Alabama Landlords Cannot Change the Locks to Force You Out

An Alabama landlord cannot change the locks to push out a tenant who still lives there. The law bars taking back a rental "by action or otherwise." There are three exceptions. The tenant abandoned it, surrendered it, or lost an eviction case in court. A locked out tenant can recover up to three months' rent or actual damages. They get whichever is greater, plus lawyer fees. A tenant can change the locks only when the lease or the landlord allows it. The landlord still gets a key.

Straight Answer

A lockout over late rent is illegal in Alabama. The landlord has to go to court first.
A landlord can change the locks after a move-out, after a surrender of keys, after an abandonment, or after a court eviction.
The Act counts a unit as abandoned when the power has been off seven days in a row.
The Act has no rule on tenants changing locks. Your lease decides.
If you do change or rekey a lock, get it in writing and give the landlord a key.

We rekey for landlords between tenants and for renters after a roommate moves out. So this question comes with the job. In Auburn, almost half the homes are rented. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey is the newest as of October 2026. It counts 14,161 renter homes in Auburn. That is out of 30,174 occupied homes. That is 46.9 percent. Opelika sits at 30.9 percent, per the same Census tenure table.

Most answers online are national. They stop at "it depends on your state." Alabama's answer is in its own code, and it is clearer than people think.

What Alabama Law Says About Rental Locks

Most home rentals here fall under one law. It is the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. You will find it in Title 35, Chapter 9A of the Code of Alabama. As of October 2026, the Act has 43 active sections on the Alabama Legislature's code site. Not one of them uses the word "lock."

That surprises people. It means there is no Alabama rule that says "a landlord must rekey between tenants" or "a tenant may never change a lock." What the Act does have are rules about who holds the right to be inside the home. Those rules decide every lock question.

The Lockout Rule

Section 35-9A-427 says a landlord may not recover or take possession of a rental by action or otherwise. That includes cutting heat, running water, hot water, power or gas. There are only three ways out. The tenant abandoned the unit. The tenant surrendered it. Or the landlord won a court eviction, the process the Act allows.

Changing the locks on someone who still lives there is taking possession. It is the textbook case.

What a Lockout Costs a Landlord

Section 35-9A-407 gives the tenant a choice. They can get back in, or they can end the lease. Either way, they can recover up to three months' rent or their actual damages, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney's fees. If the lease ends this way, the deposit comes back. So does any unearned prepaid rent.

On a $1,200 a month apartment, three months' rent is $3,600 before lawyer fees. That is a worked example, not a court award. It shows why a fresh set of locks is the most expensive shortcut a landlord can take.

National landlord guides say Alabama has no lock statute, and that part is right. Most stop there. They skip this three months' rent remedy, and they skip the seven day power rule below. Those two rules are the ones that settle real cases.

Chart of six Alabama rental situations showing when a landlord or a tenant can legally change the locks, with the code section for each — Six common situations, with the section of Alabama law behind each answer. Save it to your phone.

When a Landlord Can Change the Locks

A landlord can change or rekey the locks any time the tenant's right to be there has ended the legal way. There are four clean cases.

1. The Tenant Moved Out

The lease ended, the tenant left, and the keys came back. That is a surrender. The landlord can rekey the same day. This is the best time to do it. The last tenant can still open the door. So can their roommates and anyone they lent a key to.

2. The Tenant Turned In the Keys Early

A tenant who hands back the keys and walks away mid-lease has also given up the unit. The landlord can secure it. If a tenant abandons a unit, Section 35-9A-423 says the landlord then has to make reasonable efforts to rent it again.

3. The Unit Was Abandoned

This is where people guess, and the Act does not make them. Section 35-9A-423(e) says a property counts as abandoned if the electric service has been off for seven days in a row. That is on top of any other sign of abandonment. The same section says a landlord may enter during any absence of more than 14 days, at reasonable times. Property left more than 14 days after the lease ends can be thrown out.

4. After a Court Eviction

Eviction is a court case. Section 35-9A-461 puts it in district or circuit court in the county where the rental sits. For Auburn and Opelika, that is Lee County. When the landlord wins and the court issues a writ of possession, the locks can change. Legal Services Alabama says a sheriff's deputy has to be there when a tenant's things are removed.

When a Landlord Cannot Change the Locks

These are the moves that get landlords in trouble. Each one is still a lockout under the law.

Rent is late. Under Section 35-9A-421, late rent allows a written notice. The lease ends if the rent is not paid within seven business days. After that, the landlord files in court. Notice is not permission to lock anyone out.
The lease "allows" it. The lockout bar in Section 35-9A-427 lists only abandonment, surrender and the Act's own process. A lease clause is not on that list.
The tenant complained. Section 35-9A-501 bars getting back at a tenant who reported code problems by cutting services or threatening to evict. The tenant gets the same remedies as for a lockout.
The landlord just wants in. Section 35-9A-303 lets a landlord enter without consent in a few cases. Those include an emergency, a court order, a long absence, or two days' notice to show the unit. Entry is not possession. It does not let them take the home.

The Act has its own limits too. It does not cover a hotel or motel stay. It does not cover a home you are buying on contract, or a unit that comes with a job. That is in Section 35-9A-122. If that is you, talk to a lawyer before you assume either way.

Can a Tenant Change the Locks in Alabama?

