Cheney is twenty minutes down SR-904 from I-90 exit 270, and with Eastern Washington University in the middle of it the lock calls follow the academic calendar.
Students: what to do, what it costs you
Locked out of an apartment: try the landlord or on-site manager first — they can usually let you in at no charge. If it is 2 a.m. and nobody answers, we come, we open the door without damage, and we need to see ID with that address or a lease on your phone. Locked out of the car in a campus lot: same rules as anywhere, and we can find you by the lot name.
Lost car keys
The most common Cheney call. We cut and program at the car, in the lot, from the VIN. Parents four hours away: you can call and pay for it, and we text you the written quote and the completion photo. Proof of ownership can be the registration in the glovebox once we are in.
Landlords and property managers
Rekeys between tenants every June and September, keyed alike per unit, batched by building. Keypad deadbolts remove the key-return problem entirely and we install them across whole complexes during turnover week. See the landlord rekey guide.
Town, not just campus
First Street businesses, the homes west of campus and the properties out toward Turnbull and Fish Lake are all regular coverage — house rekeys, shop locks, farm padlocks and car keys, same written price as in Spokane.
- Typical arrival about 20 minutes
- Student discount on request with an EWU ID
- We do not charge to tell you to call your landlord first
More on the Cheney locksmith page.
Move-in and move-out weeks
September and June are when we batch rekeys for the complexes along Betz Road, Washington Street and around the campus edge. Landlords: schedule early; students: check that your unit was rekeyed before you move in, and ask for it if it was not — Washington law requires working locks, and most landlords will rekey on request.
Questions we get in Cheney
Can my parents pay over the phone?
Yes. We text the written quote to whoever is paying and send a completion photo when the job is done.
Bike locks?
Lost the key to a U-lock on the campus racks? We open it with proof it is yours — a photo of you with the bike or the receipt.
Dorm rooms?
University housing has its own locksmith; call the housing desk. Off-campus apartments and houses are us.
Beyond campus
Medical Lake, Four Lakes, Airway Heights and the farms toward Tyler and Sprague are covered from the same west-side van.
