Eviction Lock Outs

Locksmiths save people from the worst of scenarios, but sometimes they are harbingers of doom. Robert Campbell, a locksmith who owns Advantage Locksmith in New York City, says that by law, if someone is being evicted from his apartment, the landlord cannot just call a locksmith and hire him to change the locks. In New York City, a landlord has to get a city marshal, since he establishes legality. Generally speaking, most people have up to six months before it comes to any sort of eviction proceedings. At this point, the landlord will call the city marshal, who will grant the landlord the right to engage the services of licensed locksmith.

Sometimes, a landlord has the key to the premises. But usually he doesn’t and that’s when Campbell is hired to go to the site, open the door, change the locks so the old keys don’t work and surrender the new keys to landlord who will rent the apartment at his leisure. Campbell says he doesn’t receive any paperwork regarding the legality of this. The marshal is always present with the landlord when he goes to the site and he is the one with the paperwork (that is generally notarized) which states that permission has been granted to gain access to the apartment.

A landlord does not have the right to easily gain access to someone’s apartment. A landlord cannot just call us up and get allowed in, even though he is the owner of the building. Sticky situations arise, says Campbell. Sometimes someone is on vacation and there is a flood. These things happen. He goes through every channel possible to make sure it is done properly, legally and ethically.

Campbell says that the worst ethical dilemma is when he goes to a home to perform a martial eviction. He opens the door and an old woman is inside, just sitting with her stuff. He says you can tell she is destitute and perhaps has nowhere to go. However, there is really nothing we can do at that point. The landlord has the full legal right to evict her and the marshal is there with all the paperwork. Campbell says that he obviously feels horribly in situations like that, but what can he do? He wishes the city would provide some other means to help this person out, but he can’t really just leave at that point. A locksmith can’t really bail out at that point, especially when it is a marshal you see often and a landlord who you often do jobs for. He is put in a terrible position and it can get emotional and dramatic, but Campbell has to do what is required by the law. Those situations are definitely some of the worst times to be a locksmith.