Routine
- Write down the opening and closing steps.
- Assign someone to check the back door.
Keys
- Number and log keys.
- Rekey when someone leaves.
Door checks
- Test the closer and latch each morning.
- Report a dragging door early.
If locked out
- Keep the owner or property manager contact handy.
- Know who authorizes work.
A closing routine that works
Assign one person to lock up each night and write the time in a log. Check that the front door latches on its own, the rear door is bolted and no one has propped a delivery door open. Test alarm codes and make sure two people know them.
Keys and access
Keep a list of everyone who holds a key or code and rekey when a person leaves. Store a spare key with an owner, not hidden near the shop. If your unit shares a rear door with other tenants, agree who is responsible for the lock.
When you are locked out
Call your locksmith and confirm authority with a lease, business licence or letter from the landlord. Ask whether the door can be opened without drilling, and whether your insurer needs to be told about forced entry. See the Scarborough plaza checklist.
A one-page plan to print
Write the locksmith's number, the landlord or property manager, the alarm company and the owner's number on one sheet. Add the door types and the location of spare keys. Keep one copy at the counter, one at home and one with a trusted manager. When something goes wrong, nobody has to search their phone under pressure, and the person who calls the locksmith has all the details they will be asked for.
Need a locksmith? See our emergency locksmith and pricing and process pages.