In short:
- In a complex there are usually several layers between you and your couch: the boom or main gate, the block or pedestrian gate, a security gate on your unit, and your own front door. Work out which one is actually stopping you before you phone anyone.
- Gates, booms, tags and remotes for common property are run by the body corporate, managing agent or estate. A locksmith deals with your own unit's locks, not the complex's access system.
- Owners must let people authorised by the body corporate into a section for inspection and maintenance, but that doesn't mean anyone in the complex holds a key to your door.
- Tell the guardhouse or caretaker that a locksmith is coming, and find something that shows you live in the unit. Your ID may well be inside, and that's fine.
- We try non-destructive entry first, quote at the door before any work, and charge an R250 call-out.
Which door is actually keeping you out?
Being "locked out" of a sectional title unit can mean four quite different problems, and each one has a different person who can fix it. Standing in the parking bay, take a breath and work through the layers from the street inwards.
| What's shut | Typical cause | Phone first |
|---|---|---|
| Boom, main gate or garage door of the complex | Remote lost or dead, visitor code not working, motor or power problem | Guardhouse, caretaker or managing agent |
| Block door or pedestrian gate | Tag or fob lost or deactivated, common gate lock faulty | Caretaker, managing agent or trustees |
| Security gate in front of your unit | Padlock or gate-lock key with the rest of your bunch, lock seized | A locksmith, unless someone holds a spare |
| Your front door | Keys inside, keys lost, key snapped, lock fault | A locksmith, unless someone holds a spare |
If only the outer layers are the problem, a locksmith can't help much: building fobs and gate remotes belong to the complex's system and are issued through whoever manages it. If you're through the gate and up the stairs but facing a locked security gate or front door, that's our job. Our guide to pedestrian gate lock problems covers the gates themselves when they're faulty rather than simply locked.
Five phone calls worth making first
A spare key is cheaper than any call-out. Before you book a locksmith, think about who might have one:
- Whoever you live with, even if they're at work across town. A lift to fetch their key may still be quicker and cheaper.
- Your letting agent or landlord, if you rent. Many keep a set for the unit.
- A neighbour or friend you once gave a spare to "just in case" and then forgot about.
- The caretaker, who may know whether the owner left a key with them. Don't assume they do: most complexes don't hold keys to private units.
- Your cleaner or dog-walker, if they let themselves in.
If none of those come through, phone us and tell us it's a flat or complex. That changes how we plan the visit, as the next section explains.
Getting the technician through security and up to your door
Complex security exists to stop strangers walking in, and a locksmith with a toolbox is exactly the kind of stranger guards are told to question. A bit of preparation saves time at the gate.
- Tell the guardhouse or caretaker that you're expecting a locksmith, and give them the name of the business. If visitors are logged or need a code, ask what the technician should say on arrival.
- Give us the full address the way the guard knows it: complex name, unit number, block or building, and which gate visitors use if there's more than one.
- Say where to park. Visitor bays in some complexes are a long walk from certain blocks, and the technician will be carrying tools.
- Mention stairs, lifts and floor numbers. If the lift needs a tag you don't have, someone may need to come down.
- Wait somewhere safe and visible. If you're outside the complex at night, a lit spot near the guardhouse beats standing alone on the pavement.
If you're ever unsafe while you wait, call the police on 10111 or your armed-response company first. A lockout can wait; your safety can't.
Sectional title basics, in plain terms
People often assume the body corporate "must have a key". Usually it doesn't, and the law doesn't say it has to. This is a plain summary, not legal advice; your scheme's own rules and your managing agent are the place to check details.
- Your section is yours to look after. The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act requires an owner to keep their section in a state of good repair. Locks on your own door and your own security gate are normally part of that.
- Authorised entry is about maintenance, not lockouts. The same section of the Act requires owners to let a person authorised in writing by the body corporate enter the section, at reasonable hours and on notice, to inspect it or to maintain shared services. No notice is needed in an emergency. That's a right of access for the scheme's work; it doesn't create a master key or oblige anyone to let you in.
- Common property is different. Main gates, block doors, booms and the tag system serve everyone, so the body corporate or managing agent controls them, and any changes go through them.
- Disputes have a home. If a lockout turns into an argument with the body corporate, the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) was set up to resolve disputes in community schemes.
