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Most people call a locksmith whenever they need to have a residential lock changed. That’s a good choice too because there are no more efficient and experienced technicians when it comes to changing home locks than locksmiths are. But by simply calling a locksmith does it give them a right to change any residential lock? The answer here is no. If they have not worked for you before a locksmith may ask you to prove a home is yours. There are other scenarios too where a locksmith cannot change a lock in a home or apartment unless certain conditions are met. In this article, we will discuss some restrictions locksmiths have when it comes to lock replacement.
Here are some scenarios where a locksmith is not legally authorized to do a residential lock change.
Locksmiths are pretty lax when it comes to repairing locks or doing key related services in homes in most cases. The same cannot be said when it comes to home lock changes. It’s not uncommon for tenants or people other than homeowners try to get a locksmith to change out locks at a place of residence. That’s why there may come a time when a locksmith refuses to change out a lock on a property if the requesting party does not show proof of ownership of that house or multi-unit dwelling.
Landlords are always calling locksmith services like Hinsdale Pro Locksmith out of Hinsdale, Illinois to change out locks for them when they are involved in disputes with tenants. Most of this has to do with a failure on the tenant’s part to pay rent. But it’s not legal for a locksmith to just go ahead and change out a lock just because the owner wants it done.
A landlord has to follow a set legal protocol in order to get a tenant evicted. This can be a very long and drawn out process. That’s why many locksmiths are very careful about seeing paperwork before they change locks out at an apartment or multi-unit dwelling. There are some possible legal repercussions for them doing this.
Once the proper paperwork has been filed to evict a tenant and been approved, then and only then can your locksmith go ahead and change those residential locks out for you.
There are times when a person needs to show a proper power of attorney before a landlord can change a lock. Many times, this has to do with homes that belong to a deceased person. Even though some of the family members may want to change the locks, only the family member that possesses the power of attorney from the deceased is authorized to have the locks changed.
Here is another lock situation that involves both rental homes and apartments. It may be the case where you want to change out a lock because your tenant has left your rental home or apartment unit and did not leave their key. This cannot always be done, especially if your tenant has paid up their rent to a future date. The only way locksmiths can legally change out a lock in this situation is if you notify the tenant that you have changed the locks and you have a new key waiting for them. Failure to do this is considered forced eviction and is illegal in almost every state.
This is another tricky area for locksmiths when it comes to lock changes. Even though a husband or wife might have moved out of a home, it does not give the remaining spouse the right to change the locks. Only with a legal document that says the spouse has the right to do this for safety purposes or when the divorce is finalized can the locksmith then legally change out those home locks.
Why can’t locksmiths simply change out every home lock that someone asks them to change? There are many reasons for that. One of them is locksmiths have to follow rules just like any other professional service despite the fact they can do just about anything as far as opening doors and changing locks are concerned. Here are some of the reason’s locksmiths are careful who they change out locks for.
Locksmiths are technically supposed to get proof of ID and ownership before they open anything for you or change out locks. However, there are a lot of grey areas here too. Like how is someone supposed to show an ID and prove they are the registered owner of a vehicle if their registration is locked in a car. So, locksmiths have to be very careful about how they operate. They cannot just go by instinct alone in deciding who they change out a lock or open a door for.
Imagine if locksmiths were allowed to change out locks for just anyone who calls them. That would give would-be thieves a nice avenue into any home that was not theirs they could just pick a home they liked the stuff in and call a locksmith to come to open it for them. So, locksmiths have to use good judgment and follow rules before they change just any lock.
Although there is only a slim possibility that a locksmith would face jail time for changing out a lock without authorization, that possibility still exists. So, if a locksmith asks you to show id before they change out a lock at your home don’t be offended by that. Also, locksmiths face some legal liability issues too if they change out a lock for a person that was not authorized to ask them to do it.
