Does Your Locksmith Have a Locksmith License?

Since the locksmithing trade is not regulated in any way by the British Government, anyone can

practice as a locksmith regardless of their ability, experience or motive.

Unlike the other areas of the security industry, which are government licensed, the government

doesn’t see a need to regulate the locksmithing trade. Because of this, the Master Locksmiths

Association has come up with its own licensing scheme. MLA approved companies or

locksmiths that can be found on the MLA website have met 3 key criteria, particularly:

● They’ve been appraised, verified, and checked for accuracy, authenticity, and validity. –

Through the MLA, members can now be checked on a standard level following debates

in the Houses of Commons and Lords.

● They’ve been regularly examined. – Before a locksmith can obtain a locksmith license,

the MLA will go and check prospective and approved locksmiths and companies on a

regular basis. These inspections, which are done by a team of inspectors, can include

checking jobs done by the locksmith, getting keys cut and checking audit trails for

purposes of quality.

● They are qualified. – An examination must be passed to obtain a locksmith license.

Examinations are done to ensure that there’s a minimum standard maintained within the

industry.*

To look for licensed locksmiths within your proximity, you may use the search tool on the MLA

website by entering location-specific queries, such as “locksmith Ashford,” “locksmith

Streatham,” “locksmith Hounslow,” or “locksmith Amersham.”

I want to obtain a locksmith license – what should I do? First thing is to do some research. Where do you want to work and how’s the market going?

How many locksmiths will you compete against in the area you’ll be working? Note that some

areas have a lot of thriving locksmiths and you may have a hard time to make it.

If you think you have what it takes to be a successful locksmith then you need to contemplate

about what services you will be offering, as well as what services are needed by the customers.

Will you cover residential work or commercial? How about auto, safes, access controls or

electrical security? There are a variety of fields and specializations within the locksmith trade

that you may opt to work on. Formulate a business plan and be realistic with your target profit

and costs.

New locksmiths may need to undertake a locksmithing course. Seek advice from as many

renowned locksmiths as you can and try to get referrals from people who have undertaken

courses already to see what they think. Get in touch with MLA-affiliated training providers, as

well as visit their premises to have an idea about their background and the amount of

experience they possess. There are instances when some people front up as training

companies even after only receiving a short 3-day course.

Regardless of some interesting marketing, a nationally recognized qualification in locksmithing

is still inexistent. This is one of the main reasons why the MLA have been funding a qualification

and associated apprentice scheme for upcoming locksmiths, which was launched in September

2012.