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Live — Updated 2026
0

lockouts resolved in your metro area this year

Here's what every one of them wished they'd known first.

0Residential
0Commercial
0Automotive

Three scenarios. Real numbers. No guessing.

Property ManagementCase 01

Rekeying a 40-Unit Complex After a Problem Tenant

Chicago, IL · 3 Buildings · 127 Locks

01

Marcus W. manages a 40-unit portfolio across three buildings on the North Side. After a contentious eviction, he needed every lock changed before the weekend — and his maintenance team had already quoted him 14 hours of labor at overtime rates. He pulled up a YouTube video, ordered a rekey kit, and started doing the math.

FactorDIY Attempt✦ Professional
Upfront Cost$18–$35 per lock (hardware only)$12–$18 per cylinder, volume discount on 40+ units
Time Investment3–5 hrs per building × 3 buildings = 15+ hrs4 hrs total, scheduled off-peak. Done by noon.
Master Key SystemNear-impossible without proprietary pinning toolsIncluded. Keyed alike, master-keyed, or both.
Liability if Lock FailsFull landlord liability — tenant injury or break-inLicensed, bonded, insured. Warranty on labor.
Code ComplianceEasy to miss egress & ADA requirementsVerified against local code before install
Tenant DisruptionHigh — multiple visits, unit re-entry requiredSingle coordinated visit, tenants notified once
Risk of DamageDoor frame damage common without experienceZero — guaranteed or we fix it free

How It Resolved

Marcus called at 7:40 a.m. on a Friday. By 11:55 a.m., all 127 cylinders were rekeyed on a unified master system, building managers had their own sub-master keys, and every tenant received a new key by mail slot. Total cost: $1,847 — $340 less than the maintenance overtime quote, and done in a single morning instead of two weekends.

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Emergency LockoutCase 02

Locked Out With a Toddler in the Car on a 91°F Day

Phoenix, AZ · Residential Driveway · 2:17 p.m.

02

Priya D. stepped out of her running SUV to grab the mail. The door locked behind her. Her 18-month-old was in the back seat. Her phone was on the front seat. She borrowed a neighbor's phone and did what most people do: she Googled 'how to unlock a car door.' The first result was a video involving a tennis ball and a shoestring.

FactorDIY Attempt✦ Professional
Time to Access45–90 min average (YouTube + wrong tools)18 min average response + 8 min entry
Cost$0 — until you snap the lock ($180 replacement)$75–$95 standard lockout. No hidden fees.
Lock Damage Risk68% of DIY lockout attempts damage the lockNon-destructive entry 94% of the time
Safety (Child in Car)Every minute of delay increases heat risk911 + locksmith simultaneously — fastest resolution
Tools RequiredSlim jim, air wedge, long-reach — none in your trunkFull kit, on every truck, 24/7
Stress LevelExtreme — panic degrades fine motor skillsOne call hands off the problem completely

How It Resolved

Priya's neighbor called 911 and a locksmith simultaneously. The locksmith arrived in 14 minutes, opened the door non-destructively in 6 minutes. Aria was fine — car interior had reached 108°F. The total bill was $89. The tennis ball video, had it worked, would have taken 20 minutes and almost certainly wouldn't have worked. The lock was a Gen-4 transponder system. The video was filmed in 2009.

Commercial UpgradeCase 03

Upgrading to Smart Locks After Firing a Key-Holding Employee

Austin, TX · Retail Boutique · 3 Entry Points

03

Daniela R. owns a boutique on South Congress. After letting go of a long-term employee who had keys and knew the alarm code, she spent a Saturday watching smart lock comparison videos. She ordered two Schlage Encode Plus locks from Amazon, cleared her afternoon, and started on the front door at 1 p.m. By 4 p.m. she had stripped one screw, realized the deadbolt backset didn't match, and was staring at a door she couldn't fully close.

FactorDIY Attempt✦ Professional
Hardware Cost$120–$280 per smart lock (retail markup)$90–$220 (trade pricing passed to client)
Installation Time2–4 hrs per door (first-time installer)35 min per door, including app configuration
Integration with POS/AlarmRarely achievable without API knowledgeZwave / Zigbee / BLE configured to existing system
Employee Access ManagementManual code reset required for every departureRemote revoke in 8 seconds from your phone
Warranty CoverageVoided if installed improperly (common)Full manufacturer + 2-yr labor warranty intact
Fire Code ComplianceSmart locks on fire egress doors require permitsPermit pulled, inspection scheduled, documented
Ongoing SupportReddit threads and support tickets24/7 phone support + next-day on-site SLA

How It Resolved

Daniela called Monday morning. A technician arrived Tuesday at 8 a.m., assessed all three entry points, sourced the correct backsets, installed and configured three Schlage Encode Plus locks with individual employee codes, connected them to her existing Alarm.com panel, and pulled the permit for the fire-egress door. By 10:15 a.m. she was revoking the former employee's code remotely from her phone. The stripped screw was repaired at no charge.

Why property managers, homeowners, and business owners call us first

18 min
Avg. emergency response
94%
Non-destructive entry rate
$0
Hidden fees or upsells
24/7
Dispatch, every day
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