House Lockout in Nashville, TN

First, work out which door is locked

Edgefield, on the Cumberland River's east bank, has Italianate and Eastlake houses, and many of its single-family houses were later divided into apartments. In a converted house, a shared street door may lead to apartment doors that each have their own lock. Say which one is stuck, because the keys to each may be held by different people.

Germantown works differently. Its design guidelines list townhouses with a street-facing entrance for each unit among appropriate new building types, so a townhouse of that kind has a door of its own on the street.

Buildings of 50 or more units hold 15.6 percent of Nashville's housing, by Census estimates. In a tower like that, the lobby door and the unit door are separate problems, and the front desk or building management may control the lobby door or hold a spare, so ask there first.

Short-term rentals

A short-term rental needs a Metro Codes permit before it is listed, under Metro Code Section 6.28.030. Metro's operating rules also require the local responsible party's name and phone number to be posted conspicuously inside the unit, and that person must answer calls at any hour during each rental. The notice is inside, out of reach from the porch, so save the number at check-in. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to have ready

• Photo ID, plus a lease or utility bill showing you live at the address.
• The neighborhood and nearest cross streets, and whether the building is a converted house, townhouse, apartment tower or short-term rental.
• Which door: shared street entry, unit door, back door or garage entry.

If a child or anyone else who cannot let themselves out is alone inside, call 911 before anything else.

If keys are missing rather than locked inside, lock rekeying is the step to raise once you are back in. The Nashville page describes the housing behind these cases.