A new business owner lock checklist

Neighbors Ask

Why locks deserve a place on your opening list

When you lease or buy a space for a business, the list of things to do is long. Signs, supplies, permits, furniture, a website, a phone line. Locks tend to land at the bottom, usually because the doors already have some and they seem to work. But a lock that works is not the same as a lock that is secure, and the difference matters on the first night.

Think about who might already hold a key to your new space. The previous tenant, their staff, a cleaner, a maintenance worker, a landlord, a contractor who did the last renovation. You do not know, and nobody can tell you with certainty. The only way to be sure is to change the locks or rekey them before you stock the shelves.

This page is written as a checklist, but it is also an explanation. We want you to understand why each step matters, so that you can adapt it to a small boutique, a quiet office, a workshop or a roadside stand. Your own situation will be different from the next owner's, and a little understanding goes a long way.

Step one: rekey before you move in

The first item on the list is to rekey or replace the locks on every exterior door. Rekeying means changing the internal pins of the lock cylinder so that the old keys no longer work and a new key does. The hardware stays the same, which keeps the job simple and usually takes a short visit. Read more on our page about business lock service.

If your lease allows it, do this before you bring in stock or equipment. If the lease says the landlord controls the locks, ask them in writing to rekey or to allow you to do so. Many landlords agree when they hear that you want to protect the space. Keep the reply, because it protects you if there is ever a dispute.

Do not forget the doors that are easy to miss. A back door, a side door, a roof hatch, a storage room, a gate to a yard, a cash drawer, a file cabinet, a mailbox. If it locks, it counts. Walk around the entire space with a notepad and list every lock, even those you think you will never use.

Step two: test every door as a stranger would

Once you have a list of locks, test them. Close each door and listen for a clean latch. Turn the key and watch the bolt slide into the strike. Push and pull the door to see whether it rattles. A door that rattles has play in the frame, which can make a lock easier to defeat and a closer harder to adjust.

Look at the hinges and the frame. Hinge screws that are loose or short are a common weak point, particularly on older commercial doors. Glass in or near the door is another. If someone can reach through a pane to turn a thumb latch, the lock is a decoration. A technician can suggest options such as a keyed cylinder on both sides.

Also walk the outside of the building at dusk. See what a passerby sees: which doors are visible, which are hidden, and which have lighting. A well lit entrance is one of the most effective deterrents available, and it costs little. If a lamp has burned out, put it on your list. A practical way to do the walk through is to bring a friend and trade roles. One person plays the stranger, trying handles and pushing on glass, while the other watches from inside. You will notice things the owner never would, such as a latch that only catches when the door is pulled hard or a window lock that has been painted over. Fix what you can and write down what you cannot.

Step three: choose the right hardware for each door

Commercial doors are not simply bigger versions of house doors. They take more use, they often need to meet rules for exits, and they involve parts that a home does not, such as closers, panic bars and electric strikes. Our pages on door hardware for business explain these in detail.

Rules about exits, accessibility and fire safety differ by place and by the type of building. We cannot tell you what applies to yours, so ask your local building office, your landlord or an inspector before changing anything on a door that serves as an exit. Never block or restrict an exit on the basis of general advice.

If you are not sure what type of hardware a door needs, describe its use to a technician. How many people go through it, whether it needs to lock from the outside, whether staff need to enter at any hour. A short conversation usually produces a sensible suggestion, and it helps avoid buying hardware that does not fit. Keep in mind that commercial doors are often heavy and are fitted with parts that need periodic adjustment. A closer that was set for summer can behave differently when winter air thickens its fluid, and a door in a mountain town may swell or shrink with the weather. If a door starts to drag or bang, have it adjusted before it damages the frame or the lock.

• The front customer door usually needs a lock that is easy to open from the inside during business hours.
• A back or service door often needs a strong deadbolt and a sturdy strike, since customers never use it.
• An office or storeroom may need a lever with a lock, so access is limited to staff.
• A door that must serve as an emergency exit needs hardware that opens easily from inside, and the rules for this vary.
• A door that sees heavy traffic may need a commercial grade closer and strong hinges.

Step four: decide who gets keys and why

Now the human part. Make a short list of the people who need access to the space, and for each, ask what they need. An owner may need every key. A manager may need the main doors and the office. A part time worker may need only the front door during their shift. The principle is to give each person the least access that lets them do their job.

