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Crenshaw Lock

House Lockout in Los Angeles · 24/7 mobile

House Lockout Service in Los Angeles

Locked out of your house, apartment or condo in Los Angeles? Crenshaw Lock Company is a fully mobile locksmith available 24/7, coming to your door with the tools for damage-free entry on most residential locks, from 1920s mortise sets to modern deadbolts. Call (323) 997-8867 any hour and tell us where you are.

  • Mobile to your Los Angeles location
  • Available 24/7
  • Price quoted before we start
Call (323) 997-8867or tap to call — we answer 24/7
Locked front door of a home at night under a porch light
Open now(323) 997-8867

Getting locked out of your home in Los Angeles rarely happens at a convenient moment. Maybe you stepped onto the porch of your Leimert Park bungalow and the door swung shut behind you. Maybe you came home late to a Koreatown apartment and found your key snapped in the cylinder. Either way, you need to get back inside without wrecking a door, a frame or a lock that may be older than anyone living in the house.

Crenshaw Lock Company has worked Los Angeles homes since 1987, and owner and lead technician David Shar has opened a great many of the locks this city is built on: original 1920s mortise locks in Spanish Colonial Revival homes, skeleton-key interior doors, deadbolts behind wrought-iron security screens, and modern keypad and high-security cylinders in newer multifamily buildings. We are fully mobile, with no storefront to visit. The shop comes to you, day or night.

Our approach to a house lockout is simple. Confirm you belong there, pick the least invasive way in, and leave the lock working the way it did before. Drilling is a last resort, and if a lock does have to be defeated or is failing, we can replace or rekey it on the spot so you are not left with an unsecured door.

How it works in Los Angeles

  1. 1

    Call and describe the situation

    When you call (323) 997-8867, we ask where you are, what kind of home it is (house, duplex, apartment, condo), and what locks are on the door, for example a deadbolt, knob lock, mortise lock, or a security screen door in front. That helps us bring the right picks, bypass tools and replacement hardware so the job happens in one visit.

  2. 2

    Arrival and verification

    Once the technician arrives, we confirm you have the right to enter. Usually that means a photo ID showing the address, a lease, a utility bill, or a landlord or property manager vouching for you. It is a necessary step that protects you and your neighbors, and we will not skip it.

  3. 3

    Assess the locks and pick the least-damaging method

    We look at what is actually holding the door: the deadbolt grade, the cylinder type, whether there is an original mortise lock, how the strike and frame are set, and whether a security screen door must be opened first. Most residential locks can be picked or bypassed without harming the hardware. We explain what we plan to do before we start.

  4. 4

    Damage-free entry

    Using lock picks, tension tools and specialized bypass techniques, we open the door while protecting the finish, the frame and the lock itself. Older mortise locks and skeleton-key doors call for a gentle touch, since replacement parts for some period hardware are hard to find, and we treat them accordingly.

  5. 5

    Secure the home before we leave

    After you are back inside, we test every lock we touched. If your keys were lost or stolen, a lock was damaged, or the hardware was already failing, we can rekey or replace it right there, including installing a Grade-1 deadbolt, so the house is secure when we drive away.

Need house lockout in Los Angeles?

24/7 Mobile Locksmith across Greater Los Angeles & Ventura County. We answer 24/7.

Call (323) 997-8867

What affects the price

  • Time of day and day of the week, since late-night, weekend and holiday calls cost more than daytime weekday visits
  • The type and security level of the lock, as a standard knob or basic deadbolt is simpler to open than a high-security, restricted-key or smart lock
  • How many barriers stand in the way, such as a locked wrought-iron security screen door in front of the main door, or several deadbolts
  • Whether entry can be made non-destructively or a failing lock has to be drilled and replaced
  • Any follow-up work you choose, such as rekeying after lost keys, replacing a worn original mortise lock, or adding a new deadbolt
  • Building access issues like gated complexes, secured lobbies or upper-floor units that add time to the visit

Why Los Angeles chooses us

  • Serving Los Angeles since 1987, with owner and lead technician David Shar personally involved in the work
  • Fully mobile and available 24/7, so the van shows up at your door with tools and hardware instead of sending you to a counter
  • Hands-on experience with the city's older housing stock, including 1920s mortise locks, skeleton-key interior doors and period hardware worth preserving
  • Comfortable working around wrought-iron security screen doors and the bars common on South LA homes, opening them without bending or breaking them
  • Can rekey, repair or replace locks in the same visit, up to Grade-1 deadbolts, so a lockout does not leave you with an unsecured door
  • Straight talk on price factors before work begins, and ID and residency verification on every call to protect homeowners and tenants

