House Lockout in Syracuse, NY

Which door stands between you and home

A house lockout in Syracuse often involves a tenant rather than an owner. CNY Vitals, citing Census data, reports that renter-occupied homes in the city outnumber owner-occupied ones by more than 10,000.

What happens next depends on the building:

• One- and two-unit houses. Westcott's housing is mostly single-family homes and two-unit apartments. In a two-unit house, say whether your apartment has its own exterior door or opens off a shared hall.
• Near the universities. University Hill has grown more than any other Syracuse neighborhood as Syracuse University and Upstate Medical University expanded. If you rent there and a property manager keeps a spare, call them first; it may end the lockout without any lock work.
• Buildings with three or more units. The city's Division of Code Enforcement puts these, along with dormitories and Greek housing, under a Certificate of Compliance. The shared entry is usually the owner's, so contact the owner or manager about that door. A house lockout request is for your own unit door.

Proof that you live there

Have photo ID that shows the address; if it shows an old address, a lease, deed or utility bill in your name helps. If those papers are inside, say so in your request.

If a landlord changed or disabled your lock, treat it as a legal matter first. Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law § 768 bars evicting someone with a lease, or anyone who has lawfully occupied the unit for 30 consecutive days or more, except under a warrant of eviction, another court order or a government vacate order. Removing or disabling the entrance lock, or changing it without giving the occupant a key, is covered. This is general information, not legal advice.

While you wait

An open porch is no place to wait on a January night. Go to a car, a neighbor's home or another heated spot, and say where you are. If you drove, Syracuse's odd/even rule moves legal parking to the other side of the street at 6 p.m. If a child or someone who cannot leave is inside, call 911.

If the keys were lost or stolen rather than left inside, ask about lock rekeying so the missing key stops working. Local housing figures are on the Syracuse page.