House Lockout in Norfolk, VA

Which door you are locked out of

Census Bureau estimates for 2024 count 56.0 percent of Norfolk's occupied homes as rented, so a lockout here is often a rented door with a landlord behind it. Renters can start by asking the landlord or building management for a spare.

The kind of building changes the work:

• Park Place. This streetcar suburb grew from 1884 roughly between Colley Avenue, Granby Street, 24th Street and 38th Street, with Queen Anne and Shingle Style houses among churches, shops and theaters. A door from that era may hold an older mortise lock rather than a modern bored deadbolt, which changes the job.
• Colonial Place. Most homes on this peninsula, bounded by 38th Street and the Lafayette River, are single-family houses built between 1903 and 1941, with a few apartment buildings. In one of those buildings the street entrance may be management's system; a locksmith can help with your own unit door.

When the landlord is the one keeping you out

Being shut out by a landlord without a court order is a legal matter before it is a lock matter. Va. Code § 55.1-1243.1 lets a tenant who is willfully removed or excluded without court authority petition the general district court, which holds an initial hearing within five calendar days of filing. This is general information, not legal advice.

Waiting on the step

NOAA's Virginia summary puts precipitation on the tidewater coast at about 50 inches a year, so a wait outside often means rain. Find shelter, keep your phone charged, and call 911 instead of waiting if a small child or anyone who needs help is alone inside.

What to have ready

1. Photo ID that matches the address. If it lists an older address, have the lease or the deed.
2. The neighborhood, the nearest cross streets, and whether it is a house door or a unit door.
3. The lock type, if you know it: deadbolt, knob lock or older mortise lock.
4. The landlord's or manager's name, if you rent.

See house lockout for the service, Norfolk for the neighborhoods above, or lock rekeying if a key was lost.