Josh-the-Locksmith
25 Years Experience
Austin, TX
Male, 46
I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.
Maybe you broke the circuit board in your key, or maybe you broke your ignition antenna when you dug your key out.
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I would guess steel or pot metal. All depends on the brand, quality, etc.
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I had to google “sash jammer”, never heard of that term! I don’t know the whole situation with why they haven’t properly replaced your lock- could be they have to special order the parts. Some doors use specialty parts that aren’t available at your local hardware stores. It wouldn’t be fair for me to judge the management company. I’m sure there is a legitimate reason, as they would be liable to leave your door unsecured. Is the sash lock securing your door? You tell me. If you were to go on the outside of your door, do you have to use reasonable force to get it open if you didn’t have a key? If yes, then it’s secure enough. Is it the most secure lock on the market? Definitely not. Is it as secure as your old lock? Maybe not. But it is temporary, correct? 2-4 days isn’t the end of the world. It may seem like it, but you have to remember that you and management are the only ones who know your door isn’t as secure as it used to be. To the common criminal, your door is just as secure as everyone else’s, so you’re not a target unless you put a sign on your door that says so.
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Sounds like you may have a Kwikset privacy lock. You need a small flat head screwdriver, or privacy key. Stick it in that hole as you twist the key left and right slowly. Eventually you will feel it engage into a slot. Once you do, twist the screwdriver, or key, I think it’s counter-clockwise. It will only turn 1 way. This is what the key looks like. http://www.mrlock.com/tools-equipment/tools-rekey-kits/lock-service-tools/kwikset-emergency-tool-81087 If you don’t have access to either, those locks will open with a credit card, stiff cardboard, or flexible sheet of plastic. Just stick it between the door & frame next to the lock. They are not made to be resistant to shimming like entry locks are.
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Thank you for the video! That’s very helpful! So it looks like there’s nothing wrong with your deadbolt, your gate has shifted and is putting pressure on the bolts. Grab the gate right above the deadbolt and pull down as hard as you can while you turn the key counterclockwise. That should allow you to retract the bolt. As far as fixing the problem goes, you will need to elongate the hole on that the bolt goes into upward. That won’t be easy or fun, maybe 20 minutes labor for an experienced tech.
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Some locksmiths have some awesome stories. Unfortunately I haven’t had many hilarious ones. I unlocked the wrong car one time. I figured it would be a good idea to get a head start before the customer came out to the small parking lot. I didn’t even notice there was an identical make, model, & color car right next to it! Another time I cut off the wrong padlock on a storage unit. That time it was the renters fault. After she slid the door open, “Oops! That’s not mine. Sorry! Oh yeah! It’s this one over here!” ????
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Haha there’s no such thing as a “key that will open anything”. That’s some terrible information, whoever told you that. You can’t lock your landlord out, they own the property. If they find that you have changed the lock without their permission, they have the ability to charge you to correct the problem, assuming that is in the contract you signed. They make privacy deadbolts that allow you to lock the door from the inside with no way to access it from the outside. It’s called a one-sided deadbolt. They require them on all rental properties here in Texas for that very purpose, for privacy so your landlord doesn’t walk in on you. You could request 1 that your landlord let you get 1 of those installed?
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