Emergency Locksmith in
Richmond, TX

If anyone is in danger, call 911 first. Otherwise, we send the nearest technician.

Other emergencies are more familiar: keys stolen with a wallet, a door forced while the family was at work, a deadbolt that broke and won't throw. In each case, the job is the same, a house that locks tonight with keys only you hold.

Home After the River Rose, and a Deadbolt That Wouldn't Throw

Weather can turn an ordinary door into a security problem overnight. What follows is a typical example from a house in a low part of Richmond near the Brazos.

The river had come up after days of heavy rain upstream, and the family had left for a cousin's house in Sugar Land while their street was closed. The water stopped short of the house, as it turned out, but it sat in the yard for two days, and the air was thick and wet the whole time. Around eight in the evening, when the road finally reopened, the family drove home: parents, two kids and a very relieved cat in a carrier.

The front door opened fine. The back door, a wooden door off the kitchen, had swollen in the damp. It closed if you pushed hard, but the deadbolt wouldn't throw; it hit the edge of the strike and stopped. A neighbor came over to say that a house two streets away had been broken into while everyone was gone. The mother didn't want to spend the night with a back door held shut by a kitchen chair.

She called us. Our dispatcher was gentle and practical. Was everyone safe, and had anything at their house been disturbed? No signs of it. Was the back door closing at all? Only with a push, and the knob latched. Did the front door lock properly? Yes. He explained that swollen doors are common after high water and that the technician could usually get the deadbolt throwing tonight by adjusting the strike, without cutting the door. He said a technician was on his way, then suggested she keep the back door latched and the porch light on until he arrived.

A uniformed technician arrived not long after and introduced himself with his ID. He checked her license against the address. The door had swollen and dropped slightly, so the bolt now met the strike plate an eighth of an inch low and tight. He removed the strike, deepened and lowered the bolt pocket in the jamb with a chisel and refitted a reinforced strike plate with 3-inch screws into the stud. The first test still rubbed; the door was still swelling at the top as well. He tightened the top hinge with a longer screw to pull the door up, then tested again. The bolt slid home with one finger.

He told her the door would shrink again as the house dried out, so he'd left a little room in the strike, and that she should call if it ever rattled. The reassuring advice: after high water, check every exterior door the first night, and don't sleep with one you can't lock.

When a Door or Key Leaves You Exposed

Police First After a Break-In

If you see signs of forced entry, don't go inside. Call 911 and wait for officers to clear the house. Once they've finished, call us. Keep the report number for insurance.

Door Won't Lock After Flood or Heavy Rain

When a door won't lock after flood water or days of rain, the wood has swollen and shifted. Adjusting the strike and hinges usually gets the deadbolt throwing that night. We leave room for the door to shrink back as it dries.

Swollen Door Deadbolt

A swollen door deadbolt usually hits the strike plate rather than the hole. Don't force the key or the thumb turn; that bends the bolt. The fix is at the strike and hinges, not in the lock.

Split Jambs and Heavy Strikes

A locksmith after break in secures the forced door first, usually with a jamb reinforcement plate, a heavy strike and long screws. Then every other door and window lock gets checked.

Stolen Keys Made Useless Before Morning

An emergency rekey changes the pins in your locks so stolen or lost keys stop working. Most houses take one visit. It's the right move whenever keys go missing with something showing your address.

Evacuations and Empty Houses

If you leave home during high water or a storm, lock every door, close the garage, unplug the opener if you'll be gone long and tell a neighbor. When you return, walk the house and test every lock before settling in.

Proof of Residence in an Emergency

Photo ID with the address, or ID plus a deed, lease or utility bill. If your ID was lost or stolen, a passport, another adult's ID and a police report number all help.

Days After the Emergency

Recheck the door as the house dries. Replace any lock that rusted inside. Change garage codes if anyone outside the family knew them.

Garages and Sheds After High Water

Water in the garage often reaches the door into the house and the side door to the yard. Those locks can rust inside within days. After any flood, work every lock the first week; if a key turns roughly, have the cylinder cleaned or replaced before it seizes on a night you need it.

Where We Meet You in Richmond

Whatever the address in Richmond, the technician brings the tools to you. After high water, some low roads near the Brazos stay closed, and the technician takes another route. In the evening, US 59, US 90A and the Grand Parkway usually move well.

Calm Technicians on Hard Nights

Expect a uniformed technician who shows ID at the door. They know you've likely had a stressful few days, so they explain clearly, work efficiently, protect floors and finishes and make sure every exterior door locks before leaving.

Fast Locksmith 24/7 is fully licensed and insured, and Houston families have rated us 5 stars on Google.

Emergency Locksmith Calls Around Richmond

Emergency calls in Richmond come from homes near the Brazos after high water, break-ins in older neighborhoods and new subdivisions alike, stolen keys from cars and gyms along US 59, and forced doors on rural properties. An emergency locksmith in Richmond often deals with doors changed by weather as much as by burglars. If you're searching for an emergency locksmith near me after a storm, tell the dispatcher what the door is doing.

Emergency calls in Richmond usually involve a forced door, a stolen key or a lock that will not secure after a break-in. The first job is to make the property safe.

If you think someone is inside, call 911 first. We come after the police have cleared the area.

Take photographs of the damage before anything is moved.

Do not clean up broken glass before photos are taken. Police and insurers may want to see the scene as it was.

Keep a copy of the police report number with your receipt. Insurers usually ask for it.

Residents of Richmond's riverside neighborhoods know the Brazos well, and most have a plan for high water. Adding locks to that plan helps: a list of every exterior door, a spare key kept somewhere dry and off-site, and a quick test of each deadbolt when you return. A door that won't lock is far easier to fix in daylight than at midnight.

We also handle emergencies in Sugar Land, Rosenberg and Fulshear. For stronger doors afterward, see deadbolt installation, and for keying changes, rekey service.