House Lockout in Boston, MA

Which door are you locked out of?

In a Boston triple-decker, "locked out" can mean any of several doors. Some of the city's roughly 10,000 triple-deckers, prominent in Dorchester, South Boston and Charlestown, have one front door that opens onto an internal staircase serving all three floors. Others give the ground-floor unit its own front entrance and send the two upper floors through a second door. Three-deckers usually have utility porches at the back too, so a resident can be stuck at the shared entry, at the unit door, at the porch, or at more than one.

The distinction shapes the job. If a neighbor can let you into the common hallway, only your own unit lock is involved and you can wait indoors. If the shared entry is the problem, someone else in the building may be able to open it before any lock work starts.

Staying warm while you wait

January temperatures near the Massachusetts coast are around 30 °F, according to NOAA's state climate summary, so a wait on a porch or stoop is a poor idea. Move to a neighbor's hallway, a parked car or a nearby shop. If a child, an older relative or anyone who needs medication is inside and at risk, call 911 first.

When it is not a lock problem

A landlord who has changed the locks, or is keeping you out without a court order, has created a legal dispute rather than a lockout. Under M.G.L. c. 186, § 15F, a tenant removed or excluded by the landlord without a valid court order may recover three months' rent or three times the damages, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees. This is general information, not legal advice.

Details worth having on hand

• Photo ID with the address on it. If yours shows an older address, a lease, deed or recent utility bill helps; if all of them are inside, say so.
• Which door is locked: shared front entry, ground-floor entrance, unit door or porch door.
• The neighborhood and nearest cross streets.
• The lock type if you know it: a deadbolt, a knob lock or an older mortise lock.

See house lockout, the Boston page, or lock rekeying if the key was lost rather than locked inside.