How to verify ownership before opening a lock

Opening a lock for the wrong person is the one mistake in this trade you can't undo. The door you opened might belong to an ex, a tenant in a dispute, or a neighbor who is at work while someone else carries out the TV. Ownership checks are your job, on site, every time, and a written checklist makes them routine instead of awkward.

Before you roll: set expectations on the call

• Tell the caller you'll need ID. Say it plainly on the phone so it isn't a surprise. "I'll need to see ID with this address, or something else that shows you live there."
• Ask what they'll have on hand. Is their wallet inside the locked house? Is someone nearby who is on the lease? Knowing this now saves an argument later.
• Get the full name. The name you write down should match the name on whatever they show you.
• Note who is calling. A caller booking for someone else is fine, but the person at the door is the one who has to prove residency.

At the door: the ownership check

• Photo ID with the service address. The cleanest proof. Match the face, the name and the street.
• If the ID address doesn't match, a second document. A lease, closing papers, a recent utility bill, mail, or a statement on their phone. Name has to match the ID.
• If the documents are inside, open the door, then check the documents before the customer settles in. Stay at the entry while they get them.
• For a car, registration or insurance card that matches the ID and the plate or VIN. If it's in the glovebox, you retrieve it and check it before handing the car over.
• For a business, the owner or someone on the company's authorized contact list, with ID. A manager with a work badge alone is thin.
• Signed authorization form. Name, address or vehicle, ID type and number (partial is fine), date, time, signature.
• Record it. A photo of the ID and document, or a written note of what you saw, filed with the invoice.

Customers rarely object when you explain why. Most are relieved. It tells them you wouldn't open their door for a stranger either, which is a big part of how honest shops stand apart, as covered in how to spot a legit locksmith.

Red flags that mean slow down

• Rushing you past the check. "Just open it, I'll show you after." Real residents usually understand.
• A story that keeps changing. The house is theirs, then their girlfriend's, then their cousin's.
• Anyone who can't tell you simple details, like what's behind the door or which room the keys are in.
• A request to open one unit and then "also" the next door.
• Talk of a breakup, divorce, eviction or estate. These can be legitimate jobs, but they need paperwork: a court order, letters of administration, or a property manager's written authorization.
• "The owner is away and can't be reached." Then the owner isn't the one asking, and you need their okay some other way.

How to walk away without a scene

Keep it calm and about your policy, not about them. "I'm sorry, I can't open it without something that ties you to the address. If you can get the landlord on the phone or find a document, call me back and I'll come right out." Charge the trip if your policy says so and you told them on the phone. If you think a crime is in progress, leave and call 911.

Landlord requests deserve their own caution. An owner who wants into a tenant's unit, or wants the locks changed while the tenant still lives there, may be attempting a lockout that tenant law doesn't allow. Get it in writing, and check your state and local rules. If you work regularly for landlords, set this up front, as described in winning property manager accounts.

Make it the same on every truck

The check only protects you if every tech does it every time. Print this list, put a stack of authorization forms in each van, and make the photo of the ID part of closing out the job. When you train a new hire, ride along until you've watched them turn down at least one job that didn't feel right. More on running a careful shop is on the locksmith hub.