House Lockout in Myrtle Beach, SC

What kind of door is shut

Myrtle Beach has about 24,400 housing units. Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates put about 38 percent in detached single-family houses and about 21 percent in buildings of 20 or more units. Whether you are locked out in Pine Lakes, Myrtle Heights or Ocean Forest, first work out what kind of building the door belongs to.

• Detached house. Check whether a side door or garage keypad you normally use is still open to you, then say which door is shut and whether its deadbolt was thrown.
• Large building. You can be shut out twice: at a lobby or garage entry run by management or an owners' group, and at your own unit. A house lockout visit concerns your unit door; a dead lobby fob or garage remote is reissued by whoever runs that system.
• Rental. About 40 percent of occupied homes here are rented, so a landlord or manager may hold a spare and should hear first.

When a landlord changed the lock

South Carolina's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act bars a landlord from taking possession except after abandonment, surrender, termination or as the Act permits (section 27-40-760). Where a landlord unlawfully removes or excludes a tenant, section 27-40-660 lets the tenant recover possession or end the lease, plus three months' rent or twice actual damages, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney's fees. This is general information, not legal advice.

Waiting out the weather

Hurricane Floyd set the state's record for rain in one day, 14.8 inches, at Myrtle Beach in 1999; the mark stood until 2015. If wind or rain builds, shelter in a car, at a neighbor's or in a lobby, not on an open porch or balcony. If a child, a pet or someone unwell is locked inside, call 911.

What to include in your request

• The neighborhood or nearest avenue number, and which side of Kings Highway you are on
• The house address, or the building name and unit number
• Which doors are locked, and whether a key has snapped in one (see broken key extraction)
• Your standing at the door: owner, renter or guest. For a second home you own, keep a deed or property tax bill with your ID as proof of ownership

South Carolina Locksmith Pros takes service requests from homes, businesses and drivers in Myrtle Beach.