Smart locks
House lockouts
Re-keying
Deadbolt upgrades
Schlage
Kwikset
Car keys & fobsNon-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable Emergency Locksmith Across Hollywood
Locked out on Franklin Avenue at 11pm? Key snapped in a mortise lock on a 1920s courtyard apartment off Yucca? Emergency locksmith work in Hollywood runs $95 – $180 for a standard lockout, $120 – $250 for broken key extraction, and $85 – $140 per lock for an eviction lock change, and we can usually be at your door within 45 – 60 minutes from the 101 corridor. Tumbler Lock & Key is the Emergency Locksmith team that works the full span of Hollywood from the Walk of Fame flats to the hillside streets above the Bowl, including all of 90028. Call (877) 265-3856 and you’ll get a straight answer on price before anyone is dispatched.
Why Tumbler Lock & Key Is Hollywood’s Preferred Emergency Locksmith Company
We work this neighborhood constantly, and it shows in how we stock our truck. Hollywood’s housing is a patchwork of 1920s Spanish bungalows, courtyard apartments with original mortise locks, and glassy high-rise condos on Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard. Our Emergency Locksmith technicians carry vintage cylinder pinning kits and modern electronic access tools side by side because, in 90028, a single block can take us from a skeleton-key mortise on one call to a deadbolt stack on the next.
Our reviews from Hollywood customers consistently point to the same thing: we make the call simple. Landlords managing turnover around the Walk of Fame and property managers in the hills call us for tenant-change rekeys and eviction lock swaps because we show up with the right pins for the hardware that’s actually in the building. Noel Cardenas, who leads our team, has spent years working these older buildings and knows the difference between a lock that needs replacing and a lock that just needs a dry-season strike realignment. That’s the kind of local knowledge that keeps a call from turning into an unnecessary hardware bill.
Response time to Hollywood is what matters when you’re standing outside your door. Our typical arrival window is 45 – 60 minutes, depending on where you are and whether we’re coming up Cahuenga or over from the south. We quote the full price on the phone before the truck moves, and the price you hear is the price on the invoice. No call-out surcharge added when we arrive.
Styles & brands we work with







Our Emergency Locksmith Services in Hollywood
24/7 Emergency Lockout
We’re around-the-clock for lockouts across Hollywood, whether you’re a tourist locked out of a short-term rental near Hollywood and Vine or a resident whose key turned fine yesterday and now won’t budge. For lockouts we use non-destructive entry first. Drilling is the last resort, and if we do drill, we carry replacement cylinders and mortise bodies that fit the older doors common in 90028, so you’re not left with a hole in the door. Call (877) 265-3856 and we’ll walk you through what we’ll do before we get there.

Broken Key Extraction
Keys snap in the dry Hollywood climate more than people expect. Older Schlage and Kwikset cylinders hold up, but worn key blanks and stiff pin chambers in vintage mortise locks are a common combination. We extract broken key segments with picks and spiral extractors when the break is clean. When the cylinder is too damaged, we rekey the existing mortise body rather than pushing a replacement, as long as the hardware is still sound. On a 1920s Spanish bungalow off Beachwood Drive, that honest call can save the landlord $200 or more over a full lock swap.

Eviction Lock Change
In Hollywood, where rental turnover is constant and short-term occupancy is the norm, eviction lock changes and tenant-change rekeys are the regular backbone of our emergency calls. We change or rekey cylinders on the spot, provide fresh keys for the landlord or property manager, and document the work so the paper trail is clean. For courtyard apartments and multi-unit properties around the Walk of Fame, we can set up a master-key system so management keys open the common areas and individual units open only the tenant’s door. A typical eviction lock change in Hollywood runs $85 – $140 per lock, and we can usually schedule it same-day.

Safe Opening
Safes show up in more Hollywood homes than people expect, particularly in the hillside properties above the Boulevard and in older bungalows with built-in wall safes. We open residential safes and smaller commercial units with manipulation or minimal drilling, depending on the lock type. Most safe openings in Hollywood run $150 – $350, and we’ll tell you the likely method and cost before we start the job.

