Can a Locksmith Open a Smart Lock?

Yes, a locksmith can open a smart lock, and in most Los Angeles lockouts the job is done through the lock’s own backups rather than by forcing it: the mechanical key override, the 9-volt emergency contacts some keypads carry, or a fresh set of batteries once the technician reaches the inside of the door. What a locksmith cannot do is log into your lock’s app account or open a building-owned smart lock without the manager’s authorization. Locksmith Liberty opens keypad, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi smart locks on apartments and houses across Mid-Wilshire, Koreatown, Hollywood and West LA, and the method depends on which kind of lock is on the door.

Last reviewed October 2026 against Schlage, Kwikset, Yale and August manufacturer documentation.

Locked out of a smart lock? Do this first

Before calling anyone, run these five checks in order; many smart lock lockouts can be resolved at step one or two.

1. Find the backup key. Most keypad deadbolts have a keyway, sometimes under a small cover at the bottom of the keypad, and a retrofit lock uses the original deadbolt key.
2. Look for 9-volt contacts. Two small metal terminals under the keypad mean a 9-volt battery held against them powers the lock long enough to enter your code (not every brand has them; see the brand notes below).
3. Ask anyone with owner access to unlock remotely. A Wi-Fi lock can be opened from a partner’s or landlord’s phone anywhere with internet.
4. If the building issued your code or fob, call the manager. Building-run systems reissue credentials remotely; the lock itself is rarely the fault.
5. Call a locksmith with your ID, the lock brand and the type of door; the technician arrives with the right tools for that lock.

Which kind of smart lock is on the door?

Smart locks on Los Angeles homes and rentals come in three hardware types, and Wi-Fi is a connectivity layer that any of them may have. Keypad deadbolts (Schlage Encode, Kwikset Halo, Yale Assure Lock 2) replace the whole deadbolt and usually keep a keyway. Retrofit Bluetooth locks (the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is the common one in LA rentals, because it attaches to the inside of the existing deadbolt and leaves the landlord’s key working) have no keypad on the outside. Building-run systems (Latch and SmartRent are common in newer Hollywood, Koreatown and West LA mid-rises) are owned by the building, not the tenant. The table below is the checklist Locksmith Liberty dispatchers run through on the phone before a technician is sent.

How a locksmith opens each type of smart lock

1. Keypad deadbolt with a dead battery

A dead battery is the most common reason a keypad smart lock stops opening in Los Angeles, and the fix depends on the brand. Schlage states that Encode locks have no jump-start feature and rely only on their internal AA batteries, so a dead Encode is opened with its mechanical key; the older Schlage Touch (BE375) does accept a 9-volt battery held to its contacts. Yale’s product literature says key-free Assure Lock models can be energized with a 9-volt battery through terminals under the keypad, while the keyed versions take a backup key. Kwikset Halo deadbolts ship with a keyed SmartKey cylinder, and Kwikset’s Halo FAQ confirms the key still opens the lock when the batteries die.

When Locksmith Liberty gets a dead-battery call in Mid-Wilshire or Koreatown, the technician checks for 9V contacts first, then opens the override cylinder, then changes the batteries from the inside so the keypad works before leaving. Kwikset also notes that a Halo refuses to lock when its batteries are too low, which is the warning most people miss the night before a lockout.

2. Keypad lock with a lost or deleted code

If the batteries are fine but your code no longer works, the lock was most likely reset or the code was removed by another user. A locksmith cannot read codes out of the lock. The technician opens the door through the key override, and once inside, the owner can add a new code through the lock’s programming button or app. On a rental, that owner is often the landlord or property manager, so Locksmith Liberty asks who set up the lock before touching the programming side; the code stays with whoever controls the account.

3. Bluetooth or app-based lock when the phone is dead

A retrofit August lock fits over the inside of most standard single-cylinder deadbolts, which means the outside of the door still has the original keyway and the original key still turns it. Many Los Angeles landlords are more comfortable with this kind of lock on a rental because the original deadbolt and key stay in place and nothing visible on the door changes. If you have no key with you, the locksmith opens that ordinary deadbolt cylinder the same way as any house lockout, with picks or a bypass, and the smart lock on the inside is untouched. Full-replacement Bluetooth deadbolts without a keyway are handled like a key-free keypad lock (next step).

4. Wi-Fi connectivity and key-free locks

A Wi-Fi outage does not lock you out: the keypad, the key and the Bluetooth connection all work without the internet, and only remote unlocking needs it. Where Wi-Fi matters is as a rescue: a spouse, roommate or landlord with owner access can unlock the door from anywhere, so ask before calling anyone.

For key-free locks (no keyway at all) a locksmith works in this order:

1. A 9-volt jump through the external contacts, if the model has them.
2. A technician-level bypass of the lock body that leaves the lock reusable.
3. As a last resort, drilling the lock and replacing it.

