Asked in Family Law for Utah

Q: Can I, (a legal resident who were locked out of my fiancés house,) hire a locksmith to open my door?

My fiance and I were in a fight and he changed the locks to the house. I am legally allowed access but can not enter due to the new locks.

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: Probably. If you have been residing there he must follow eviction procedures to have you removed; he cannot just change the locks. If you have that address listed as your residence on your government-issued ID, the locksmith will likely open the door for you (less likely if you mention that your former fiancé changed the locks to keep you out). If you choose to do so, my advice would be to gather your belongings (just YOUR belongings, if in doubt, leave it) and find another place to stay.

Your former fiancé could file a police report and you could be charged. The charges would likely not survive a serious challenge, but you could end up with a huge headache. The safer bet would be to try to coordinate with your former fiancé to retrieve whatever belongings you have in the house.

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