Commercial 
The other day I rekeyed some locks and installed some deadbolts for a client who was recently separated from her husband. As I was working, she looked at me with an eyebrow cocked and asked how she could be certain that I wouldn’t keep a copy of her key. I told her that she couldn’t be.
I also said a few more things.
I told her that I’ve worked hard to build a strong reputation as an honest locksmith who does good work for a fair price. I told her that my livelihood is completely dependent upon this reputation. I told her that I’m easily searchable on the web — the source of the bulk of my business — and that any such abuse of my clients’ trust would immediately appear on the Internet and tank my career as a locksmith.
There were some things I forgot to mention. I forgot to mention that I’m licensed, which means the state has confirmed I don’t have a criminal record. And I forgot to mention that I’m bonded. To work as a locksmith in this state it is required that I have a $6,000 bond to cover a client’s losses if something is stolen or if I skip out on a job; I have a $12,000 bond. It’s a good idea to confirm the licensing and bonding credentials of anyone that you hire to do work in your home or business. Here’s where you can check that:
https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/
A few weeks ago a client told me that the last locksmith she hired came back and stole all the screens off her house. She didn’t know for certain it was him, but he was the most likely suspect. That made me wonder: if he worked on her locks and had the opportunity to keep a key copy for himself, why would he have only grabbed items that required no access to the house at all? This story got me to thinking that if one of my clients is ever the victim of a break-in shortly after I finish my work, I will be under suspicion. This is unfortunate for me because the reality is that when people call me for security upgrades, it’s because they perceive that there’s a real danger of a home invasion. If and when a home is burglarized right after I do a job there, I pray the intruder kicks or pries his way in.
The bottom line is this: if you don’t have a great deal of faith in the integrity of your locksmith — or, again, anyone working in your home or business — you shouldn’t be granting him access to your keys and your security equipment. If I show up and you don’t like the cut of my jib, pay me my small service call fee and send me on my way. My feelings might be hurt, but you’ll be able to preserve your peace of mind. And much of the time, that’s what I’m in the business of selling.