Some schemes also have conduct rules about the look of front doors or security gates. That rarely matters for getting you inside tonight, but it can matter if a lock or gate later needs replacing. Our article on upgrading an apartment front-door lock goes into that.
If you rent the unit
Tenants are in a slightly different position. The lock usually belongs to the owner, and your lease may say who deals with keys and lock changes. Before anyone touches the lock:
- Phone the agent or landlord. They may hold a key, and they may want to know if the lock ends up being changed.
- If the agent can't be reached at night and you need to get in, you can still call us. Keep a record of when you tried to reach them.
- Don't change the locks on a rented unit without the owner's agreement unless it's an emergency, and tell them straight away if you had to. Our guide to key control for landlords and short-let hosts covers this from the owner's side.
Proving it's your home when your bag is inside
We ask for proof of ownership or residence before opening any door. It protects you as much as anyone: you wouldn't want a locksmith opening your flat for whoever happens to ask. Very often the proof is locked inside with your keys, and that's normal. Things that help:
- ID, a driver's licence or a photo of either on your phone
- A lease, levy statement, rates account or municipal bill with the unit address, as a PDF or email on your phone
- The caretaker, managing agent or a neighbour who knows you confirming that you live there
- Your name on the guardhouse's resident list
If everything is inside, tell us when you phone. The technician can open the door and then check your documents before leaving.
What not to try while you wait
Flats and complex units tempt people into risks they'd never take at a freestanding house.
- Don't climb balconies or walk along ledges. Even one floor up is a dangerous fall onto paving.
- Don't try to force the security gate. Bent gates and damaged gate locks are expensive to put right, and some schemes have rules about replacing gates with matching ones.
- Don't kick or shoulder the door. In a block of flats the frame is often set into masonry, and a split frame or broken plaster means a builder as well as a locksmith.
- Don't keep forcing a key that won't turn. A snapped key turns a lockout into a broken key extraction before you even get in.
What happens when we get there
We're a fully mobile service, so the technician comes to your unit with the tools and parts in the vehicle. Once you've shown you live there:
- The technician looks at both the security gate and the door and tells you how they intend to get you in. Non-destructive entry is tried first.
- You get a quote on site before any work starts. Nothing happens until you agree.
- If a lock can't be opened without damage, or turns out to be faulty, you'll hear the options and the cost before anything is replaced.
- You pay the R250 call-out plus whatever you agreed, by EFT, cash or card.
Our emergency lockout service runs 24/7, so it doesn't matter whether you're stuck outside at lunchtime or at two in the morning. For more on how the quote works, see what a mobile locksmith costs in Johannesburg.
Once you're back inside
If your keys were simply left inside, you're done. If they were lost, think about who might have found them. A bunch with a complex remote or tag attached effectively labels which building it belongs to.
- Report a lost tag or remote to the managing agent so it can be deactivated.
- Consider having the cylinder or lock on your unit changed if the keys could be linked to your address.
- Leave a spare with someone you trust who lives or works nearby. We don't make copies of keys ourselves, so a spare has to come from the set supplied with your lock or from a shop that copies keys.
Questions
Can the caretaker or body corporate open my unit for me?
Usually not. Most complexes don't keep keys to private units. The body corporate can authorise entry for inspections and maintenance, but that isn't the same as holding a key or letting residents in after a lockout.
I've lost my building tag as well as my keys. Can you help with the tag?
No. Tags, fobs and gate remotes are part of the complex's access system, so the managing agent or caretaker issues and deactivates them. We can help with the locks on your own unit.
Will opening the door damage it?
We try non-destructive methods first. If the only way in would cause damage, the technician explains why and what it would cost to put right before going ahead.
Do you charge more because it's a complex?
The call-out is R250 wherever you are. The rest depends on the locks and what they need, and you get that as a quote at your door before any work starts.
Need a locksmith to look at it?
If this hasn't solved the problem, our emergency lockouts service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Johannesburg, so we come to your door. Areas where this comes up often include Rosebank, Killarney, Melrose, Auckland Park.
Sources and further reading
- Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act 8 of 2011, section 13: Duties of owners — Owners must permit persons authorised in writing by the body corporate to enter on notice (no notice in an emergency) and must keep their section in good repair.
- Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) — CSOS provides dispute resolution for community schemes in South Africa.
- EWN: 10111, 112 or 107? What number should you call in an emergency — 10111 connects callers to SAPS.