Emergency Locksmith in Boston, MA

Safety before locks

• After a break-in, leave the home, call the police and leave the damaged door and lock untouched until officers have seen them. Keep the report number.
• If someone is locked inside a home or car and at risk, call 911 first.
• If you are in danger from someone who has a key, call 911 before thinking about locks.

What counts as urgent in Boston

• A door that will not secure. After a break-in or storm damage, a door that will not close and lock leaves the home open overnight, and in a Massachusetts winter it lets the cold in.
• A shared entry that will not lock. Boston has roughly 10,000 triple-deckers, many with one front door serving every floor; a failed lock on that door leaves every unit exposed.
• Storm damage. NOAA's state climate summary calls the Massachusetts coastline highly vulnerable to nor'easters, tropical storms and hurricanes. A frame split by wind or a lock soaked by flooding may need work before the building can be secured.
• A lockout in the cold, with someone waiting outside and nowhere warm to go.

Lock changes for survivors

Massachusetts has a specific route for tenants facing danger at home. M.G.L. c. 186, § 26, lets a tenant, co-tenant or household member who reasonably believes they face an imminent threat of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault or stalking at the premises ask the owner to change the locks. After 2 business days without a good-faith effort or permission from the owner, the tenant may change them, using locks of similar or better quality. If the threat comes from someone living in the unit, the request must include a protective order under chapter 209A or 258E, or a court or law enforcement record. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to send

• What happened and the state of the door: will not close, will not lock, frame broken or keys taken.
• Whether police have been called, and the report number.
• The neighborhood, cross streets and entry type: shared front door, unit door or porch door.
• Photos of the door, the frame and the lock.
• Whether anyone is waiting outside or at risk.

See emergency locksmith, house lockout, lock replacement, or the Boston page.