lock changes under a protective order

Maryland Real Property § 8-5A-05 lets a tenant who is a victim of abuse give the landlord a written request, with a copy of the order, to change the locks when a protective order or an abuse-based peace order requires the respondent to stay out of or vacate the residence. The landlord must change them by the close of the next business day. If the landlord does not, the tenant may have the locks changed without permission and must give the landlord a duplicate key by the close of the next business day after the change.

Before work begins

Even under pressure, get the total in writing and keep the receipt. Commercial Law § 13-303 bars unfair, abusive or deceptive trade practices in the sale or offer of consumer goods and services. The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division mediates most household consumer complaints and recommends its online portal, with receipts or contracts attached. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where you are and what happened

• The part of the city, such as Rockville Town Center, East Rockville, Rockshire or Fallsgrove, and the nearest cross streets.
• Which door or vehicle is affected, and what happened to it.
• Whether police have been called, and any report number.
• Photos of the damage, if it is safe to take them.

Send it through the request form. The emergency locksmith page covers the service.