What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Hollywood
From Kwikset repair in Hollywood to Medeco, we service the full spectrum of hardware you’ll find in Hollywood buildings. In 90028, that means Schlage deadbolts on high-rise condos, Kwikset entry sets on 1930s courtyard apartments, and Medeco high-security cylinders on hillside properties where the owner wanted something stronger than what the original Spanish bungalow came with. We stock common pin kits, tailpieces, and cylinder parts for these brands locally, which is why we can usually finish a rekey or cylinder swap in one visit. Your lock has a name, so do we.
Common Emergency Locksmith Problems We See in Hollywood Homes
- Warped original door frames: Hollywood’s dry heat and intense UV bake wood doors over time, and the original frames on 1920s bungalows are the worst offenders. The deadbolt throws short because the strike plate has shifted, and the real fix is a strike realignment or a chisel adjustment, not a new lock. We see this constantly in the hills and around the older flats of 90028.
- Obsolete mortise cylinders: Many vintage apartment buildings and bungalows still carry original mortise locks that modern deadbolts won’t simply replace. The good news is that these locks can almost always be rekeyed in place. We rekey, we replace, and we’re direct with you about which one is actually needed.
- Gate and call-box failures on hillside driveways: Above Hollywood Boulevard, steep driveways and multi-unit gates mean the emergency is often the gate operator, the intercom call-box, or the reinforced door hardware, not the front door itself. We carry gate lock hardware and call-box bypass tools that a flatland locksmith’s truck usually doesn’t.
- Tourist and short-term rental lockouts: The constant churn of visitors and short-term tenants around the Walk of Fame means a steady drumbeat of lockouts where the key is inside, the code didn’t work, or the previous guest deadbolted and left. We handle these quickly and non-destructively, which matters when the property is a rental the owner doesn’t want drilled.
Pricing for Emergency Locksmith in Hollywood, CA
A standard emergency lockout in Hollywood runs $95 – $180, with the final number depending on whether it’s a simple knob lock, a deadbolt, or a vintage mortise. Broken key extraction lands between $120 and $250. Eviction lock changes and tenant-change rekeys run $85 – $140 per lock. Safe openings typically range $150 – $350. Hillside gate and call-box work is quoted after we know the equipment, because gate operators vary widely. What we won’t do is bait you with a low teaser price and then stack fees on arrival. The price we quote on the phone at (877) 265-3856 is the price on the invoice, and the estimate is free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hollywood
Our team covers Hollywood and the surrounding area, including Universal City, West Hollywood, Koreatown, and Echo Park. If you’re just over the line from 90028, call (877) 265-3856 and we’ll confirm coverage and the drive time to your door. One call covers your car, your home, your business across this whole part of Los Angeles.
Serving Hollywood, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hollywood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Emergency Locksmith in Hollywood
In most cases, a mortise lock on a 1920s or 1930s Hollywood bungalow can be rekeyed in place. The bodies on these original locks are often better-built than what’s sold today, so the smart call is to rekey the cylinder to fresh pins rather than rip out working hardware. We’ll tell you straight if the mortise body is genuinely worn out. Call (877) 265-3856 and describe what you have. We can usually tell you over the phone whether it’s a rekey or a replacement.
In Hollywood’s dry heat, wood door frames lose moisture and warp over time, which shifts the strike plate just enough that the deadbolt throws short. The lock itself is usually fine. The fix is realigning or adjusting the strike, sometimes with a deeper chisel cut, not drilling out a perfectly good deadbolt. This is one of the most common calls we get in 90028 between June and October.
An eviction lock change involves removing or rekeying the existing cylinder, installing fresh pins, and cutting new keys for the landlord or property manager. For Hollywood’s courtyard apartments and rental homes, most jobs run $85 – $140 per lock, and we can usually get same-day scheduling. We also document the work so the turnover is clean. Call (877) 265-3856 for a flat per-lock price before we come out.
Yes. Above Hollywood Boulevard, many properties have driveway gates, intercom call-boxes, and reinforced door hardware that a standard locksmith truck isn’t set up for. We carry gate lock tools, call-box bypass gear, and reinforced hardware parts specifically because this is a routine part of Hollywood’s hillside emergency calls. Tell us what equipment you have when you call (877) 265-3856, and we’ll confirm what we can do before we head up the hill.
Drilling is the last resort, not the default. We use non-destructive entry methods first on Hollywood lockouts, which matters because so many 90028 properties carry original mortise locks and vintage hardware that’s hard to replace like-for-like. If drilling becomes necessary, we’ll tell you the cost before we start and we’ll carry replacement parts that fit older doors. Call (877) 265-3856 and we’ll walk you through exactly what we’ll do.
Need an emergency locksmith in Hollywood right now? Call (877) 265-3856 for a free estimate and an honest answer on price before anyone is dispatched. We respond around the clock across 90028 and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Written by Noel Cardenas, Owner at Tumbler Lock & Key, serving Hollywood and greater Los Angeles.