How should landlords and property managers control keys?

Why does key control matter for a rental?

Every key you can not account for is a way into a home you are responsible for. Key control means knowing which keys exist and who holds each one.

A rental collects keys over time. The last tenant had copies made for a partner, the cleaner kept one, a contractor got one for a week. None of that is unusual. The problem is when nobody can say how many keys are out there. If a break-in happens without forced entry, the first question is who else could open the door.

Good key control is boring and cheap: a routine at every turnover, a log, and a few rules about codes. It costs far less than a dispute after a break-in.

Should you rekey between every tenant?

Yes, as a routine. A former tenant, or anyone they lent a key to, can still open a lock that was never changed.

A rekey changes the pins inside the lock you already have, so old keys stop working and the hardware stays. It is the cheaper option when the locks work well. Replace a lock only when it is worn, damaged, or not the grade you want on that door. More on that choice on our rekey page.

A turnover routine that works:

1. Collect and count keys at move-out. Compare what comes back with what the log says went out, and note any gap.
2. Walk every exterior door. Front, back, side, the door from the garage into the house, and any gate or storage lock you control.
3. Rekey or replace every lock that a missing or unreturned key could open.
4. Reset codes: keypads, lockboxes, garage keypads and openers.
5. Test each lock with each new key, from both sides of the door.
6. Record it: date, address, locks done, number of new keys cut, who received them.

What should a key log record?

Each key's number, which lock it opens, who holds it, the date it went out and the date it came back. A spreadsheet or a notebook both work if someone keeps it current.

Update the log every time a key changes hands, and again after each rekey, when the old numbers stop meaning anything.

Do numbered or restricted keys help?

Numbered keys tell you which copy went missing. Restricted keys are hard to copy without your authorization, so copies can not multiply.

A "Do not duplicate" stamp is a request, not a control. It does not stop every key counter. A restricted keyway is different: blanks for it are only sold through an authorized dealer, who cuts copies for the people you name.

Restricted keys suit buildings with staff, shared doors or high turnover. For a single-family rental, numbered standard keys and a strict log are often enough. Either way, the system only works if the log is kept.

Is a master key system a good idea for rentals?

It can be, for staff who need into many units, but a lost master key exposes every unit at once. Decide who holds it and what you will do if it goes missing.

• Give the master only to people who need it, and log each one.
• Keep unit keys unique, so a tenant's key opens only their unit and shared doors.
• Have a plan for a lost master: which cylinders get rekeyed, and in what order.
• Avoid adding levels you don't need. Each level adds cost and makes rekeys harder.

How a system is planned and what it involves: master key systems.

How do you manage lockboxes, keypads and codes?

Treat codes like keys. Give each person their own code where the lock allows it, and change shared codes when someone stops needing them.

• Change the lockbox code after each turnover and after a batch of vendor visits.
• Don't use the street number, the unit number or a birthday as a code.
• On keypads that hold several user codes, delete the last tenant's codes at move-out and change the programming or master code from the factory setting.
• Write down when each code was set and who received it, in the same log as the keys.
• Check that a keypad lock still has a working physical key, in case the batteries die.

How should vendors and contractors get access?

Give them a time-limited code or a signed-out key, and get it back the same day. Never hand out a master key for a single repair.

• Use a temporary code that you delete when the job is done.
• If a key goes out, log it with the vendor's name and the date it must come back.
• Tell the tenant in advance who is coming, following your lease's notice terms.
• If a vendor keeps a key past the job, treat it as lost and rekey.

What is your policy when a tenant is locked out?

Decide it in writing before it happens: who opens the door, how ID is checked and who pays. Put it in the lease or the move-in sheet.

• Who opens: your staff during office hours, a locksmith you have named after hours, or both.
• ID check: photo ID that matches the name on the lease. People not on the lease need your written OK.
• Who pays: the tenant, the owner, or the owner then billed back. Say which.
• Lost key: whether a lost key means a rekey, and who pays for it.

When we handle tenant lockouts for a property manager, we check photo ID against the name and unit you give us. More on our work for landlords.

What if a tenant changes the locks?

Start with your lease: many leases say tenants may not change locks without permission and must give the landlord a key. Ask the tenant in writing for a key before you do anything else.

Keep it calm and written. A short message that quotes the lease clause, asks for a key by a date, and offers a rekey through your own locksmith solves most cases. A tenant who changed the lock after a break-in or a safety scare may have a good reason, so ask first.

Rules on landlord entry and lock changes differ from state to state. Check your lease and local law before you change a lock on an occupied unit for any reason.

We do not change locks to keep a tenant out. Lock changes on an occupied unit happen only as part of a court-ordered eviction, with the paperwork shown.

Are smart locks a good fit for rentals?

They make codes easy to change between tenants and vendors, but they add batteries, apps and account handover to every turnover.

• Good for: deleting a tenant's access in seconds, temporary vendor codes, and fewer physical keys to track.
• Watch for: app accounts that stay with the last tenant, dead batteries, and Wi-Fi hubs the tenant controls.
• At turnover: remove every user and app connection, check the batteries, and test the physical key.
• Keep the owner account in the company's name, not an employee's personal email.

For a single unit, a keypad deadbolt that works without an app is often the simplest choice. Installation details are on smart locks.

What records should you keep?

Keep the key log, every rekey invoice and the dates codes were changed, filed by address. If something goes wrong, those records show what you did and when.

• The key log and code log, current.
• Rekey and lock invoices with the address, date and locks done.
• Move-in and move-out key counts, signed by the tenant where possible.
• Your written lockout policy, and the lease clauses about keys and lock changes.

Ask your locksmith for an invoice that lists the address, the doors done and the number of keys cut. That one page often answers the questions an owner or an insurer asks later.