Apartment lockouts, intercoms and strata keys: how it actually works

Common property vs your lot

A locksmith can work on the door to your lot with proof you are entitled to enter. Building entry doors, car park shutters, bin rooms and lift lobbies are common property, controlled by the owners corporation, and a locksmith cannot rekey or modify them at an individual resident's request.

In practice, this means we can get you into your apartment, but the fob or building key has to come from your building manager or committee.

Restricted keys in newer buildings

Most apartment buildings built in the last two decades use a restricted or patented key system. Copies cannot be cut without written authority against the building's register — which is exactly why they were installed.

If you have lost the only key, we can open your door tonight and then help you go through the authorisation process for replacements, or rekey your own lot cylinder if the system allows it.

Fobs, intercoms and electric strikes

A dead fob is often a battery or a deregistered credential, not a lock fault. Electric strikes on lobby doors fail in predictable ways, and a good locksmith will diagnose whether the problem is the strike, the reader or the power supply before anyone talks about replacing hardware.

What to have ready when you call

Your unit number, the building's street name, whether you can get into the lobby, whether the door is a standard timber lot door or a fire door, and photo ID matching the address. If you cannot get into the lobby, tell us on the phone — we may need a neighbour, the building manager or a different approach entirely.