House Lockout across Los Angeles

Our home base is the 90008 ZIP code, right in the Crenshaw corridor, so the homes around Leimert Park Village, Baldwin Hills and View Park-Windsor Hills are familiar ground. Many of these streets are lined with 1920s through 1940s Spanish Colonial Revival and Craftsman bungalows. A lot of those still have their original mortise locks, and when those get stubborn or a key wears down, homeowners end up locked out. The View Park and Baldwin Hills hillsides add period-revival and mid-century estates with heavier doors and layered security. We routinely work the blocks off Crenshaw Blvd, Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and Slauson Ave, from the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza area up toward the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.

West Adams (90016, 90018) is full of historic homes, many with wrought-iron security screen doors in front of the original entry. When someone gets locked out there, we often have to open two locks, the screen and the door behind it, and we take care not to bend the ironwork. We once re-secured a West Adams bungalow after a break-in by straightening a pried security screen and installing a Grade-1 deadbolt, and that experience shapes how carefully we handle these doors. Near Exposition Park, USC and the LA Memorial Coliseum (90007, 90037), lockouts often involve student rentals and courtyard apartments.

We cover the rest of the city too. In Koreatown (90006, 90019) and Hollywood (90027, 90046) we handle dingbat and mid-century apartments plus newer complexes with gated entries. Downtown (90012) brings high-rise condos and lofts near Union Station and Walt Disney Concert Hall. Using I-10, I-110 and I-405, we come to you, but since we are mobile only, there is no shop to visit. Just call and tell us where you are.

Locked out or need a locksmith now?

24/7 Mobile Locksmith across Greater Los Angeles & Ventura County. We answer 24/7.

Call (323) 997-8867

Other Los Angeles locksmith services

See all of our Los Angeles services, or our citywide house lockout page.

House Lockout in Los Angeles — FAQs

Can you get me into my Los Angeles house without damaging the door or lock?
In most cases, yes. Standard knob locks, deadbolts and many older mortise locks can be picked or bypassed without harming the hardware. Drilling is a last resort, used only for certain high-security locks or hardware that is already failing, and we will explain before doing it. Call (323) 997-8867 and describe your locks.
Are you really available at 2 a.m. on a weekend?
Yes. We are 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays, and fully mobile, so we come to your house, apartment or condo anywhere in our Los Angeles service area. Arrival times depend on traffic and where we are coming from, so we will give you an honest picture when you call (323) 997-8867.
What do I need to show to prove I live there?
A photo ID with the address is easiest. If your ID has an old address, a lease, mail, a utility bill or confirmation from your landlord or property manager usually works. If your ID is locked inside, we can often verify once the door is open, but we always confirm before leaving.
My older Leimert Park or West Adams home has an original mortise lock. Can you handle it?
Yes. Many homes around 90008, 90016 and 90018 still have 1920s mortise locks and skeleton-key interior doors, and we work on them often. We open them carefully, and if one is worn out we can repair it or replace it with a modern deadbolt.
I am locked out behind a wrought-iron security screen door. Is that a problem?
No, but it adds a step. Security screens are common on homes across South LA, so we usually open the screen's lock first and then the main door. We work to avoid bending or scratching the ironwork, and we can rekey both so one key fits.
How much does a house lockout cost in Los Angeles?
It depends on the time of day, the type and number of locks, any security screen or building access hurdles, and whether you want rekeying or a new lock afterward. We discuss those factors before starting so there are no surprises. Call (323) 997-8867 for details on your situation.
I lost my keys. Should I rekey after you let me in?
If your keys were lost or stolen, especially with your address on them, rekeying is a smart move. We can rekey on the same visit so old keys stop working, or install a new Grade-1 deadbolt if you want stronger security.
Do you have a shop I can come to instead?
No. Crenshaw Lock Company is mobile only, with no storefront. That is the point for a lockout, since you cannot leave your home anyway. We bring the tools and hardware to your door anywhere from Baldwin Hills to Hollywood, Koreatown and Downtown.
DS

Reviewed by David Shar — Owner & Lead Technician

Crenshaw Lock Company has served Greater Los Angeles & Ventura County since 1987.

Last updated 2026-10-12.

Call (323) 997-8867 · Open 24/7