Ethics question - would you pick this lock?

[solidstate]

A friend of mine was leaving on an international flight. When he got to the airport he discovered that he forgot his passport! He called me to see if I could get someone from his apartment building to let me in to get his passport and take it to him. I had enough time to get to the airport before his flight left but he did not have enough time to go back to his apartment and go to the airport again. Neither of us could reach anyone from the apartment building.

If he missed his flight he would miss an important business meeting and it would cost him a few hundred dollars to change his flight.

Would you pick the lock on the apartment so you could get the passport for your friend?

This really happened to me. I changed a few details but the overall events are correct.

[Squelchtone]

A friend of mine was leaving on an international flight. When he got to the airport he discovered that he forgot his passport! He called me to see if I could get someone from his apartment building to let me in to get his passport and take it to him. I had enough time to get to the airport before his flight left but he did not have enough time to go back to his apartment and go to the airport again. Neither of us could reach anyone from the apartment building.

If he missed his flight he would miss an important business meeting and it would cost him a few hundred dollars to change his flight.

Would you pick the lock on the apartment so you could get the passport for your friend?

This really happened to me. I changed a few details but the overall events are correct.

Only if you got his permission, and not as a nice surprise for him, and also if he called the building management or landlord or a maintenance guy to be with you while you picked the lock so none of the neighbors called the police while a stranger was standing there picking the lock.

I don't think most people who rent call the landlord or management company when a locksmith comes out to pick the lock for a lock out, but then again, a locksmith is going to be a professional with lots of experience and they will also have insurance and be able to repair the lock in case something goes wrong during the picking process, like pulling out a spring, or dropping a master wafer, which would screw up the operation of the key and the landlords master key if it is pinned up in such a way.

Hope that helps,
Squelchtone

[Varjeal]

Squelch got it right, and I would do something a bit further to that.

First thing I would do is have the friend phone a neighbor and get them to let me into the building. Then, I would have that neighbor escort me to the door and basically act as a witness while I entered and recovered the keys.

Regardless of whether you are a friend and/or a professional locksmith, you should never pick/bypass a main entrance door to an apartment/condo building without express permission (and I would prefer getting it in writing or have the building manager present) from the building owner or manager. As for the particular suite door, the above steps should make sure that you've covered your own butt. With those two things in place, heck ya I'd help out a friend.

[Evan]

Squelch got it right, and I would do something a bit further to that.

First thing I would do is have the friend phone a neighbor and get them to let me into the building. Then, I would have that neighbor escort me to the door and basically act as a witness while I entered and recovered the keys.

Regardless of whether you are a friend and/or a professional locksmith, you should never pick/bypass a main entrance door to an apartment/condo building without express permission (and I would prefer getting it in writing or have the building manager present) from the building owner or manager. As for the particular suite door, the above steps should make sure that you've covered your own butt. With those two things in place, heck ya I'd help out a friend.

+1 to the above...

EXCEPT when you have been hired by a law enforcement agency to open a premises so they can enter to serve a legal and proper search warrant which you have seen and read or to seize assets from a premises with the proper paperwork... Under such circumstances the permission/notification of the owner of the building is no longer an issue...

~~ Evan

[Varjeal]

Precisely, and if you are contracted to do such, make sure you get a copy of the warrant and the names/employee #'s of those performing the entry. In cases of emergency or time constraints, you can get all that info after as well.

[Legion303]

Just like every other thread of this type...if you have to ask whether it's ethical, then you already know it isn't.

If your friend gives you express permission to pick it and HE owns the lock (not a property manager or similar), then there is no ethical dilemma. Obviously.

-steve

[smhatter]

Just like every other thread of this type...if you have to ask whether it's ethical, then you already know it isn't.

If your friend gives you express permission to pick it and HE owns the lock (not a property manager or similar), then there is no ethical dilemma. Obviously.

-steve

I agree. As much as I am all for helping friends, if you have to wonder about something being ethical, it's usually sketchy at best.

[raimundo]

some such situations can be tricky, I lived in an apartment building once, the two lesbians who lived above me had a pit bull, they were shirtail friends, but I really didnt' keep up on their details,

How was I to know that when one of them asked me to open the door to take care of the dog, the two of them had split up. I tried to watch carefully when she was in there, and later I mentioned it to the other, and asked here if it was a problem? Not a problem for me she said, I think they remained friends if not roommates, you get the same stuff from husbands and wives who actually have ID that lists the address, but not the current status of the relationship.

One woman who has been around at one of the locksports meetings is divorced, and may even have an order of protection, as she once remarked that she is not allowed to own a gun, and that sounds like a court order. She was also over heard saying to someone else that he had changed the locks, but she would just pick them open, they have two children,

If you don't know the person, its tricky to get a feel for the state of any of their relationships. I have no real sage advice about how to do this, only to watch out for tricky situations.

[Varjeal]

Ray is correct..even with all the necessary printed information you can still get burnt, and it almost happened to me on several occasions. All I can say is ask plenty of questions and if something seems suspicious keep asking questions until you're satisfied or walk away.

[solidstate]

My friend did call me directly and ask me to get his passport so he wanted me to enter the apartment. He even told me exactly which desk drawer it was in.

The building only had 3 apartments and no neighbors were around.

We eventually talked to the management and they said they needed an original signed letter allowing them to open the door for someone else. No fax, no Email, no images. That wasn't going to happen in an hour.

In the end I didn't even try to pick the lock. There was no one to be a witness. The lock had side pins which I've never tried before. I would have had to pick the entry lock and the apartment lock. Too much stress for me!

It sucked because my friend lost several hundred dollars. He's still not sure if the deal he was trying to make will go through but there is still a chance.

I asked because if I had a key my friend would have wanted me to get his passport. The only obstacles were the locks. Oh the irony.

I guess the moral of the story is don't forget stuff and give someone a spare key.

[Varjeal]

You made a smart decision in not taking the chance. A few hundred dollars is minor compared to the hassle and potential court costs and jail time you might have served getting caught by a neighbor or passing motorist/pedestrian. Good call.