Serving as the executor of a loved one's estate is a big job with responsibilities to many people — including the deceased owner, their heirs, and even their creditors.
As you set out to protect the estate and administrate it according to the person's wishes, one service you should consider is a locksmith. Why? Here are four ways they can help you.
1. Know Who Has Access
The executor likely doesn't really know who may or may not have been given access to a deceased person's property. Any number of keys may exist and be in circulation among friends, neighbors, family, relatives, service providers, and others. Because you must now protect this property, the first thing many executors should do is change the locks so they know and control who can enter.
2. Prevent Family Problems
If there are multiple heirs, your job is to distribute the estate's assets fairly and in accord with what the will or state law stipulates. But family members can get emotional, combative, or even greedy during this difficult time.
Changing the locks as soon as possible may seem like an extreme measure, but your responsibility is to everyone involved — regardless of who may be upset or surprised by the move. With new codes or keys, no one can take or change anything without your knowledge.
3. Provide Vendor Access
Does the property need maintenance, repairs, or upgrades while you're in charge? Most executors perform their role while maintaining a regular job, caring for their family, and going about daily business. If you can't be at the estate property all the time, you'll benefit from the ability to give remote access.
Switching from a traditional lock and key to a code entry access system means you can program codes for specific entry periods or give one to a particular service person for their continued use. And there's a record of who came and how long they were there.
4. Protect Unoccupied Property
An unoccupied house attracts unwanted attention from those with bad motives. Therefore, even if the current locks and other security measures have been sufficient while it was occupied, they may need to be updated now.
Upgrading the home, storage, or other locks may mean simply getting a better-quality lock. Or it could mean adding more locks or combining locks with other security measures like an alarm or monitors.
Where to Start
No matter what security challenges you may face during your tenure as executor, a locksmith is a key resource. Start finding the right ways to secure any property by meeting with a locksmith in your area today.
When it comes to keeping your home and belongings safe from threats, working with a locksmith is paramount to your success. In addition to helping you to secure the entrances and exits of your home, a great locksmith can also help you to find things like safes to make things easier to protect. I started focusing carefully on locks, keys, and safes a few years back, and it was really interesting to me to see how much of a difference a safe for two could make. Here are just a few reasons you should focus on finding a great safe, and what you can do to improve your overall experience.