Locksmith Liberty tells callers in advance when a key-free lock may need replacement, and quotes it upfront, so a dead key-free lock is never a surprise at the door.

5. Smart deadbolt with a key override, key not with you

The key-override cylinder on most keypad deadbolts is a standard residential cylinder (Schlage and Kwikset keyways are the usual two), so a locksmith opens it with the same picking and decoding tools used on a plain deadbolt. Some brands hide the keyway under a small cover plate at the bottom of the keypad; the technician knows where to look. If the cylinder has been damaged or glued, the technician drills only the cylinder and replaces it, which keeps the electronic half of the lock intact.

On older Mid-Wilshire and Koreatown courtyard buildings from the 1920s and 1930s, the entry door often has a mortise lock rather than a bored deadbolt, which can make a retrofit lock the simpler choice than a full smart deadbolt. Tell the dispatcher what the door looks like and the technician brings the right hardware.

6. Building-owned smart locks in a Los Angeles apartment

If your building issues codes or fobs through Latch, SmartRent or a similar system, the smart lock belongs to the building and the fastest fix is a temporary code from the manager or the system’s support line. A locksmith will not defeat a building’s lock without the owner’s or manager’s authorization, and Locksmith Liberty verifies that authorization by phone before working on a managed unit, the same rule it applies to lobby doors and gates.

When management authorizes it, the technician opens the unit through the lock’s mechanical override and leaves the electronics for the building’s vendor. See the guide to apartment lockouts in Los Angeles for the ID and lease rules that apply to any unit door.

What a locksmith will not do with a smart lock

Three limits apply on every smart lock call in Los Angeles, and they protect you as much as the next tenant.

• No proof of residence, no entry. A locksmith does not open any door without photo ID with the address, or ID plus a lease, rent receipt or the manager’s phone confirmation.
• No account recovery. A locksmith cannot recover, reset or transfer the lock’s app account. A factory reset wipes every code and user and the lock has to be set up again by its owner, so the technician does it only with the owner present.
• No lock changes on a rental without consent. Most Los Angeles leases bar a tenant from changing or adding a lock without the landlord’s written consent, and the landlord must keep a working way in. California Civil Code section 1941.3 requires landlords to provide a deadbolt on the main entry door of a rental, so any replacement lock should still function as one. The landlord deadbolt and rekey rules post covers that statute in detail.

Short-term rental hosts registered under the city’s Home-Sharing Ordinance are in the same position as any owner: a locked-out guest needs the host’s authorization before a locksmith opens the door.

When to call a pro instead of trying again

Call a locksmith for a smart lock when any of the following is true:

• The 9-volt jump does nothing and you have no key.
• The key turns but the bolt does not move (usually a binding or misaligned bolt, not the cylinder).
• The keypad lights up but every code fails.
• The lock is physically damaged, or the keypad has stopped responding after repeated attempts.
• Someone is inside the home who cannot get out.

Stop trying when the keypad stops responding, because forcing the thumb-turn or prying the keypad usually turns a battery change into a full replacement. For a lockout at a house or apartment, Locksmith Liberty’s residential locksmith service covers smart and conventional locks across central and west Los Angeles with an upfront quote by phone, and a child or pet locked in, or a stove left on, goes to the emergency locksmith line. Keep the two things that end most smart lock lockouts in a drawer or your car: the backup key and a fresh 9-volt battery.

Smart lock lockout FAQs

Can a locksmith open a smart lock without damaging it?

Usually yes. On a keypad or retrofit smart lock with a keyway, a locksmith opens the mechanical override cylinder with picks or a bypass and the electronics are never touched. Damage is only likely on a key-free lock whose 9-volt jump fails, where the lock body may have to be drilled and replaced; a Los Angeles locksmith should tell you that before starting.

Will a 9-volt battery open any smart lock?

No. The 9-volt jump works only on locks with external contacts, such as Schlage Touch and key-free Yale Assure models. Schlage states that Encode locks have no jump-start feature, so a dead Encode is opened with its key. Check the underside of the keypad for two small metal terminals; if there are none, go straight to the backup key or a locksmith.

Can a locksmith reset my smart lock or get into the app?

A locksmith can factory reset a smart lock with the owner present, which erases every code and user, but cannot recover, log into or transfer the lock’s app account. Account access stays with whoever set the lock up, which on a Los Angeles rental is often the landlord or property manager rather than the tenant.

Can I put a smart lock on my apartment door in Los Angeles?

Only with the landlord’s written consent in most leases, and the landlord must keep a working way in. A retrofit lock that leaves the original deadbolt and key in place is the version landlords most often agree to. California Civil Code section 1941.3 requires a deadbolt on the entry door of a rental, so any replacement lock should still function as one.

Related reading

• How to Get a Key Made Without the Original