Yes with permission. Risky without it. Since the Act has no lock section, your lease is the rule book. Read it first, and look for any clause about locks, keys or changes to the unit.

Even if your lease says nothing, two parts of the Act still push you to get an OK.

Section 35-9A-303 says you cannot unreasonably refuse entry for repairs, inspections and showings. It also lets the landlord in without consent in an emergency. A lock they cannot open breaks both.
Section 35-9A-301 says a tenant may not damage or remove any part of the premises. Pulling the landlord's deadbolt and keeping it can look like exactly that.

Rekey, Do Not Replace

For a renter, rekeying is the cleaner move. A rekey keeps the landlord's lock on the door and swaps the pins inside the cylinder. The old keys stop working, the hardware stays, and nothing gets removed. When you move out, the landlord can rekey again for the next tenant. Our rekey service page shows how it works.

Locksmith at a workbench fitting a key into a lock cylinder he has just rekeyed — A rekey changes the pins inside the cylinder, so the lock stays on the door and the old keys stop working. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Alder, U.S. Air Force, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

When Safety Comes First

If someone who used to live with you is a danger to you, call 911 first. Then know this. An Alabama protection order can remove that person from your home regardless of whose name is on the lease. Section 30-5-7 lets a judge do it, even before a hearing. Bring the order to your landlord and ask, in writing, for a rekey that day.

Who Can Change the Locks, Case by Case

Situation	Landlord can change locks?	Tenant can change locks?
Tenant lives there, rent is late	No, court first	Only per the lease
Notice to end the lease was sent	No, still court first	Only per the lease
Tenant moved out and turned in keys	Yes	Not their home anymore
Power off 7 days in a row	Yes, counts as abandoned	Not applicable
Court eviction with a writ	Yes	No
Roommate left, keys missing	Yes, if the tenant asks	With written OK, and give a key
Protection order against an ex	Yes, if the tenant asks	With written OK, and give a key

Locked Out of a Rental? What to Do

First, figure out which kind of lockout you have. They need different calls.

You Lost Your Key or Left It Inside

Call your leasing office or landlord first. Some keep a key and can let you in. After hours, a locksmith can open the door. Expect a good one to ask for an ID that shows the address, or another way to prove you live there. That check protects you as much as anyone. Our house lockout service page covers how we get people back inside without damage.

Your Landlord Changed the Locks on You

That is a legal problem, not a lock problem. Do not break in. Do these instead.

Take photos of the new lock and any notice on the door, with the date.
Text or email the landlord asking for a key today. Keep the reply.
Call Legal Services Alabama at (866) 456-4995. The call center runs Monday to Friday, 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon
Ask about filing under Section 35-9A-407 in Lee County District Court.

Brass swing bar security latch on the inside of a dark wood rental unit door — A swing bar latch adds a lock from the inside without touching the landlord's cylinder. Ask before you drill anything. Photo by Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Checklist Before Anyone Touches a Rental Lock

For landlords and property managers.

Is the unit surrendered, abandoned, or under a writ? If not, stop.
Rekey on move-out day, before the next tenant's keys are cut.
Keep a log of every key you hand out, by unit and date.
Give at least two days' notice before showing the unit, per Section 35-9A-303.

For tenants.

Read the lease for any lock or key clause.
Ask for permission by text or email, so you have it in writing.
Choose a rekey over a new lock, so the landlord's hardware stays.
Hand the landlord a working key the same day.

Managing more than a few doors? Our commercial locksmith page covers master key systems, where each tenant opens only their own door and the owner opens all of them.

What to Ask Next

Can my landlord change the locks if I do not pay rent in Alabama?

No. Late rent lets a landlord give a written notice and then file an eviction in court. It does not let them lock you out. Section 35-9A-427 bars a landlord from taking a rental back by any means except abandonment, surrender or the process in the Act.

Can I change the locks on my apartment without permission in Alabama?

The Act has no section about tenants and locks, so your lease decides. Even when a lease is silent, the landlord can still get in for emergencies and repairs. So get a written OK and give them a key.

Do I have to give my landlord a key in Alabama?

Section 35-9A-303 says a tenant cannot unreasonably refuse entry for repairs, inspections and showings. A landlord may also enter without consent in an emergency. Keeping the only key makes that impossible, so plan on giving the landlord a working copy.

How long after a tenant moves out can I change the locks?

Once the tenant moves out and turns in the keys, the landlord can change the locks right away. If the tenant just disappears, watch the power. The Act treats a unit as abandoned once the electric service has been off seven days in a row.

What can landlords not do in Alabama?

They cannot lock a tenant out. They cannot cut off heat, water, hot water, power or gas to force a move. They cannot raise rent or cut services to get back at a tenant who reported code problems. They also cannot keep more than one month's rent as a deposit, with a few exceptions such as pets.

Can I ask my landlord to change my locks?

Yes, and ask in writing. We found nothing in the Act that makes a landlord rekey between tenants. It comes down to your lease and your landlord. If they say no to paying, ask if you can pay for a rekey yourself and hand them a key.

Need a Rental Rekeyed?

Landlord between tenants, or renter with the landlord's OK, the job is the same. We rekey at your door in Auburn, Opelika and nearby, with the price quoted on the phone before a technician rolls. Call (334) 655-1300.

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This is general information about Alabama law. For your own case, call Legal Services Alabama or a lawyer.