Broken Key Extraction in Boston, MA

Where keys snap in Boston buildings

About one in five Massachusetts homes sits in a building with two to four units, and Boston has roughly 10,000 triple-deckers, prominent in Dorchester, South Boston and Charlestown. Where a single front door opens onto a staircase for all three floors, that one cylinder takes every household's key, and a worn key or a worn cylinder raises the odds of a snap.

Winter adds its own strain. Meltwater that runs into an exterior lock can turn to ice overnight, and a cylinder with ice inside resists the key. Never force a key that will not turn; leaning on it can snap the key.

What not to do

• Do not keep turning the stub, or try a spare key in the same lock; either can push the broken piece deeper.
• Do not dig at the fragment with improvised tools, and do not use glue; glue that runs into the cylinder can ruin it.
• If the lock is also iced up, do not pour hot water into it; the water can turn back to ice inside.
• Keep the piece that came out. The two halves together show the key's cuts, which helps when a new key is made.

When the shared entry is the one affected

If the key broke in the shared front door, tell the owner or building manager and your neighbors, since nobody else's key will go in until the piece is out. If the door is stuck unlocked instead, the whole building is unsecured until the lock works again.

What to send

• A close photo of the keyway, showing whether the fragment sticks out.
• A photo of the broken-off half.
• Which lock it is: shared front door, unit door, rear porch door or a car.
• Whether the door is locked or unlocked right now, and whether there is another way in.
• The neighborhood and nearest cross streets.

See broken key extraction, lock repair if the cylinder is damaged, or the Boston page.