Lockout service for basements

Cellar door in the district of Ludwigsburg shut and the key is gone or still inside? We open cellar doors and cellar storage units. If the door is built like a flat door, the price from the list applies; otherwise we tell you a fixed price in advance.

Is it the door to the cellar corridor or your own storage unit? Is there a cylinder or a padlock? Is the cellar part of the building’s master key system? With this information we can tell you the price.

The door to the cellar corridor is usually shared by all tenants and often has a cylinder from the master key system. Your individual storage unit is your own business, often with a padlock. For the shared door, ask the caretaker or the property management first; for your storage unit, call us directly.

After a padlock has been opened, you need a new one. Choose one with a hardened shackle. If a cellar door with a cylinder is damaged, we change the cylinder; price in advance.

If the door is built like a flat door: slammed shut Mon–Fri 8 am–6 pm 99 €, Mon–Fri 6 pm–8 am, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 149 €; locked 129 € or 179 € respectively. Padlocks, storage units and special locks have no list price; for these we tell you a fixed price in advance.

We look at the door and the lock, open it without damage if possible, and check with you that you are entitled to have it opened. With padlocks, cutting them open is sometimes the simplest way; we tell you that in advance.

Many cellar doors have a mortice lock with a euro profile cylinder like a flat door, often with a fixed knob outside and a handle inside. Others are steel fire doors, and others are just slatted partitions with a padlock. Only the first type has a list price; for the others we tell you a fixed price in advance.

Cellar doors to the stairwell are often fire doors that close by themselves. They must not be kept open permanently. If you often need to go to the cellar, always take your key with you.

In a block of flats, the basement door belongs to all the owners or to the landlord. If it is opened or its cylinder is changed, this affects everyone in the building. That is why, with shared doors, we check who is placing the order. We open your own storage unit for you as a tenant or owner.

Shared cellar door or your own storage unit? Cylinder or padlock? Does the caretaker or the property management have a key? Is there something urgent in the cellar, such as medication or tools for water damage? With this information we plan the appointment and the price.

The main water tap, the meters or the heating are often in the basement. If someone urgently needs to get in, for example because of water damage or a booked meter reading, tell us on the phone. We only open shared rooms with the consent of the property management or the owner.

A good padlock has a hardened shackle and a cylinder rather than a simple number dial. The shackle should only be as long as necessary. If you have several storage units, you can buy keyed-alike padlocks; then one key is enough.

Valuables, documents and expensive bikes are less safe in the basement than in your flat. Check whether your home contents insurance also covers basement storage units, and under what conditions.

In many buildings, the caretaker or a neighbour has a key to the basement door. A list in the building of who has which key saves time and a call-out in an emergency.

If your basement storage unit has been broken into, call 110 and tell the property management. Photograph the damage for your insurance. We can fit a new lock afterwards, with the price given beforehand.

Bike storage rooms, laundry rooms and drying rooms belong to all residents. The key for them is usually held by the property management or the caretaker. Only someone who is authorised can have them opened.

If the basement door is part of the building’s master key system, only the owner may have a new cylinder fitted. We can open it for residents if it is clear that they have access. We only change the cylinder when the property management has ordered it.

If you see scratches or pry marks on the basement door, do not touch anything and call 110. Often several storage units are affected. The property management should inform all residents.

After a death, relatives often have to clear the basement storage unit. We open it for heirs or authorised representatives with proof, for example a certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) or a power of attorney, and in agreement with the property management.

Basement doors are almost never urgent. An appointment Mon–Fri between 8 am and 6 pm costs 99 € or 129 € for a standard basement door, instead of 149 € or 179 € in the evening and at weekends.

Breaking open the shared cellar door even though the caretaker has a key. Opening a padlock with an angle grinder and damaging the hasp.

Buy a new padlock and keep a second key in your flat. For shared doors, let the property management know.