Avoid the temptation to hand out spare keys freely because it is convenient. Every key is a risk, and the more keys, the harder it is to know who holds what. If you have many staff, consider whether a keypad or electronic system might suit you better, since codes can be changed or removed without recollecting keys.

Write the plan down. A simple table showing each key, each door it opens and the person who holds it is enough. Add the date it was issued. When someone leaves, you will know what to collect. Our guide on what a key control policy is explains how to formalize this. Think about contractors and cleaners too. A cleaning crew that comes at night needs a way in, but it does not need a key that opens the office safe. Consider giving them a separate key or a code limited to certain doors, and ask them to sign for it. If a contractor only needs access for a week, a temporary arrangement is better than a copied key that can never be recalled.

Step five: plan for when staff leave

Staff come and go, and a plan for the moment someone leaves is part of any lock strategy. The plan should be simple. Collect keys on the last day. Cross them off the list. If a key is not returned, or if the departure was unfriendly, rekey the doors that key opened.

This is easier if you have kept your key plan tight. A business where everyone holds a key to everything faces a large and costly rekey whenever one goes missing. A business where each person holds only what they need can rekey a single door. The planning you do now pays off later.

Read our piece on handling keys when an employee leaves. It goes through the steps in more detail, including how to handle codes and cards. Keep a template of the steps and use it every time, so that you act consistently and fairly.

Step six: think about after hours and emergencies

A business has to plan for the odd hour. What happens if the alarm goes off at midnight, if a lock fails on a busy Friday, or if a key is lost on a trip? Decide in advance who will be called and what the steps are. Write the number of a locksmith on the same sheet as the alarm code, and keep it somewhere you can reach it.

Our team works around the clock, which can help when something goes wrong outside business hours. You can read about emergency help any hour. Even so, you should have a first response plan, such as who can come to the site and what they can do.

If your business holds cash, stock or sensitive records, think about what an intruder would aim for and protect that first. A strong door to the back office, a lockable cabinet for records, a cash drawer that locks. Layers are more effective than a single heavy lock at the front. If you operate from a home, a market stall, a van or a rented corner of a shared building, the same ideas apply on a smaller scale. A lockable case for stock, a padlock that you can rekey or replace, and a short list of who has what are enough to start. The principle is the same: know what you are protecting, know who can reach it, and have a plan for when that changes.

Step seven: keep records and revisit them

Make a habit of keeping a file for your locks. It should contain the key list, the date each lock was last changed, the type of hardware on each door, and any repair notes. When something fails, you will know where to start. When you sell or leave the space, you will have something useful to pass on.

Set a reminder to revisit the file twice a year. Check that every key is accounted for, that no former staff member still holds one, and that the hardware still works. Test closers, check strikes, and tighten loose screws. A little attention prevents most failures.

If you have several locations, keep a file for each, and consider whether a master key system might suit you. Our guide to master key systems explains how they work and who tends to need them.

Smaller details that new owners often miss

A few extra items deserve a mention. Check whether the door closes by itself and latches. A door that stays ajar is an invitation, and a door that slams can damage the frame. A closer adjusted properly makes the door close gently and fully. See what a door closer is.

Also consider windows, skylights and vents. A strong door means little if a window latch is weak. Look at each, and ask whether it needs a lock or a bar. Think about signs and lighting too: a door that is visible from the street and well lit is less attractive to anyone with bad intentions.

If you rent, remember that a lease may limit what you can change. Talk with your landlord before drilling into a door or replacing a lock. If you are unsure whether a change is allowed, ask in writing. The few minutes it takes could save you a dispute at the end of the lease. Insurance and lease terms sometimes mention locks, so read the paragraphs about security in each. We cannot say what your policy or lease requires, but it costs nothing to ask. A short message to your agent or landlord asking whether they have lock requirements can save an argument later, and some owners will even tell you which hardware they prefer.

Getting help and getting started

You do not have to do all of this at once. Begin with the rekey and the key list, then work through the rest as you can. If you want a second pair of eyes, a technician can walk the space with you and suggest priorities. You can describe your building on the request form.

We serve businesses across Shasta and Siskiyou counties, from Redding and Anderson to Yreka and beyond, and the questions tend to be similar. A shop in a town with cold winters has different needs than one in a hot valley, so mention your climate and your hours.

A final thought. Good locks are a quiet part of a business. When they work, no one notices. When they fail, everyone does. A small investment of time on your checklist now will let you open each morning with confidence, which is worth more than most of the items on your list.

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