Broken Key Extraction in Springfield, MA

Where keys break in Springfield buildings

• Self-locking apartment entries. In a building with more than three units, the main door must, with limited exceptions, shut and lock by itself (State Sanitary Code, 105 CMR 410.270). Every household turns that one cylinder, often while pulling the door against its closer, which puts side load on the key. This is general information, not legal advice.
• Shared street doors. In downtown towers and converted mill buildings, the street entrance usually belongs to the building, so report a key broken there to the property manager before anyone works on the cylinder.
• Worn keys in older houses. In the Victorians of McKnight and Forest Park, a key copied from a copy of a copy can be worn thin near the shoulder, and a worn key twists and cracks sooner.
• Cold mornings. Ice inside a lock can grip a key tightly, and turning harder is a common way to snap it.

What not to do

• Do not put glue on the broken piece to pull it out; glue can stick the fragment to the pins and ruin the cylinder.
• Do not poke at the fragment or insert another key, which pushes it deeper.
• Do not keep using the lock with part of a key inside.
• If the door is locked and the fragment sits flush, stop and ask for help.

What to send

• A photo of the lock face showing the fragment, and a photo of the piece you are holding.
• The piece itself, kept safe. Together with the part still in the lock, it shows the full cuts of the key.
• Whether the door is locked or unlocked, and whether it is your only way in.
• For a downtown tower, mill building or apartment entry, confirmation that the property manager knows.

The service is described at broken key extraction. If the cylinder was damaged before or by the break, lock repair may follow. More on local housing is on the Springfield page.